My 22 Under 22 vote: The guys who just missed the cut

I put in my vote for this year’s 22 Under 22 list on Tuesday night, and promised you I’d follow it up with a newsletter about the near (or, in some cases, not-so-near) misses.

First, here’s the column with my official top 22:

• 22 Under 22: Who are the top young players in MLS?

Below is the cadre of players I considered – some briefly, others for a good, long while – for my final list. I’ve separated them into three groups with self-explanatory titles, and their order within each group reflects how close they actually came to cracking the final 22.

If your favorite player isn’t listed here or in the final 22 column linked above, that means one of two things:

1. I haven’t seen enough of them, or
2. I have seen enough of them. And we can just leave it there, right? No reason to be mean.

In we go:

High-Upside Kids Who Haven’t Shown Enough

Cavan Sullivan, AM/W, Philadelphia: A legitimate 5-star prospect with a global profile who has been an excellent NEXT Pro player – literally one of the very best in that league – at ages 14 and 15. That is incredibly promising. Am I concerned that he’s looked kind of scared and mostly out of his depth in his MLS minutes1? Not remotely. He’s a literal child.

What I am concerned about are the whispers I’ve heard from US U-17 camp. If anything derails2 Sullivan it won’t be soccer talent, it’ll be physical limitations or off-field stuff.

Snyder Brunell, CM, Seattle: They’re just going to slot him in once they sell Obed, aren’t they? This is what a real youth development pipeline looks like.

Julian Hall, FW, RBNY: Clearly too good at this point for NEXT Pro, which is a great sign for a 17-year-old. If he doesn’t play 2000 MLS minutes next year the ESC should riot.

Here’s how I scout forwards, by the way:

1. Do they score goals?
2. What’s their xG?
3. Do they have compelling physical traits?
4. What’s their receiving goals added as per American Soccer Analysis?

That last one is a measure of whether or not they know how to make runs to get on the ball in high-value spots, opening up attacking options not just for themselves but for their teammates as well. It’s the one part of g+ I absolutely, without equivocation, subscribe to3.

Hall checks all four boxes.

Rayan Elloumi, FW, Vancouver: Elloumi also checks all four boxes.

Seymour Reid, FW, NYCFC: And so does Reid (though his receiving number is only marginally positive, rather than overwhelmingly so in the case of Elloumi and especially Hall).

We – the US and Canada – have a habit of not developing our strikers until their mid-20s. There are exceptions, of course, but just look at MLS right now and you don’t see many domestic No. 9s under the age of 25.

I’m hoping this group4 marks a turning point.

Mykhi Joyner, W/WB, St. Louis: Has been an outrageous goalscorer from out wide in NEXT Pro the past two years, and I’m fuming he’s barely gotten a look with the first team. Glad he’s finally in with the US U-20s; hope he gets starter’s minutes in MLS next season.

Jonathan Shore, CM, NYCFC: He’s looked better as an 8 in MLS than he did as a winger in NEXT Pro. Needs to grow into his body a bit more before we have a feel for what his ceiling is.

Mateo Silvetti, W, Inter Miami: The pedigree is very good: Argentina U20s and a legit contributor in the Argentine top tier as a teenager.

But he’s barely seen the field in MLS. So while I’d expect him to be good – offer me the stock and I’ll buy the stock – I’m not going to automatically put him into my top 22.

Christopher Cupps, CB, Chicago: Showed real growth on the defensive side of the ball in NEXT Pro this year, and didn’t look out of his depth against grown men in MLS. Probably won’t see him get real first-team minutes until 2027, though.

Jeevan Badwal, CM, Vancouver: He’s been pretty ok in about 900 first-team minutes this year, playing mostly as an 8 for one of the best teams in Concacaf. A very, very fast 8.

He’s probably a 6 long-term. I’m relatively bullish either way, though his poor underlyings (as per ASA) in NEXT Pro are a mild red flag.

Yuri Guboglo, FB/WB, Montreal: Doesn’t do much else yet but his ball-carrying is electric.

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Just Pushing In But Need More

Fallou Fall, CB, St. Louis: He has been absolutely eye-popping in his 350ish MLS minutes thus far. High-risk, high-reward CBs often are, but it feels like he’s got substance to his game, too.

He was 23rd on my list. Just missed the cut.5

Pedro Soma, DM, San Diego: I love him. Future USMNT No. 6. I toyed with putting him into my actual list as my one indulgence, but as the subhed says, we need to see more.

Taha Habroune, CM, Columbus: I still have significant questions about his field coverage and overall defense, but my god the way he moves the ball, connecting the entire backline and midfield to the attack…

Tate Johnson, LB, Vancouver: Really good prospect who hasn’t looked scared in big moments, but not sure he has any high-end traits.

Ender Echenique, RW/RWB, Cincinnati: Has shown good pace and attacking instincts in limited MLS minutes, and it should be noted his boxscore numbers in South America were very good.

Efraín Morales, CB, Montreal: Has looked better for Bolivia than for Montreal, but either way his measurables are good, his passing has been a little bit eye-opening, and I love that he’s racking up meaningful minutes for club and country.

Kiiiinda think Atlanta might’ve blown it in trading him away.

CJ Fodrey, W/F, Austin: Glad he’s coming off the bench as a 9 because that’s his long-term spot.6 Clearly knows how to provide box danger in transition, and his physical gifts are obvious.

Jackson Hopkins, CM, D.C. United: So, a box-crashing No. 8? I like that as an outcome for him, and hope he continues in that spot. But D.C.’s always in such flux it’s hard to project.

Dado Valenzuela, AM/FW, Cincinnati: Really clever about finding gaps to attack, but not a true forward, not a dynamic winger, and not enough of a playmaker to make one spot his own.

Luke Brennan, W, Atlanta: A pure chance creator who’s maybe the one silver lining to Atlanta’s lost season. I still don’t have a good feel for his upside, though.

Thomas Gillier, GK, Montreal: Been outstanding in limited minutes but shot stopping underlyings are notoriously noisy year over year. Gonna need a lot more minutes to be sure, even if he does already pass the eye test.

David Vazquez, CM, San Diego: Was just ok as an attacker in previous NEXT Pro seasons but came alive this year as a center mid before getting the move to San Diego, where he’s on loan with a purchase option. Perfect landing spot.

Hennadii Synchuk, W, Montreal: Super-dynamic 1v1 player who does not yet turn that into any sort of end product. Just 2g/2a in 3300 pro minutes.

Dor Turgeman, FW, New England: Scored 20 goals across all competitions for Maccabi Tel Aviv. To put that into context, at the same age in the same league, Tai Baribo scored nine.

Turgeman’s probably much better than this ranking, but I’ve literally never seen him play soccer. So… yeah.

Kaick, DM, Dallas: Has been decent this year, and shown real improvement in the month since he stopped having to cover for Lucho Acosta. Not bad for a 19-year-old playing a tough spot in a new league in a new country.7

Matheus Nascimento, FW, LA Galaxy: Remember that forward rubric above? Nascimento’s in the 7th percentile of npxG and has a -0.44 receiving g+ number. And he’s scored three goals all season.

I’m not sure why I’m even mentioning him. The Galaxy shouldn’t exercise that purchase option.8

Fallen Off

Agustín Ojeda, W, NYCFC: Showed real promise last season, to the point that I predicted he’d win 22 Under 22 this year. Has followed that up by regressing, though if I were another MLS club I’d strongly consider making the Pigeons an offer they can’t refuse.

Julián Fernández, W/AM, NYCFC: I like him less than Ojeda because he adds so much less off the ball. Sometimes it’s even negative value:

That clip’s from five months ago and I’m still fuming.

Nonetheless, Fernandez has shown special talent at times, especially with his dribbling and playmaking (and his trivelas… so many fucking trivelas). As with Ojeda, I’d be very interested in acquiring his services if I were another MLS team.

Reed Baker-Whiting, FB, Seattle: Has mostly looked good this year – including against top competition like Atleti – and is worth that U-22 roster slot. He’s just not playing enough minutes to climb.9

Benja Cremaschi, CM, Miami: I never understood the hype. Worker bee with some skill, but nowhere near what was portrayed. (Hope he proves me completely wrong).

Mitja Ilenič, RB, NYCFC: Has completely fallen off after some promising moments the past two years. Barely plays now.

Noel Buck, CM, San Jose: Man, I had him in my top five a couple years ago. As an 18-year-old he was a huge part of a Revs team that was on track for a 65-point season before everything went to shit.

The talent’s still there. Hope he gets the minutes to show it in 2026.

Niko Tsakiris, AM/CM, San Jose: Love him – I think he’s a Jack McGlynn regen.10 Like McGlynn, he needs playing time in a system that covers for his weaknesses (field coverage and overall defense) and just lets him ball.

I don’t think he’ll get that in San Jose.

Dominik Marczuk, W/WB, Cincinnati: I liked some of what I saw last year, but man, there’s just been nothing on display this season despite ample opportunity.

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, FB, Charlotte: There was a time a few years ago when TFC folks were reportedly batting away huge offers for Marshall-Rutty because they thought they’d be able to sell him for eight figures. He had that kind of potential.

And there’s your cautionary tale for over-indexing on potential.

Tomás Avilés, CB, Miami: And here’s the cautionary tale for over-indexing on pedigree and transfer fee.