MLS 22 Under 22 List: Top Players in the U.S.

Major League Soccer just released its 22 Under 22 List for 2023, which showcases the top players in the league under the age of 22. These are the young bucks that we’ll be seeing for many years to come!

The list was voted on by an expert panel consisting of select MLS staff and MLS Season Pass talent.

Alan Velasco, a midfielder for FC Dallas, was named the top player on this year’s list, making him the third FC Dallas player in a row to receive this honor. Jesús Ferreira and Ricardo Pepi, both FC Dallas Homegrowns, topped the list in 2022 and 2021, respectively. There must be something in that Texas water.

Out of the 22 players on this year’s list, 14 are from an MLS NEXT academy. Furthermore, four of the players featured are only 18 years old: Noel Buck, Benjamin Cremaschi, Caleb Wiley, and Owen Wolff. Inter Miami has the most players selected, with three players on the list.

Below is the full list of the 2023 MLS 22 Under 22 selections, with their age, academy, position, and team:

RANK	PLAYER	AGE	YOUTH CLUB	POSITION	MLS TEAM
1	Alan Velasco	21	Independiente	Midfielder	FC Dallas
2	Benjamin Cremaschi	18	Weston FC, Inter Miami CF	Midfielder	Inter Miami CF
3	Aidan Morris	21	Weston FC, Columbus Crew	Midfielder	Columbus Crew
4	Noel Buck	18	New England Revolution	Midfielder	New England Revolution
5	Brian Gutiérrez	20	Chicago Fire FC	Midfielder	Chicago Fire FC
6	John Tolkin	21	New York Red Bulls	Defender	New York Red Bulls
7	Jack McGlynn	20	BW Gottschee, Philadelphia Union	Midfielder	Philadelphia Union
8	Cade Cowell	19	Ballistic United/San Jose Earthquakes	Forward	San Jose Earthquakes
9	Caleb Wiley	18	Atlanta United	Defender	Atlanta United
10	Diego Luna	20	Barca Residency Academy	Midfielder	Real Salt Lake
11	Facundo Farías	21	CA Colón	Midfielder	Inter Miami CF
12	Talles Magno	21	Vasco da Gama	Forward	New York City FC
13	Dylan Borrero	21	Santa Fe	Midfielder	New England Revolution
14	Jalen Neal	20	LA Galaxy	Defender	LA Galaxy
15	Juan Mosquera	21	Independiente Medellín	Defender	Portland Timbers
16	Pedro Vite	21	Independiente del Valle	Midfielder	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
17	Chris Brady	19	Chicago Fire FC	Goalkeeper	Chicago Fire FC
18	Owen Wolff	18	Austin FC, Atlanta United, Columbus Crew	Midfielder	Austin FC
19	Bernard Kamungo	21	N/A	Forward	FC Dallas
20	Diego Gómez	20	Libertad	Midfielder	Inter Miami CF
21	Daniel Edelman	20	PDA, New York Red Bulls	Midfielder	New York Red Bulls
22	Theodore Ku-DiPietro	21	D.C. United	Midfielder	D.C. United

To read more about each player, click here.

Side note – you may see these players in the MLS for the next decade or they may go overseas to play in Europe. For example, Noel Buck had a breakout year and now has interest from teams like Arsenal and Man City. On the other hand, some players may get looks from teams in Europe but opt to stay in the MLS because it is becoming a better league.