MLS 24 under 24

[Viewfrom226]

Here's the list of the 50 finalists, with the NYCFC players highlighted. Without having tried to actually pick my 24, I would expect Harrision is a lock, Mata should make it and Bravo and Lopez won't.

Anatole Abang (New York Red Bulls, on loan at Hobro IK, Denmark)
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Luciano Acosta (D.C. United, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution)
Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes)
Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake)
Federico Bravo (New York City FC, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Victor Cabrera (Montreal Impact)
Jonathan Campbell (Chicago Fire)
Jay Chapman (Toronto FC)
Sean Davis (New York Red Bulls)
Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)
Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC)
Diego Fagundez (New England Revolution)
Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake)
Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC)
Jack Harrison (New York City FC)
Cristian Higuita (Orlando City SC)
Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England Revolution)
Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
Mikey Lopez (New York City FC)
Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC)
Jimmy Medranda (Sporting Kansas City)
Lucas Melano (Portland Timbers)
Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
Alex Muyl (New York Red Bulls)
Lucas Ontivero (Montreal Impact, on loan from Galatasaray, Turkey)
Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers)
Rafael Ramos (Orlando City SC)
Rodrigo Ramos (Chicago Fire)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC)
Carlos Rivas (Orlando City SC)
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union)
Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres (Houston Dynamo, on loan at Cruz Azul, Mexico)
Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy)
Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire)
Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia Union)
Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas)

 

[CCMore]

I think have 4 out of 24 in the league is pretty good. I mean it is quite arbitrary because you would have to think there is a large drop off in talent if Mikey and Bravo are making the 24. Still missing the fact that Poku isn't on this list

 

[EganSoccerWords]

crazy that Agudelo is under 24. he seems like he has been around for so long.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

I think have 4 out of 24 in the league is pretty good. I mean it is quite arbitrary because you would have to think there is a large drop off in talent if Mikey and Bravo are making the 24. Still missing the fact that Poku isn't on this list

not under 24 or in mls

 

[CCMore]

not under 24 or in mls

That's why I miss him...

 

[Viewfrom226]

I think have 4 out of 24 in the league is pretty good.

The list that Bravo and Lopez are on is actually the 50 finalists. I wouldn't expect either makes the actual top 24 just eyeballing the list of ticking off guys who would pretty clearly be ahead of them.

To the extent one puts any stock in these lists, it is worth nothing that Shelton didn't make the top 50.

 

[Goodfella]

crazy that Agudelo is under 24. he seems like he has been around for so long.

thought the very same when I saw him on there

 

[Gotham Gator]

Easy to forget how young Bravo is given how tough he plays. Lots of time for improvement there.

Shelton would have made the list if it had come out a month or two ago before Harrison bumped him out of the lineup.

Four players in the Top 50, and people try and say the team is only "bought".

Agudelo turns 24 in November. Hard to believe given his early play in MLS, his bouncing around Europe without a work permit, and then his recent couple of years back in the states. That's quite an odyssey for a guy who could have played for a youth team last year.

 

[Ulrich]

The list that Bravo and Lopez are on is actually the 50 finalists. I wouldn't expect either makes the actual top 24 just eyeballing the list of ticking off guys who would pretty clearly be ahead of them.

To the extent one puts any stock in these lists, it is worth nothing that Shelton didn't make the top 50.

Until Shelton had his 2-assist game, would you really have had him on the list? That game turned heads but before it he was really meh.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Until Shelton had his 2-assist game, would you really have had him on the list? That game turned heads but before it he was really meh.

Very valid point, but somehow Mikey Lopez made the list.

 

[Viewfrom226]

Until Shelton had his 2-assist game, would you really have had him on the list? That game turned heads but before it he was really meh.

A few thoughts:
- I don't put that much stock in his two assist game in terms of the grand scheme of things. He played well for 20 minutes, no question, but it was twenty minutes and if a bounce or two doesn't go right or Lampard scuffs either of those shots, it gets lost in the noise. As a complete sidebar, I think the fact that we managed to come back in that game really distorted the narrative around the team. If that last goal doesn't come off, it is a disaster on par with some of the early season home games and what happened this past weekend throws a lot of cold water on the common mainstream media narrative that things like "momentum" and building a "winning mentality" are real things and made the DCU win more important than just the 3 points and a very funfan experience.

- As for Shelton, given what I've read about him over the course of the season, I'm probably in the middle of the pack here. I noted his absence not so much as an egregious omission, but more because it struck me as notable because: (1) #2 picks in the draft tend to still get the benefit of the doubt at this point, (2) he has undeniable physical attributes that always cause some evaluators to be optimistic and (3) there are a number of names on the list that haven't really impressed this year (e.g., Abong from the RB) and/or have limited upside (Mikey Lopez for one!), so the bar to get on to the top 50 wasn't sky high. So, put all of that together, and I thought it mildly notable that he's not there just in terms of what it says about the perception of his potential at this stage, not because I feel strongly that he should be.

 

[NYCFCfan]

Beat me to this. Harrison and Matarrita make it from our team, no one else really.

 

[sbrylski]

This list loses all credibility without Gio Reyna on it.

 

[Viewfrom226]

Matarrita comes in at #13.

Here's the remaining list of the original 50, excluding those who showed up between 11-24. I've highlighted in red the guys I think make the top 10. Thoughts? Of the guys I left off, Yaro (more based on potential than performance this year) and Campbell (based on a strong year this season) gave me the most pause.

Anatole Abang (New York Red Bulls, on loan at Hobro IK, Denmark)
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Federico Bravo (New York City FC, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Victor Cabrera (Montreal Impact)
Jonathan Campbell (Chicago Fire)
Jay Chapman (Toronto FC)
Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)
Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC)
Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC)
Jack Harrison (New York City FC)
Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England Revolution)
Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
Mikey Lopez (New York City FC)
Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Jimmy Medranda (Sporting Kansas City)
Lucas Melano (Portland Timbers)
Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
Alex Muyl (New York Red Bulls)
Lucas Ontivero (Montreal Impact, on loan from Galatasaray, Turkey)
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers)
Rafael Ramos (Orlando City SC)
Rodrigo Ramos (Chicago Fire)
Carlos Rivas (Orlando City SC)
Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union)
Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres (Houston Dynamo, on loan at Cruz Azul, Mexico)
Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy)
Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire)
Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia Union)

 

[SoupInNYC]

I think the 10 you selected are pretty good, but I'm not certain on Trapp.

Maybe Lucas Melano could sneak in? Agree with Campbell and good point on Yaro, but if its based on play this whole year, then I don't think he should make it.

 

[Viewfrom226]

I think the 10 you selected are pretty good, but I'm not certain on Trapp.

Maybe Lucas Melano could sneak in? Agree with Campbell and good point on Yaro, but if its based on play this whole year, then I don't think he should make it.

Trapp's stock definitely seems to have slipped this year and I wouldn't have seen him as a top 10 guy when the full 50 list came out last week. But, I have trouble seeing him completely fall off the list at the same time. He and Vincent were the last two "in" for me.

I think the list is a combo of potential and performance but agree that Yaro's stock has reallly fallen this year. Similar to Trapp, I didn't really see him as a top 10 necessary, but am mildly surprised he may not make the top 24 given the pre-season hype on him.

 

[Sabo]

I think you got 9 out of 10. Swap Campbell for Vincent. Well done.

 

[Max Power]

Matarrita comes in at #13.

Here's the remaining list of the original 50, excluding those who showed up between 11-24. I've highlighted in red the guys I think make the top 10. Thoughts? Of the guys I left off, Yaro (more based on potential than performance this year) and Campbell (based on a strong year this season) gave me the most pause.

Anatole Abang (New York Red Bulls, on loan at Hobro IK, Denmark)
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Federico Bravo (New York City FC, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Victor Cabrera (Montreal Impact)
Jonathan Campbell (Chicago Fire)
Jay Chapman (Toronto FC)
Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)
Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC)
Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC)
Jack Harrison (New York City FC)
Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England Revolution)
Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
Mikey Lopez (New York City FC)
Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Jimmy Medranda (Sporting Kansas City)
Lucas Melano (Portland Timbers)
Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
Alex Muyl (New York Red Bulls)
Lucas Ontivero (Montreal Impact, on loan from Galatasaray, Turkey)
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers)
Rafael Ramos (Orlando City SC)
Rodrigo Ramos (Chicago Fire)
Carlos Rivas (Orlando City SC)
Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union)
Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres (Houston Dynamo, on loan at Cruz Azul, Mexico)
Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy)
Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire)
Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia Union)

I think all of your selections all solid, but I'll be surprised if Marlon Hairston isn't somewhere in the top 10. Not saying I would put him there, but MLS writers seems to like him.

 

[sbrylski]

Harrison confirmed to 5.

Lucas Melano and Jesse Gonzalez made the top 10.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/series/24-under-24/2016

 

[Viewfrom226]

I think the 10 you selected are pretty good, but I'm not certain on Trapp.

Maybe Lucas Melano could sneak in? Agree with Campbell and good point on Yaro, but if its based on play this whole year, then I don't think he should make it.

Good call on Melano who comes in at #10. I definitely didn't see Jesse Gonzalez at #9 after he lost his job this year, but I guess there is still a lot of potential. I got Rosenberry, Trapp and Gruezo, which means two of the following who I had in the top 10 didn't make it:

K. Acosta
J. Harrison
Larin
Manneh
Morris
Muyl
Vincent

Acosta, Harrison, Larin and Morris have to be locks. Not sure which of Manneh, Muyl or Vincent I would include, but maybe I missed the fifth entirely and it is Campbell or someone else.