Fansided

10 potential breakout players for the 2018 MLS season

By Harrison Hamm

FRISCO, TX - JUNE 27: FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon (22) looks to pass the ball during the game between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids on June 27, 2017, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FRISCO, TX - JUNE 27: FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon (22) looks to pass the ball during the game between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids on June 27, 2017, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 16: Andrew Carleton of United States of America celebrates scoring his teams 3rd goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and USA at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 16, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 16: Andrew Carleton of United States of America celebrates scoring his teams 3rd goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and USA at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 16, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) /

2. Andrew Carleton, Atlanta United

Like Cannon, Andrew Carleton has played in one career MLS game, a 10-minute cameo in May. He is 17, confident on the ball and willing to try stuff, making him a prized prospect for both Atlanta and the United States.

Carleton plays as a winger or a No. 10, although he has primarily been on the flanks for the US youth national teams and Atlanta. It’s tough for a young player, even one as talented as Carleton, to break into a stacked team like the Five Stripes, but when you can do stuff like this, you deserve a shot:

Tata Martino didn’t do a whole lot wrong last year, but he’s received deserved criticism for not rotating his squad more during ATL’s crowded late-season schedule, resulting in a Miguel Almiron muscle injury and possibly some fatigue toward the end, when they lost in the knockout round of the postseason. He would have been well-served to integrate players like Carleton.

If Tata learns from his mistakes this season, which will feature highly-touted new signing Ezequiel Barco, Carleton will play at least a 1,000 minutes.

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