What makes it a little different than my earlier post on the topic is that I used WhoScored.com and Castrol Index player ratings along with mine as a guide to find the best young players in the league.
I think it worked out well. Of the around 90 players in MLS 21 and under I see about 30 that play regularly and another 15 or so that bounce between ‘reserves’ and gameday 18s.
I’ll keep an eye on these players over the course of the next 12-18 months (2-3 international transfer windows) and see how many move on to better leagues. I’m guessing guys like Rosell, Fagundez, Jean-Baptiste, Torres and maybe Gil and the like will be moving on in that time.
One guy I really like at the moment is Soony Saad. Not just because he is a decent player but he’s also got a good body type. One of the more noticeable differences I see between foreign leagues and MLS is player body types. It’s extremely noticeable in person.
A couple years ago I saw Stoke take on the Crew and was shocked at the size difference. Not just height but thickness. Same thing when Wigan came to town this year. It’s like there is another 2” layer of thickness all around on players in Europe (that's Eddie Gaven on the ground in my illustration).Anyhow, other guys like Yedlin, Rowe, McInerney, Farrell, Villarreal and Kitchen might become MLS stalwarts in years to come.
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