USMNT

Who are the young players to know in USL?

Published

4 years ago

March 7, 2023

The United Soccer League Championship is the second highest level of soccer in the United States and it is quickly becoming a destination for young American talent to get professional minutes, in a mature league, against grown men. Major League Soccer territory rules are not player friendly. When a talented young player that has been “claimed” by an MLS academy does not get the opportunity that is optimal for their development from that MLS academy, the USL is becoming an attractive option. USL clubs have shown the willingness to give young players opportunities to play and now bigger leagues and bigger clubs are scouting USL with intent.

Jonathan Gomez left FC Dallas’ academy to sign with Louisville City and parlayed that into a move to Real Sociedad in Spain’s LaLiga. Kobi Henry moved from Inter Miami’s Academy to Orange County and he is now in the Stade Reims system in France. Diego Luna left the San Jose Earthquakes Academy to join the Barcelona Residency in Arizona and then get an opportunity to join El Paso Locomotive — from there he was signed by Real Salt Lake. These pathways are showing that USL is a viable bridge to higher levels, and as a result, we have seen more talented players join USL this offseason. These are the players I will be keeping an eye on this season:

RCB, Josh Wynder, Louisville City (2005)

Wynder is arguably the most talented young player to ever play in USL, and as a result, he is likely to shatter the USL transfer fee record this summer. What is so cool about Wynder’s story is that he is a true product of Louisville’s Academy system, he did not come from MLS. He became a full-time starter for Lou City last season, as a 16 year old, and he played really well. He is now being targeted by some of the best talent development clubs in the world: Benfica, RB Salzburg and Monaco. Wynder does not turn 18 until May, so he is not eligible to move to Europe until then. If all goes to plan, Wynder will play a few month with Louisville City and then decide on his next destination in the summer transfer window. My advice is to watch Wynder play while you can this season.

WING, Korede Osundina, Orange County (2004)

No club has embraced the youth movement in USL quite like Orange County. They currently hold the record outbound transfer fee when they sold Kobi Henry to Stade Reims for just over 600 thousand. Orange County’s most prolific pipeline is from the Barcelona Residency program in Arizona. OCSC has now signed three players from that Academy, Osundina being the first. He signed with Orange County in January 2022 and logged over 500 minutes and three assists in his first professional season. This season is an important year for Osundina. I expect him to become a regular starter and a big season is likely to lead to a move to MLS or another step up in competition. Osundina has been a consistent selection to the United States U19 team and has an outside chance of making the U20 World Cup roster, though I think that is unlikely.

WING, Bryce Jamison, Orange County (2006)

Jamison is another winger that was signed from the Barca Residency in Arizona. Jamison is a big and strong and winger with a powerful right foot. Jamison started to get some sub minutes towards the end of last year and I expect his role to increase this year. Jamison is eligible for the United States U17 team that just qualified for the World Cup. He has been in Youth National Team camps and I think he is a player that the United States could take another look at after a lackluster performance by the wings in the Concacaf Championships. If Jamison impresses, he may be one of the next players to garner interest from Europe. He turns 18 in January 2024.

GK, Duran Ferree, San Diego Loyal (2006)

Ferree is a player familiar to some because he played with the United States U17s in the recent Concacaf Championships. He was an alternate on the initial roster release, but was then moved to the active roster because of an injury to another goalkeeper. Ferree earned the start in the U17 finals against Mexico, but was unfortunately sent off after his second yellow card that led to a second penalty kick. That was a tough end to what was otherwise a good tournament for Ferree. It will be interesting to see how many starts Ferree gets under Landon Donovan.

CM, Luis Moreno, El Paso Locomotive (2006)

Moreno is the most recent MLS Academy signing in USL. He is a product of the Houston Dynamo Academy and he is a player I rate highly. He is one of the top central-midfielders in the 2006 class. Moreno has also been capped with the United States U17s. Moreno is a highly skilled and intelligent player, but is undersized. I am very intrigued to see how his skillset translated to USL and if he will be able to make an immediate impact at his size.

WING, Fidel Barajas, Charleston Battery (2006)

Barajas is another player that featured at the Concacaf U17 Championships for tournament winner, Mexico. Barajas has played for both the United States and Mexico and he comes from the San Jose Earthquakes Academy. Barajas joined Charleston midseason last year and like Jamison, is looking to increase his impact in his first full season. Barajas is a player that likely sees USL as a stepping stone to a bigger league. He turns 18 in April of 2024 which is when he’d be eligible to move to Europe.

DM, Matthew Corcoran, Birmingham Legion (2006)

Corcoran is a former FC Dallas Academy player and was arguably the best player in FCDs 2006 class. Corcoran will be in his second season for Birmingham after earning 166 minutes in his rookie season. Corcoran is a technically sound defensive-midfielder than can also play as a number eight. I expect Corcoran to take a step forward in development and production and also look to make a move after this season. He turns 18 in February of 2024.

LB, Tate Johnson, Tampa Bay Rowdies (2005)

Johnson, like Wynder, is a player that has been developed through the USL Academy system. Johnson has come up through the Tampa Bay Academy and received his professional debut last season. Johnson is a well-rounded left-back that does not have a lot of elite attributes, but is consistent. He is a player I can see taking a similar path as Isaiah Foster, who recently signed with FC Cincinnati after playing with Colorado Springs.

LCB, Eric Kinzner, Rio Grande Valley Toros (2003)

Solid ball playing, left-footed center-back are hard to come by, which is why I was surprised that the Seattle Sounders did not offer Kinzner a professional contract. Nonetheless, Kinzner has signed with Rio Grande after a successful loan spell with FC Tuscon in USL League One, the tier below USL Championship. Kinzner is likely looking to parlay a solid year or two in USL into an opportunity in MLS, which I think is a good level for him strive for.

RCB, Drew Murray, Oakland Roots (2005)

Murray is one of two San Jose Earthquakes Academy players that have signed a one-year deal with nearby club, Oakland Roots. Murray is a tall center-back with good passing accuracy. I’ve heard rumors that he has a reserve team deal lined up with a club in Germany which he would join after this season.

DM, Ethan Kohler, Oakland Roots (2005)

Kohler is the second San Jose Earthquake product to join Oakland this offseason. Kohler is an athletic and tenacious number six that I thought San Jose might offer a homegrown deal to, but they didn’t and Kohler is looking to get his professional career started in Oakland. Like Murray, I’ve heard this is a one and done deal and Kohler could be headed to Germany after this season.

CF, Nighte Pickering, Memphis 901 (2005)

Pickering was one of the first MLS Academy players from the 2005 age group to sign with a USL club, moving from FC Dallas Academy to Memphis. Pickering didn’t get a ton of minutes last year, but made the most of the minutes he received, scoring two goals in seven appearances, one of which was an overhead kick. Pickering will look to become more of a regular rotational player for Memphis this season.

AM, Luca Sowinsky, Tulsa (2004)

Sowinsky is the third player on this list from the Barca Residency in Arizona. Sowinsky made headlines last year when scoring a hat-trick in his second professional start, becoming the third youngest player to do so in USL, behind big name MLS players Efrain Alvarez and Jesus Ferreira. This year Sowinsky looks to become a regular starter for Tulsa and make a case to be looked at by bigger leagues.

USMNT

The Next USMNT Star That Never Was: Revisiting America’s Biggest Teenage Prospects

Published

2 weeks ago

September 25, 2026

Marcus O'Malley

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

With the next wave of highly rated teenagers likely to be brought into the #USMNT during the 2030 World Cup cycle, I decided to look back at some of the young players who were once hyped as the next stars of the U.S. Men’s National Team but never established themselves as regular internationals.

Freddy Adu would seem to be at the top of this list. While he never became a regular for the #USMNT or the world-class face of U.S. Soccer many expected, he still earned 17 caps, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists. In many ways, he accomplished more at the international level than most of the players who are listed below combined.

Which former USMNT prospects did I miss, players who are no longer playing or are past their prime, who deserve to be on this list?

Cody Cropper – GK – 0 caps

U.S. youth international and longtime goalkeeper prospect who reached the Southampton and MLS systems but never earned a senior cap.

Junior Flores – AM – 0 caps

Creative midfielder who joined Borussia Dortmund’s system as a teenager and was viewed as a major U.S. prospect, but never reached the senior USMNT.

Eddie Gaven – MF/W – 8 caps

Teenage MLS phenom who became a league standout, but despite eight USMNT appearances, his international career never developed further.

Luis Gil – AM – 2 caps

One of the most hyped American midfield prospects of his generation; debuted for RSL at 16 but never translated that promise into a sustained USMNT career.

Emerson Hyndman – MF – 2 caps

Highly rated central midfielder who broke through at Fulham and earned two USMNT appearances, but never established himself internationally.

Perry Kitchen – DM/CB – 5 caps

U.S. youth captain and defensive midfielder who became a regular MLS starter, but his senior international career stalled after five caps.

Will Packwood – CB/DM – 0 caps

Birmingham City prospect who became the youngest American to play in the English Championship, but injuries severely disrupted his development.

Marc Pelosi – LB/CB – 0 caps

Highly regarded defender who moved to Liverpool as a teenager, but injuries and limited senior opportunities derailed his path to the USMNT.

Gedion Zelalem – MF – 0 caps

Arsenal wonderkid and one of the most highly regarded U.S. prospects of his generation. Injuries and inconsistent senior opportunities slowed his development, and he never made a senior USMNT appearance.

The number of young USMNT players in this September/October window is something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Some will catch the eye of newly extended USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, while others may not, but all of them have an opportunity during this cycle to make their case for World Cup qualifying and, ultimately, a spot on the 2026 World Cup roster.

It all starts now, and it should be fun to follow their development over the next four years.

USMNT

Building the Next Generation: Who Should Be on Pochettino’s USMNT Radar?

Published

1 month ago

August 25, 2026

Thomas Deschaine

Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X and us_keeper on Instagram)

Header_NextGen

With the USMNT manager in place and the new cycle underway it’s time for recently extended Mauricio Pochettino to get some new young players on his radar and what better time to do this than the September/October double FIFA window.

There are several U-23 players like Josh Wynder, Jalen Neal, Rokas Pukstas, Diego Kochen, Jonathan Gomez, Caleb Wiley, Cole Campbell, Chris Brady, Gaga, Slonina, Niko Tsakiris, Damion Downs, and Benjamin Cremaschi who have no caps order less than a handful with the USMNT.

Will USMNT snubs or overlooked players opportunities be during the 2030 cycle look like? Players like Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris and Camron Carter-Vickers to name a few, we have to wonder how or if they will be part of this cycle of players. I would suggest some will likely get the opportunity in the early part of the cycle but will need to be performing n with their club to remain getting called back into camps.

Integrating a few of these youth USMNT players during each window for the first half of the cycle will allow Pochettino to evaluate them up close and see if there might be a role for them during this next cycle.

It’s extremely important that the USMNT have a few on their current U-20 teenagers’ breakthrough and become a reliable part of the USMNT in the second half of the cycle.

The below players will have an opportunity to play in next years U-20 World Cup being hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan as well as hopefully if their clubs release them being part of the 2028 Olympics USA Football squad to hopefully medal for the first time since 1904 when the US had two teams win Silver and Bronze. I think it’s also important to look at these players alongside some of the core USMNT in the upcoming window to see how they can integrate with one another.

Mathis Albert-17-Winger

Noahkai Banks-19-Centerback

Cole Campbell-20-Midfielder/Winger

Zavier Gozo-19-Winger

Julian Hall-18-Winger

Malik Jakupovic-17-Striker

Adri Mehmeti-17-Central Midfielder

Peyton Miller-18-Left Midfielder/Winger

Neil Pierre-18-Centerback

Cavan Sullivan-16-Attacking Midfielder

Whether we see all of these players, or just a handful, through the first half of the cycle, hopefully leading into another Copa América appearance, it’s clear that the time has come for Pochettino to begin integrating the next generation of USMNT players into the senior pool. How quickly that transition happens will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow.

USMNT

Mauricio Cuevas Taking “Huge Step Forward” in Liga MX

Published

2 months ago

August 9, 2026

Alex Calabrese

CHICAGO — Four years on from captaining the United States to their last CONCACAF Under-20 title, Mauricio Cuevas is quietly stepping back into the spotlight. Still only 23 years old, the talented right back just moved abroad, leaving his boyhood Los Angeles Galaxy for Liga MX side Santos Laguna in a summer move that slipped under the radar.

“To be able to get sold to a big club like Santos is a huge step forward for me,” Cuevas said in an exclusive interview this Saturday. “From the first day, I knew the challenge coming into it because the club hasn’t been meeting expectations in the past few years. Coming in and trying to be a difference-maker is something that I wanted. It’s a new challenge for me, and overall I’m just super excited.”

New Challenge in Mexico

As a teenager, Cuevas showcased himself as one of the country’s most exciting young fullbacks. Known for his technical prowess and set piece ability, the L.A. area native spent time at Belgium’s Club Brugge before returning to the Galaxy in 2023. There, he won an MLS Cup in 2024, appearing 78 times in total before his departure this summer.

“It’s always tough leaving home,” Cuevas said. “Obviously, it’s my boyhood club. My family still lives there, and I was great with all the guys at the club as well. I knew everybody, from the staff and the front office to the coaches. It’s never easy when you’re leaving home.”

“Honestly, the people in Torreón and Santos have all welcomed me with open arms since the first day. They’re all amazing people. It’s an amazing club and an amazing city.”

The move to Liga MX made sense from a number of angles; Santos manager Renato Paiva wanted a new right back, Cuevas’s Galaxy contract was winding down, and his Mexican passport made a move south of the border quite easy. Since joining, Santos have faced an extremely difficult run of games against CF Monterrey, Atlas, Club América, and New York City FC — all of which Cuevas started.

“It’s been great, to be honest,” Cuevas said of his adjustment to life in Torreón. “There hasn’t been much of an adjustment tactics-wise or playing-wise because Renato, our head coach, has similar concepts to what we had at the Galaxy. The players are really good as well. There’s so much quality on the team.”

“The only thing I’ve probably had to get adjusted to is the weather. It’s a little too hot out there, the sun is beaming a lot. But I love it, man. It’s a super-calm city. It’s beautiful, with great food and great people.”

Back in the U.S.

The game against NYCFC came in Leagues Cup, a competition with a razor-thin margin for error. To advance past the first round, teams ideally need to earn at least seven points from their three matches; after losing to New York City, qualification for the knockout rounds is now nearly impossible for Santos. They’ll face Gregg Berhalter, Robert Lewandowski, and the Chicago Fire on Sunday (8 p.m. Eastern Time on Apple TV) in a game where anything but a win in 90 minutes would certainly eliminate them.

“I think we go into every game with the belief that every game is a must-win for us, so that doesn’t really change much. We know now that there’s more on top of that, we have even more reason to win. We’re just focused on ourselves tomorrow. We had a long travel day yesterday, so it’s all about recovery now and setting a game plan that puts us in the best position to win.”

Having started against the Fire at Soldier Field in 2024 and facing former youth national team teammates Chris Brady and Sergio Oregel, Cuevas will hope to give something extra in this game and help keep Santos alive in the tournament.

“Any tournament that this club steps into, we always have that goal in mind of wanting to bring that trophy back to Mexico, back to Torreón with us. We’re a competitive club. We’re one of the best clubs, history-wise, in Mexico, so we know what this badge carries.”

USYNT Hero

Coincidentally enough, the U.S. U-20s advanced to a fifth consecutive CONCACAF final on Friday, setting up a date with hosts Mexico at Estadio Azteca on Sunday. The semifinal win also qualified the U.S. for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, ensuring qualification for back-to-back editions.

In addition to being a central figure in the last U.S. U-20 CONCACAF victory in 2022, Cuevas was part of the last Pan Am Games team in 2023; the U.S. finished fourth in an unusual competition that included several intriguing names like Sergio Oregel, Brooklyn Raines, Danny Leyva, and a then-relatively unknown Alex Freeman. For Cuevas, that tournament was a special memory, and one he remembers fondly.

“I remember the whole trip, to be honest. I made a lot of great friends and met a lot of great people on and off the field, from the staff to the players – people I’m still in contact with. There are some that are in Liga MX as well, Nico (Carrera), Antonio (Carrera), Danny (Leyva).”

“Every player from that age group and that camp has been doing great. It’s lovely to see, to be honest, seeing everybody shine.”

On the immediate horizon for the U.S. is Sunday’s U-20 final (6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on FS2). The Americans will be hoping that this year’s final is more reminiscent of Cuevas’ age group (a 6-0 final win over the Dominican Republic) than the 2024 edition (a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Mexico). As is often the case, the U.S. and Mexico will be without many of their top youth players for the tournament due to its concurrence with club games, but that has opened the door for others.

“We have two players from (Santos) that are representing Mexico, so congrats to them,” Cuevas said. “Huge shout out to (LA Galaxy’s) Ruben Ramos as well and Dylan Vanney, who are with the U.S.; they’ve been killing it. I’m just happy for all those guys. Proud of those guys.”