10 potential breakout players for the 2018 MLS season

6. Jonathan Lewis, NYCFC

Taking Shelton’s minutes in the Bronx will be Lewis, a 20-year-old second-year player out of Akron. He played just 342 minutes last season, producing two goals and an assist in four starts, but he showed a lot in that brief playing time.

He proved to be an effective complement to the skillful Jack Harrison and clinical David Villa in an elite attack, running in transition and attacking defenders with the ball at his feet. His touch is not exactly delicate and sometimes he rushes his passes, but he’s at full-speed all the time — he bursts into gaps, always seeming to know what he’s doing. 

Improvisation is a skill, and Lewis has it in spades. When he receives the ball, he sets off, seeing the available gaps and hitting them with confidence and aggression. He weaves and dribbles wherever the ball takes him, using his lanky figure and low center of gravity to accelerate through and under bigger defenders.

Lewis deserves playing time. Harrison’s sale to England and the Shelton trade should create an opportunity for him to get on the field, and that will be a positive for the aging Villa. Let Lewis stretch the defense and make things happen off the dribble, and then let Villa poke at the opposing backline like he does so well.