San Diego FC headline 2024-2025 MLS offseason roster-building events
Major League Soccer's calendar of offseason roster-building events was announced Wednesday, with expansion side San Diego FC entering the spotlight ahead of their inaugural MLS season in 2025. San Diego will first participate in the MLS Expansion Draft on December 11 and hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft on December 20.
The 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR list always has a few names that only the sickest of MLS sickos will know. It’s a list that’s, in part, predicated on potential. So if you weren’t aware that 16-year-old New England left back Peyton Miller is drawing interest from European scouts, it probably means you have things like “free time” and “a family.” That’s ok. It’s not how I would want to live my life, but I’ll respect your choices and your freedom to make them. Besides, the idea is that you’ll eventually come to know a player like Miller relatively well down the line if the projections pan out.
Some of the 22 Under 22 players are already making major impacts though. And some are set to help shape the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs.
Well, obviously, right? This year’s 22 Under 22 winner has been outstanding for the Herons when available. The 21-year-old has three goals and seven assists in 15 starts this year and has been a regular in the starting lineup since late June. In the nine MLS games he’s started since June 29, Inter Miami have picked up 25 points.
It’s not just that he’s been great this season—Seven goals and 12 assists are both career highs—it’s that he’s having to carry a heavier load than ever in attack. With Andrés Gomez gone, Chicho Arango AWOL on the scoresheet and new players like Diogo Gonçalves working their way into the team, RSL need Luna to be at his absolute best over the next few weeks if they want to have a shot at a trophy.
That being said, he does have two goals in his last three starts, but, otherwise, things have been a little too quiet from him lately. RSL will be looking for more. It’s admittedly probably not a great sign for RSL that the 21-year-old might play that critical a role, but that’s where we’re at with this team right now.
Vargas has quietly had a breakout season while the Sounders have been busy quietly putting together an extremely Sounders second half of the year. I feel like I need to remind myself and you, dear reader, that Seattle have ended up on 56 points heading into Decision Day.
In particular, they’ve been outstanding defensively this season and Vargas’ presence in midfield has played a role in that. He’s made 27 starts this year as a 19-year-old and, in addition to being a steady presence in the center of the pitch, has delivered seven assists. That’s the second-highest mark on the team.
Somewhat similar to Luna, it’s probably not ideal that the 19-year-old central midfielder has been that productive in attack relative to your actual attacking players, but defense is going to carry them anyway if they end up making a run.
The Galaxy don’t have to be great defensively to win a trophy this year. They just have to be something close to good. That’s where Neal, 21, could end up playing a big role. Neal has 14 starts this year at center back for a Galaxy side that has allowed 48 goals on the season. Among playoff teams in the West, only Colorado and Portland have allowed more.
That’s not ideal heading into the playoffs. Neal has spent the last three Galaxy games on the bench in favor of Emiro Garcés, but he could still be called upon at any moment. If he is, he’ll be asked to help solve the Galaxy’s biggest question at the most important time of the year.
The same goes for teammate and fellow 22 Under 22 member Julián Aude. Aude, a fullback, isn’t as high on the 22 Under 22 list, but he’s made more starts than Neal this season. Unfortunately, Aude has been out since July 4th due to injury but has picked up a couple of cameo appearances in the last two games. He might be able to have more influence in the playoffs.
I’ll give the same treatment to Avilés. Inter Miami need to have at least some semblance of a defense when they go up against teams like the Crew. Avilés will play a big role in that. The highly-touted center back has made 25 starts for Inter Miami this season and typically has a lot of work to do behind his attack-minded teammates. He hasn’t always covered himself in glory in defense or when he’s distributing the ball out of the back. The Herons will need to see the version of Avilés that caused the hype in the first place during the playoffs.
Goals are important. Strikers are there to score goals. Cincinnati is going to need someone besides Lucho Acosta to score goals in the playoffs. Right now, that guy is either going to be converted forward Yuya Kubo or Luca Orellano. Kelsy—six goals in 16 starts in his first year in MLS—needs to be that guy at least once or twice for Cincy to have a chance at avenging last year’s Eastern Conference Final loss. It’s hard to see them doing that right now without a game-changing presence at striker.
We’ll throw one more player into the mix. MartĂnez is a really fun wild card to keep an eye on this post-season. The 18-year-old has scored three times over his last 121 minutes and already feels like a lock to be much, much higher on 22 Under 22 lists in the future. He’s already a dynamic presence off the bench for LAFC, and we know what kind of difference those players can make in the playoffs.
- Here’s why Diego Gómez landed on top of the 22 Under 22 list.
- Joe Lowery looked at the rising stars that just missed the 22 Under 22 cut.
- Here’s your 22 Under 22 Best XI for 2024.
- Inter Miami's Leo Campana won the AT&T Goal of the Matchday.
Good luck out there. Start early.
