Football

Inter Miami star named No. 1 in list of MLS prospects

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Oct 10, 2024 / 2958 Views

Evan Walker

Inter Miami’s Diego Gómez came out on top of the annual MLS 22 Under 22, a showcase of the top young players in the league.

As the name suggests, the list highlights the 22 best players below the age of 22 in the league. Players have to be 21 or younger on Decision Day, October 19 2024, to be eligible for the list. Here’s the full breakdown...

MLS 22 Under 22 for 2024

1. Diego Gómez, Inter Miami (21)

2. Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake (21)

3. Jack McGlynn, Philadelphia Union (21)

4. Brian Gutiérrez, Chicago Fire (21)

5. Federico Redondo, Inter Miami (21)

6. Benjamin Cremaschi, Inter Miami (19)

7. Obed Vargas, Seattle Sounders (19)

8. Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union (20)

9. Jalen Neal, LA Galaxy (21)

10. Esmir Bajraktarević, New England Revolution (19)

11. Daniel Edelman, New York Red Bulls (21)

12. Tomás Avilés, Inter Miami (20)

13. Chris Brady, Chicago Fire (20)

14. Nathan Saliba, CF Montréal (20)

15. Kevin Kelsy, FC Cincinnati (20)

16. Julián Aude, LA Galaxy (21)

17. Owen Wolff, Austin FC (19)

18. Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union (15)

19. David Martínez, Los Angeles Football Club (18)

20. Chrisitan McFarlance, New York City FC (17)

21. David Ruiz, Inter Miami (20)

22. Peyton Miller, New England Revolution (16)

As they have been for much of 2024, Inter Miami were dominant. The Herons not only claim the No. 1 spot but also have three players in the top six. There are five Inter Miami players across the full 22-man list, more than any other team. However only Benjamin Cremaschi (No. 6) and David Ruiz (No. 21) actually came through the Herons’ academy, the rest were brought in from South America.

Previous winners of the MLS 22 Under 22

With Diego Gómez named the top prospect for 2024, FC Dallas’ run of three consecutive wins came to an end. Dallas have an enviable record for youth production and Alan Velasco, Jesús Ferreira and Ricardo Pepi all topped the list in recent years.

Notable names to have won the award in the past include Brenden Aaronson (2020, now Leeds United), Alphonso Davies (2018, now Bayern Munich), Miguel Almiron (2017, now Newcastle United), and DeAndre Yedlin (2014, now FC Cincinnati).

Two previous winners - Darlington Nagbe (2013) and Diego Rossi (2019) - are now key players for MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew.

Diego Gómez has starred for Inter Miami this year and is a worthy candidate to top the list for 2024. The Paraguayan has forced his way in to a stacked Herons team and made himself a regular for the national team, recently scoring a stunning winner against Brazil. Gómez is set to leave for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in January, the next young star to make the move from MLS to Europe.