With 2023 nearing its close; it’s about time to introduce the MLS/USL Breakout Youth Player 2024 discussion. Note: One change that I made for this year is that I’m categorizing two different age brackets based on position. Goalkeepers, Center Backs, and Forwards will get an extension, and 2001’s and younger will be counted, since these are the later developing positions, meanwhile, Fullbacks, Midfielders, and Attackers will be 2003’s and younger, since these positions tend to develop younger. KEY: 5 stars = Projects to be ready for a big money move abroad and/or jump into the senior team. 4 stars = Projects to be ready for January Camp, US Olympic team, MLS all-star, and/or transfer abroad. 3 stars = Projects to be ready to become a MLS regular. 2 stars = Projects to be ready to earn sporadic minutes in MLS or significant minutes in USL or MLS next pro. 1 star = Not projected for a big future in 2024 but someone to keep an eye on in the future. **Note: It was almost impossible for me to include anyone 2008 or younger to be anything more than a 1 star prospect for 2024. Even Cavan Sullivan. He’s probably too young to breakout next year. GOALKEEPERS (counting 2001’s and younger): #1 Chris Brady (04), Chicago Fire, 4 stars #2 Patrick Schulte (01), Columbus Crew, 3.5 stars #3 John Pulskamp (01), Sporting Kansas City, 2.5 stars #4 Abraham Rodriguez (02), Colorado Rapids, 2.5 stars #5 Gavin Beavers (05), Real Salt Lake, 2.5 stars #6 Chituri Odunze (02), Charlotte, 2.5 stars #7 Antonio Carrera (04), FC Dallas, 2.5 stars #8 Alex Rando (01), New York City FC, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Duran Ferree (06), Emi Ochoa (05), Adam Beaudry (06), Andrew Rick (06), Fred Emmings (04) RIGHT BACKS (counting 2003’s and younger): #1 Reed Baker-Whiting (05), Seattle Sounders, 3 stars #2 Mauricio Cuevas (03), LA Galaxy, 3 stars #3 Michael Halliday (03), Orlando City SC, 3 stars #4 Jacob Greene (03), DC United, 3 stars 1-star Prospects: Collin Smith (03), Nolan McGuire (05), Kayden Pierre (03), Noah Hall (03), Justin Reynolds (04), Alex Freeman (04), Jace Clark (05), Diego Rosales (05), Shawn Lanza (06), Andrew Baiera (07), Joshua Santiago (07) CENTER BACKS (counting 2001’s and younger): #1 Jalen Neal (03), LA Galaxy, 3.5 stars #2 Brandon Craig (04), Austin FC, olf Philadelphia Union, 3 stars #3 Noah Cobb (05), Atlanta United, 2.5 stars #4 Matai Akinmboni (06), DC United, 2.5 stars #5 George Campbell (01), CF Montreal, 2.5 stars #6 Justin Haak (01), New York City FC, 2.5 stars #7 Michael Wentzel (02), Saint Louis City SC, 2 stars #8 Thomas Williams (04), Orlando City SC, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Ian Fray (02), Marcus Ferkranus (03), Casey Walls (03), Santiago Suarez (05), Josh Maher (05), Fernando Venegas (05), Mateo Pinilla (05), Tyler Hall (06), Stuart Hawkins (06), Christian Diaz (06), Adrian Pelayo (06), Tate Lampman (06), Shakir Nixon (06), Neil Pierre (07), Luis Rivera (07), Ramiz Hamouda (08) **Note: You could stretch to say, Atencio (02) and Hidalgo (02) could be converted to play center back. Due to the lack of quality options, this might become more and more of a necessity. Yet, neither would be above 3 stars either. LEFT BACKS (counting 2003’s and younger): #1 Caleb Wiley (04), Atlanta United, 4 stars #2 Noah Allen (02), Inter Miami, 3 stars #3 Cody Baker (04), Seattle Sounders, 2.5 stars #4 Nolan Norris (05), FC Dallas, 2.5 stars #5 Christian McFarlane (05), New York City FC, 2.5 stars #6 Curtis Ofori (05), New York Red Bulls, 2 stars #7 Sawyer Jura (06), Portland Timbers, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Isaiah Foster (03), Anthony Sorenson (03), Tahir Reid-Brown (06), Victor Enriquez (06), Peyton Miller (06), Linkon Ream (09) MIDFIELDERS (counting 2003’s and younger): #1 Jack McGlynn (03), Philadelphia Union, 4 stars #2 Noel Buck (05), New England Revolution, 4 stars #3 Obed Vargas (05), Seattle Sounders, 3.5 stars #4 Daniel Edelman (03), New York Red Bulls, 3.5 stars #5 Owen Wolff (04), Austin FC, 3.5 stars #6 Cruz Medina (06), San Jose Earthquakes, 3 stars #7 Miguel Perez (05), Saint Louis City SC, 3 stars #8 Danny Leyva (03), Colorado Rapids, olf Seattle Sounders, 3 stars #9 Sergio Oregel (05), Chicago Fire, 2 stars #10 Javier Casas (03), Chicago Fire, 2 stars #11 Taha Habroune (06), Columbus Crew, 2 stars #12 Adyn Torres (07), Atlanta United, 2 stars #13 Ozzie Cisneros (04), Sporting Kansas City, 2 stars #14 Stivin Jimenez (07), FC Cincinnati, 2 stars #15 Edwyn Mendoza (06), San Jose Earthquakes, 2 stars #16 Matthew Corcoran (06), Birmingham Legion, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Patrick Leal (03), Moses Nyeman (03), Sam Williams (05), Francis Jacobs (05), Julio Benitez (05), Bryan Moyado (05), Aaron Heard (06), Bento Estrella (06), Jude Wellings (06), Ian Shaul (06), Sebastian Rodriguez (07), Decarlo Guerra (08), Jude Terry (08), Gil De Souza (08) Adri Mehmeti (09) ATTACKERS (counting 2003’s and younger): #1 Benjamin Cremaschi (05), Inter Miami, 4 stars #2 Cade Cowell (03), San Jose Earthquakes, 4 stars #3 Brian Gutierrez (03), Chicago Fire, 4 stars #4 Diego Luna (03), Real Salt Lake, 4 stars #5 Tyler Wolff (03), Atlanta United, 3.5 stars #6 Esmir Bajraktarevic (05), New England Revolution, 3.5 stars #7 Niko Tsakiris (05), San Jose Earthquakes, 3.5 stars #8 Kristian Fletcher (05), DC United, 3 stars #9 Jackson Hopkins (04), DC United, 3 stars #10 Serge Ngoma (05), New York Red Bulls, 2.5 stars #11 Brooklyn Raines (05), Houston Dynamo, 2.5 stars #12 Luke Brennan (05), Atlanta United, 2.5 stars #13 Caden Clark (03), Minnesota United??, 2.5 stars #14 Jack Panayatou (04), New England Revolution, 2.5 stars #15 Dante Sealy (03), FC Dallas, 2 stars #16 Malcolm Fry (05), New England Revolution, 2 stars #17 Christopher Aquino (06), Seattle Sounders, 2 stars #18 Brian Romero (06), Charlotte FC, 2 stars #19 David Vazquez (06), Philadelphia Union, 2 stars #20 Christopher Olney (06), Philadelphia Union, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Gerardo Valenzuela (04), Fabian Loyola (05), Tarik Scott (05), Gage Akalu (05), Andre Gitau (06), Bryce Jamison (06), Matthew Evans (06), Ruben Ramos (07), Owen Anderson (07), Gilberto Garcia (07), Santiago Morales (07), Miles Perkovich (07), Nimfasha Berchimas (08), Omar Marquez (08), Cristiano Carlos (08), Maximo Carrizo (08), Chance Cowell (08), Jakob Garcia (09), Cavan Sullivan (09) FORWARDS (counting 2001’s and younger): #1 Duncan McGuire (01), Orlando City SC, 4 stars #2 Matthew Hoppe (01), San Jose Earthquakes, 3.5 stars #3 Quinn Sullivan (04), Philadelphia Union, 3.5 stars #4 Nathan Ordaz (04), Los Angeles FC, 3.5 stars #5 Arquimedes Ordonez (03), FC Cincinnati, 3 stars #6 Tega Ikoba (03), Portland Timbers, 3 stars #7 Darren Yapi (04), Colorado Rapids, 2.5 stars #8 Micah Burton (06), Austin FC, 2 stars #9 Nelson Pierre (05), Philadelphia Union, 2 stars #10 Mateo Bunbury (05), Sporting Kansas City, 2 stars #11 Ezekiel Soto (07), Houston Dynamo, 2 stars #12 Caden Glover (07), Saint Louis City SC, 2 stars #13 Axel Kei (07), Real Salt Lake, 2 stars 1-star Prospects: Nighte Pickering (05), Adem Sipic (06), Sal Olivas (06), Julian Hall (08), Anisse Saidi (08), Davian Kimbrough (10)
We should take notice that there really aren’t any “5 star” players, right now. Meaning, I don’t think there is anyone right now who is on the verge of forcing their way into the senior team nor anyone demanding a big money move away from the league, at this point. Hopefully, that’ll change. Also, please take notice at our defense. Jeez. Center back is a disaster. Maybe, Noah Cobb can replace Miles Robinson when he leaves. I’m probably higher on him than most. Or, maybe, Matai Akinbomni can get in the rotation at DC this season. Hopefully, Jalen Neal gets healthy, and has a better year. Hopefully, Brandon Craig actually plays this year. But that’s all hanging on a prayer. But it’s not just center back. Right back looks poor. Even though we have a good bit of young options for depth at left back, the next generation looks to be a step down. Midfield and wing looks to be promising. But we won’t know until we know if these next generation of players are ready or not. Goalkeeper could be promising. Who knows right now though? There’s at least some players who could emerge on the horizon. But it might be too big of a step up for them this season. Finally, I don’t know what to say about forward. It’s hit or miss. I think we might have some talent there. But it’s so raw, that it’s hard to tell.
We have some very promising young wide attacking players who might make a mark next season: Berchimas, Hall, Jamir Johnson. If we are awarding stars for long-term potential I'd give each of them four.
I don’t know why I keep including Fletcher at DC United. I keep forgetting that he’s at Swansea City now. My bad. That said, it’s still a pretty big hill for a 2008 or younger to emerge in 2024. I hope they do. But we’re talking about someone who’ll be 16 years old. That’s still so young.
Guys like Pepi, Busio and Vargas played quite a bit at 16. Didn't happen in 2023 but it's not unusual.
The hard-core youth watchers have been on the Berchimas bandwagon for quite some time. He's playing "up a cycle" with our U17s, which we typically don't do. A player has to look really special.
Count me as somebody who think Berchimas is a better prospect than Keyrol Figueroa. That doesn't mean I think Keyrol is poor. I just REALLY like Berchimas. Keyrol, to me, is slightly overrated on these boards based on the club he plays for. Slightly. [Keyrol is also coming off of injury, so he may not be at his best at this U17WC.] I think a bunch of these U17s are slightly overvalued. They're all good prospects. I don't see many elite players amongst this group. Lots of good prospects, but I don't see a Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic, or Landon Donovan out there. Maybe Berchimas. They might do well at this event, because the overall level of talent is good. The average talent level is quite high.
Berchimas is yet another data point that this U-17 group is decent but doesn't have many special players while the U-15s are looking like a very special group. It is still very, very early days for both.
Indeed. I think Cavan Sullivan is the best prospect we've had in quite some time. There's the debate on the youth boards about whether he's the "next Pulisic" or the "next Donovan." And if that's the debate, we think he might be really special. Long way to go, but his ceiling is extremely high. Physically, Berchimas looks really mature. He might be able to get some playing time next year with Charlotte, but it would just be a token appearance. This kid has barely played in MLS Next Pro. He scored 1 goal with 1 assist at that level. So we'll have to see next year when he's full-time MLS Next Pro. Cuz a kid like Ricardo Pepi absolutely trashed teams at that level when he was that age. With Berchimas the prognosticators are mostly going on skill set as opposed to track record. [I always mispronounce his name. neem-faw-shuh bare-chee-mahs according to Charlotte's page.]
Berchimas just scored AGAIN at the U17 World Cup. Also got a goal from Keyrol. 2-0 at the half!!! The scoreline flatters the US. Burkina Faso has been strong as well.
Dear US soccer, I love these early morning games! No more staying up past bed time. Aside from that, it’s hard to tell performance in this u17 World Cup, I can’t tell if everyone is just not ready for the next level, or more what appears to be, the field just neutralizes pretty play. That said, Beaudry has been the standout for this game. And Berchimas. Figueroa had a clinical finish. But then a big whiff that lead to Berchimas goal. Everyone else has been kind of meh, unfortunately. But hey, glad to be up 2-0.
Also..................its friggin' hot right now in Indonesia. In the 90s. The Burkina Faso players are going down like flies. One thing we see with a US U17 team. Our conditioning seems good. Our depth is good. Last I saw Mexico was losing to Venezuela. Mexico has been up a man for a while, though. Maybe they're now on top.
The heat AND humidity definitely seems to be a factor. You see players not really wanting to make that extra run if they don’t have to. Mainly, I want to see our passes get cleaned up. That can be tired legs. But we’ve got to be more precise.
Actually, Mexico is up 2-1 now in the 75th minute. THey were losing that game before a Venezuela red card (and a deserved one). After they lost their first game to Germany, they were in danger of going out if they lost that one. Canada got mauled by Uzbekistan in their second game, and have zero points after their first two games.
Micah Burton has some skill. Jamison could become good, or, he could become another freak athlete who didn’t take his game to the next level either. Hall had a better game today. His partner has been sloppy. Peyton has been alright.
Hey, I remember the days when our U17s would lose to Tajikistan. This group looked very, very tricky.................and now we're about to have 6 points from our first two games. Depending on the France-South Korea game, we could be thru to the next round. We'll take it.
The game hadn't been 2-0 in terms of quality of play. It was one of those "2-0 can be the most dangerous scoreline" kind of games. Beaudry has been great, and just made another good save. Now we're just hanging on....................
Morales ha some skill. These players need to learn that sometimes you take the ball to the corner flag. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Beaudry MOTM in an extremely sloppy, not pretty, needs much improvement, team performance. But hey, 6 pts.
Once Berchimas and Figueroa went off, we didn't do much offensively. Segares must have felt really comfortable and wanted to save them a little for the France game. Actually, Burkina Faso looked like the better team for quite a bit of that game. But hey. We'll take it. 6 points from 2 games. If France beats South Korea today, we're thru to the next round.