My 2026 22 Under 22 final ballot

A month-and-a-half ago I gave you my 22 Under 22 tiers, with the big takeaway being that MLS rosters now are stuffed with more high-level talent than ever before, and that's largely because they're developing it. In the six weeks since then we've seen that take largely confirmed by the way these guys have continued to play in MLS, and also how they've shown out for their national teams.

This week, 22 Under 22 ballots are due, and so it's time to hang my hat on some takes.

Now, bear in mind that there is not one hard-and-fast way to build this list. For me it's always some combination of:

• How good the player is now (self-explanatory).
• How good I think they can become (same).
• Age (if there's an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old who are equally good, I'll lean towards the 18-year-old).
• Team effects, which can work in three ways, and is kind of a bramble:
  • If you play for a team that gives young players lots of reps, that makes you a better prospect and likely a better player.
  • A team like Vancouver is extremely good and well-coached, which might make a very good prospect appear to be exceptional.
  • Less well-structured teams can make very good prospects look kinda bad.

Also, as always the cut-off is Decision Day, so players must be born on/after November 8, 2004 and currently on a first-team roster. So if you don't see your favorite young player on this list, check their birthday before you come in all hot.

Ok, here's my ballot: