What?! [Fill in the blank player] didn’t make the 2024 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR list?! What more does he have to do to get some love around here?!
The anger after your favorite young player was left off this year’s list is completely normal. Righteous, even. The voters whiff on these things all the time, don’t they? I couldn’t agree mo— hold on, I’m getting confirmation that I was, in fact, one of the voters. After being reminded of this information, I feel the panel did a fantastic, mistake-free job.
All joking aside, anointing the league’s best rising stars is extremely difficult. Deserving players fall through the cracks. Some players don’t emerge until the final matchdays of the season. Do you put a player on your ballot based on their potential? Should you lean more towards consistent impact across all of 2024? These questions don’t have easy answers.
As such, I’m providing the case for several snubs and recognizing some deserving players who didn’t make the 22 Under 22 cut.
He was on my ballot, folks!
There’s plenty to like about Patrickson Delgado during his first year with FC Dallas. The 20-year-old Ecuadorian has contributed to his new team in multiple ways, under two different coaches, and from several positions.
Though it seemed like Delgado was signed to provide cover in central midfield, he spent much of May and June playing as a narrow winger in the Dallas attack. While he’s more box-crasher than chance-creator, Delgado produced in deeper and more advanced areas – tallying 4g/3a across 1,155 regular season minutes.
This sequence against the LA Galaxy back in May shows why Delgado was asked to play closer to goal – he sees and exploits space in the box at a high level:
Even more, Delgado has added significant defensive value in 2024. He ranks in the 88th percentile in interceptions per 90 among central midfielders in MLS, according to FBref. He also ranks 14th among central midfielders in the interrupting category of American Soccer Analysis’ goals added metric, which measures a player’s total on-ball contributions in attack and defense.
FC Dallas have a purchase option on Delgado's loan from Independiente del Valle. I’m just saying…
I’ll admit: Malachi Jones wasn’t on my ballot this year. The 21-year-old only played 483 minutes before a broken leg prematurely ended his season in late June.
But Jones was flying before his injury. Playing on the wing, the 2024 SuperDraft pick put up a wildly impressive 0.41 non-penalty xG per 90 minutes, good for the 87th percentile among wingers and attacking midfielders in MLS. He currently sits in the 92nd percentile for progressive carries and the 92nd percentile for successful take-ons per 90 among that same group of players.
Sure, some of Jones’ underlying numbers are juiced because 10 of his 14 appearances came off the bench this year. But even when you factor in stoppage time, as American Soccer Analysis does, Jones looks like a star in the making. According to ASA’s goals added metric, Jones added more value per 96 minutes than all but nine other wingers in the league this year who played at least 500 minutes.
Here are some of the players above him: Denis Bouanga, Gabriel Pec, Andrés Gómez, Jonathan Rodríguez and Lionel Messi. And here are some of the players below him: Joseph Paintsil, Liel Abada, Facundo Torres and Cristian Espinoza. How’s that for good company?
With 1g/3a, the Sierra Leone native was nearly unstoppable for New York City FC. I suspect we'll look foolish for letting Jones slide out of the top 22 spots.
Based on potential, I had Julian Hall on my ballot. At just 16, he has more goal contributions for the Red Bulls than all but six of his teammates. With 2g/1a in 11 appearances off the bench for Sandro Schwarz, Hall continues to show the sort of promise that’s made him one of the hottest prospects in American soccer.
Despite youth and relative inexperience, Hall excels at using his frame to hold off opposing defenders and create space for himself to knife downhill. The right-footed attacker has shown a well-rounded skillset with a quality first touch and good close control. He also sees space and passes before defenders do, like on this assist from last month against Atlanta United:
It’s not a coincidence Hall was in the right place at the right time up above. He understands where and how to move to unsettle opposing defenses.
With so many different facets to his game, Hall will only become more dangerous as he gains better control of his body and learns to be more efficient with his movement. He's due for a big 2025 campaign.
With ballots due by Sept. 25, Caden Clark hit his stride a little too late to make this year’s 22 Under 22 list. But lately, he’s been incredibly productive for CF Montréal.
After arriving via a midseason trade with Minnesota United, Clark has 3g/3a in eight appearances – thriving as one of the half-space attackers in Laurent Courtois’ setup. After often playing as a right wingback for Eric Ramsay in Minnesota, Clark looks reinvigorated on his new team. He’s moving well off the ball, generating his own shots, and playing useful passes (like this assist for Josef Martínez):
Since Clark joined Montréal, he ranks 46th (!) out of 572 outfield MLS players in goals added. Sure, it’s nice to have largely played against non-playoff opponents. But still: 46th! Because he’s been around for years, it’s easy to forget the Minneapolis native is only 21. Clark’s debut with the New York Red Bulls came way back in 2020.
He has so much time to grow, and looks to be doing just that.
Premier League teams are reportedly sniffing around D.C. United homegrown Matai Akinmboni for a reason.
Thanks to sharp distribution, the 17-year-old center back is one of the most talented prospects in MLS. Akinmboni has made four starts and four substitute appearances for Troy Lesesne in 2024 – and while this season has been far from easy for D.C.’s defensive unit, Akinmboni’s quality has shown through the chaos.
The youngster can ping a ball with his left foot, breaking defenses wide open with a single action. You can see that quality in this Leagues Cup sequence against Santos Laguna, with Akinmboni hitting a switch to Aaron Herrera, who then sets up Christian Benteke for D.C. United’s opener.
There’s more work for Akinmboni to do with his defensive reads. He would benefit from more strength in one-v-one defensive battles, too. But it’s oh-so-easy to see his potential.
