Young Player of the Year is such an exciting award because of what it represents for the future. Recent nominees and winners have gone on to successful MLS careers (Alvarez,), exciting international moves (Parano, Gallegos, Gomez), or all-league USL futures (Wehan, Moar, Harris). I conduct a yearly "Young Player Week" where I highlight up-and-coming prospects for that very reason; it's a peek into the next wave of difference-makers.
Given all that, I wanted to take a look at the leading contenders for the award this season. I couldn't find a formal list of qualifications online, but I confirmed with Nicholas Murray, the USL Content Director, that contenders need to be born in the year 2000 or later. This accords with FIFA age rules to assure that the candidates turn 22 in a given year of eligibility. Working off of my master player spreadsheet, this criterion yielded a list of 87 candidates with more than one appearance in 2022; I whittled the field to 20 from there based on data and copious amounts of USL-watching.
This subjectively-selected group is riddled with stars and future studs, and I've highlighted my five favorites for this year's award in green. Still, I wanted to shout out a few names that didn't quite make it onto my shortlist. The Colorado Springs pair of Beverly Makangila, a no-nonsense holder, and Isaiah Foster, a left-back-cum-winger, are excellent ancillary pieces on a stacked roster. Cristian Nava could end up on the final version of this shortlist if he keeps getting regular minutes in Albuquerque; he's a dynamite attacking midfielder. Ditto for Atlanta's Nelson Orji at centerback. I won't name every name, but Cameron Dunbar and Jeremy Rafanello are brilliant attackers in the two-team context who deserve your eyeballs. But without further ado, let's get to my top five, presented in alphabetical order.
(And yes, this piece featured Diego Luna as I drafted it...)
Jake LaCava
FW, Tampa Bay Rowdies
At the beginning of the season, I analyzed how Jake Lacava fit perfectly into the Tampa system, and that chemistry has only continued to improve. Slotting into the front three as a deeper-seated winger, Lacava has shown great technical ability to the tune of 90th percentile Goals Above Replacement (GAR) and top-third performance in xG and xA. I was always impressed with Lacava in New York, but so much of his action came in transition, where space to dribble is more easily available. By comparison, the Rowdies are a side that constantly sits in the final third, and the 21-year-old has shown that his talent is every bit as real in the tight areas of the opposing box. He's also adept at tracking back to supplement the one-track style of, say, a Sebastian Guenzatti. Neil Collins and company have to make his full signing an offseason priority.
Joshua Wynder
CB, Louisville City FC
At just seventeen, Josh Wynder displays a staggering level of poise on the ball in a possession-dominant Louisville side. His volume-based defensive numbers suffer because of it, but Wynder still lands in the 70th percentile for aerial win rate, and anyone who watches him should immediately be struck by his graceful gait and solid sense of positioning. Though the teenager has the lowest GAR of all the candidates written up here (66th percentile), he's started almost every match for the league's sixth-best xG defense. That Danny Cruz trusts Wynder to operate within a high line behind a pressureful midfield speaks volumes; he's the real deal, and he's the second-leading minutes-getter amongst Louisville defenders for a reason. You get the sense that national team time is in Wynder's not-too-distant horizon.
Michee Ngalina
FW, Colorado Springs Switchbacks
It blows my mind every time I realize that Michee Ngalina was born in the '00s. He tallied eight goals across the 2021 season despite ending the year with LAFC in MLS, and #11 already has four goals and three assists in the current campaign. Ngalina is a beast in transition, one of the fastest players in the entire USL. He's a sharp dribbler in combination with that physical prowess, and he uses those skills to hug the touchline and whip in crosses to Elvis Amoh and Hadji Barry. I was surprised to see his 96th percentile return for defensive actions amongst forwards; it speaks to his high work rate and important role within Colorado Springs' pressing scheme. Ngalina, more than anyone else here, could slot into the full MVP race. He's that good and that important to the Switchbacks.
Mohamed Traore
CB/FB, Las Vegas Lights
Though Las Vegas' hot early-season form has slowed and the Lights have dropped out of the playoff positions, they still have a shot to shock the world after a tumultuous offseason, and Mohamed Traore is a huge reason why. Splitting time between centerback and left back roles, the Senegalese teenager sits on 74th percentile GAR, top-quarter defensive actions per foul, and a 95th percentile forward pass rate. In other words, he's efficient at putting in tackles and clearances, able to feed Danny Trejo and Cal Jennings on the break, and is, uh, just really good in general. You can see his composed two-way game above, and I wonder if LAFC might come knocking for him at some point.
Owen Lambe
FB/CM, Los Angeles Galaxy II
A 21-year-old native to Southern California, Owen Lambe played in nearly every Los Angeles game last season, but he's taken his play to a new level in 2022. I would posit that no one on the long list of young stars is as vital to his team's style as Lambe. Yoann Damet's club sits in a defensive 4-4-2 with Lambe on the right, but he shifts into a full-blown box-to-box central midfield role in a wild, free-flowing 3-2-5 on the ball. The position requires a real cerebral presence, and the Galaxy man has provided it. This year, he's produced 91st percentile GAR, 91st percentile defensive actions, and 85th percentile pass completions; he does a little bit of everything. I'll be interested to see what future years hold for Lambe. A stacked MLS midfield ahead of him could be a boon for a 2023 USL side in need of a do-everything rock to build from.