Young Players: Who stepped up on Decision Day?

How ‘bout that Decision Day, eh?

Entire seasons – and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs dreams – can be wrecked or redeemed by the events of this dramatic final matchday, and the 2024 edition did not disappoint, especially if you’re a supporter of Atlanta United, CF Montréal or LAFC.

Young players made massive contributions throughout Saturday’s events. Some of them were unmistakable, like the first two names on our list, both of whom also feature in the Team of the Matchday presented by Audi. Others ran a bit deeper under the surface.

For the final time in the 2024 regular season… here we go.

Four teams were vying for the final two playoff spots on Saturday, and Montréal’s mission was clear: Avoid defeat to New York City FC and one of those slots would be theirs. Clark was a primary reason they got the job done, extending his roaring run of form with a man-of-the-match performance highlighted by a goal and an assist in the Quebecois’ 2-0 win at Stade Saputo.

CFM’s attacking trident of Clark, Josef Martínez and YPPOTW alum Bryce Duke absolutely cooked here, and it not only got them into the postseason, it earned them hosting rights for Tuesday’s Wild Card match vs. Atlanta. It’s also important to note the sheer opportunism they produced with so much on the line – NYCFC were dominant for long stretches in this one, superior in most statistical categories but undone by Clark’s incisive directness.

“We didn't have a great match and personally, I didn't have a great match,” Clark told reporters on Monday, which is just what Laurent Courtois and the CFM faithful will want to hear with a playoff game looming. But give the Minnesotan his flowers: With 4g/4a in the Bleu-blanc-noir’s 5W-1L-1D season-ending tear, he’s arguably the hottest player in the league.

One of YPPOTW’s most-featured faces of the season showed up yet again on Decision Day, scoring the equalizer, laying the groundwork for the game-winning own goal and clanging a wicked shot off the crossbar in RSL’s 2-1 comeback win over Vancouver, a result which helped the Utahns finish third in the Western Conference as they enter the playoffs on a six-game unbeaten streak.

His, too, was a man-of-the-match outing, and it takes his season total to 20 goal contributions (8g/12a). He also completed 28/36 passes, directed 2/3 shots on target, played six passes into the final third, offered four defensive actions, one foul drawn – and with two more chances created, he finished the regular season with 52 key passes as well.

“Overall it wasn't my best game. But I think things like that is what's going to take me to the next level,” said Luna afterward. “Even in tough games where I'm not having the best touches or stuff like that, I'm going to still find a way to score goals … and create chances.”

Moon Man isn’t just one of the top young players in MLS – he’s one of the league’s best players, period. For all the times observers have reckoned, with reason, that Chicho Arango is Salt Lake’s most influential player, it increasingly appears their playoff prospects will hinge on Luna’s output.

A Cascadia Cup-determining Decision Day visit to Seattle is quite a situation in which to make your league and club debut – especially for a 21-year-old center back. Yet that’s exactly what Phil Neville and his staff entrusted Surman with on Saturday, and the New Zealand international did not shrink from the moment.

Surman tabbed 58 touches, completed 45/54 passes and totaled six defensive actions and two recoveries in a solid 90 minutes in which the Timbers had to absorb extensive pressure from the Sounders. He and his teammates hung tough and suffered together, falling behind early before digging out the second-half equalizer via Antony that earned them the 1-1 draw necessary to claim the Cascadia Cup trophy.

Surman’s sliding block on a dangerous Pedro de la Vega opportunity was particularly eye-catching:

“I thought he was incredible. It's what we've seen when we scouted him. When he first came in, we had to win games, so it was difficult to get him minutes. He was really frustrated,” said Neville postgame. “And that was tough because the kid has been doing incredibly well … He was always going to start this game. Because why? Because we believe in him, we trust him. I think with young players, you have to put them in the biggest games, because that sends a message of trust to them.”

All season long, Benja has provided the willing legs needed to fully activate the genius of Leo Messi, Luis Suárez and the rest of Miami’s golden greats, while flashing an increasingly advanced soccer IQ that suggests he’s learning plenty from his time alongside the Barça boys. And so it was again at Chase Stadium as the Herons completed their quest for the all-time MLS single-season points record with a 6-2 comeback win over New England.

As if Messi & Friends weren’t devastating enough on their own, Benja is one more X factor their opponents must reckon with, which is why the Herons are distinct favorites to host, and hoist, MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 7.

Philly’s Decision Day ended in heartbreak, as their playoff hopes wilted with a 2-1 home loss to FC Cincinnati that likely ends the competitive cycle of their current roster core, with an extensive squad rebuild expected this winter.

Their homegrown center mid was nevertheless the best player in Union colors on the day, playing a game-high five key passes, one of which became an assist when Quinn Sullivan cracked McGlynn’s inviting pass into the far side netting for an early lead at Subaru Park.

McGlynn totaled 82 touches, 87% pass completion, four defensive actions, 10 recoveries and 3/5 ground duels won. With 4g/7a on the season, Young Jack finishes with the third-most assists on the team, while his 55 key passes are second-best behind Kai Wagner. It certainly feels like he’s ready to make the leap to Europe in the upcoming January transfer window.

In the meantime, he’s also been nominated for AT&T MLS Goal of the Year, so consider giving him a vote for this banger vs. D.C. United back on Matchday 12:

Brooklyn Raines: Houston’s 19-year-old prospect had big shoes to fill when he replaced Héctor Herrera at halftime of the Dynamo’s clash with the LA Galaxy, and he stepped up with solid work in the engine room as La Naranja finished Decision Day with a jaw-dropping late win. Raines completed 34/35 passes, though his biggest single contribution was a point-blank block on a Dejan Joveljic shot in the 63rd minute (4:27 mark in the highlights video below).

“Shout out to Brooklyn, he did really well in a big game like this, coming in. That was a playoff-type game and he did not look out of it at all,” said Houston hero Daniel Steres afterwards.

Ajani Fortune: ATLUTD interim head coach Rob Valentino made a big call in the Five Stripes’ must-win DD visit to Orlando City when he picked Fortune ahead of veteran Tristan Muyumba in central midfield. And the young homegrown vindicated that faith with 92% pass completion, four recoveries, 2/2 tackles and 4/4 ground duels won and zero fouls committed in his 78 minutes as Atlanta snared the East’s final playoff spot.

Nathan Ordaz: LAFC’s homegrown didn’t play in the Black & Gold’s comeback DD win over San Jose. But all the juicy drama that powered their last-gasp snatching of first place in the West? It would never have happened were it not for Ordaz’s resourceful heroics in Vancouver the previous weekend, where he came off the bench to lay the groundwork for Ilie Sánchez’s late winner with an impudent nutmeg of Bjørn Utvik to escape a double-team:

Quinn Sullivan: It’s cold comfort for him and the Union, but Sullivan’s clinical finish against Cincy was superb, and pushes him to 5g/11a on the season, which makes him one of the most productive young attackers in MLS.