THE 2026 MLS SEASON IS nearly here and what we do every year is to rank the top young American players ahead of the first game. It is less a look about future upside but more of a ranking as to which players will make the biggest impacts in the 2026 season.

In terms of defining which players are “young,” it seems fair to keep it somewhat tied to U.S. youth national teams. Given that the U.S. will be participating in the 2028 Olympic games on home soil, that seems like a good cutoff.

1) Zavier Gozo (forward, Real Salt Lake)

Last season, Zavier Gozo established himself as a starter for Real Salt Lake making 22 starts. He showcased a lot of versatility where he played as a winger and sometimes as a second striker. What was most important is that he got better as the season progressed and finished with 4 goals and 3 assists. All of his assists last season came in the final month of the regular season. He then went to the U-20 World Cup (playing up a cycle), emerged as a starter and even had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over France.

Looking ahead, there are plenty of reasons to like where Gozo stands as a player. He has a starting job at his club, and he has multiple avenues to continue to represent the United States. He is eligible for the new U-20 team that has qualifying this summer, or he might just shift to the Olympic team to being preparing to play with them.

He has a good profile that should attract transfer interest.

2) Luca Bombino (fullback, San Diego FC)

In 2025, Luca Bombino was one of the top young Americans in MLS. He played over 2500 minutes as the team’s starting left back and was key to the club earning the top seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs.

If there were any concerns over a “sophomore slump” for Bombino, he quickly put them to rest as he was one of the team’s best players in a 4-2 aggregate win over Pumas in the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup this past month. But that also leads to the point that Bombino has performed well against Mexican opponents, scoring last year against Pachuca in Leagues Cup and then scoring against Pumas.

There is every reason to be bullish on Bombino in 2026. He has a manger in Mikey Varas who believes in him, he shines in a position where many teams struggled to find options, and he consistently was good in 2025 (where he was on loan from LAFC but it was made a permanent deal in the offseason).

Bombino will certainly be the subject of transfer rumors as early as this summer. Talented young left backs always are in short supply. It will be interesting to see how San Diego FC, with their ownership and as part of the Right to Dream network, will handle its first very talented young domestic player on the sale market.

Internationally, Bombino did not get the minutes many were expecting at the U-20 World Cup but that was largely due to Nolan Norris have already been established within the group before Bombino broke out. But heading into the start of the Olympic cycle, Bombino appears to be the best age-eligible American option.

3) Frankie Westfield (fullback, Philadelphia Union)

Of all the American players who broke out in 2025, Westfield was the player who made the biggest strides in his development. He had a great season in MLS Next Pro in 2024 but only inked his homegrown deal early in 2025. He then went onto earn the starting job early in the season and was part of the team’s highly successful regular season which ended with winning the Supporters' Shield. He finished with 19 starts, 28 appearances, and 1872 minutes.

That rise was also seen at the international level. Westfield never represented the United States prior to earning a U-20 call-up in the fall of 2024. Then in September, he became the starting right back at the U-20 World Cup and was one of the team’s best players as they advanced to the quarterfinal.

After all his accomplishments in 2025, expectations will be heightened for Westfield heading into 2026 but he should be expected to do very well again with Philadelphia.

4) Brooklyn Raines (midfielder, New England Revolution)

Last season, Brooklyn Raines broke into the starting lineup of the Houston Dynamo and made 20 starts. It was a tough stage for Raines as the Dynamo were mired in dysfunction and failed to make the playoffs. Still, there were plenty of times where he showed solid talent in his ability to hold the ball and help his team maintain possession.

Ranes, 20, is in a much better situation in 2026 as his best moments came with the U.S. U-20 team during entire cycle where he capped it off with a solid World Cup. In the 3-0 win over France, he was arguably the best player on the field. After the U-20 World Cup, head coach Marko Mitrovic was hired to lead the New England Revolution. One of the team’s first moves was then to bring Raines over from the Dynamo on a U-22 initiative.

Raines will now play for a coach who believes in him and who has brought out the best in him.

5) Cavan Sullivan (midfielder, Philadelphia Union)

Thos most difficult aspect of these lists of young players is that measuring players with future upside and predicting players who will make an impact on the field in the near future are two very, very different things. Where Sullivan ranks in terms of his natural talent is one thing. Many would have him at the top of those lists. But is he a young player who will make an impact in 2026? He doesn’t turn 17 until this September. That is not as clear yet.

Last season, he played 226 minutes – mostly before his 16^th birthday. While that likely disappointed him, it is not a bad place for a player of his age. There is every reason to think Sullivan will play quite a bit more in 2026. Like last year, he will also likely be given plenty of time to play internationally. He could play in U-20 World Cup qualifiers this summer or even be given a chance in Olympic camps in the fall. He might go for another training stint with Manchester City.

Sullivan’s impact this season will likely be limited until he scores his first goal, or helps transform a game. Once that happens, head coach Bradley Carnell will get more comfortable giving him real minutes. The optimistic view is that he will start making an measurable impact with the Union by the summer.

6) Peyton Miller (fullback, winger, New England Revolution)

Having turned only 18 in the offseason, Miller has played a lot of first team minutes for his age. In 2025, he played 2080 minutes for the New England Revolution scoring twice and adding two assists. In 2024, as a 16-year-old, he played 925 minutes in all competitions.

The next step in his progression is moving beyond being a talented young player with occasionally good games to becoming a player who is consistently good and someone who can help make his team better.

That is a difficult jump for a young player to make but Miller has a lot going for him. He now has his recent U.S. U-20 head coach Marko Mitrovic running the show at the New England Revolution. With that said, it will be interesting to see where Miller lines up – left back, or left wing. Mitrovic typically preferred him on the wing while most of his club minutes were at left back.

Internationally, Miller was one of two players on the 2025 U.S. U-20 World Cup roster who was playing up a cycle (the other being Zavier Gozo). At the World Cup, Miller was a substitute but struggled to make much of an impact when he played. It will be important for him to emerge as a leader on the new U-20 team.

7) Niko Tsakiris (midfielder, San Jose Earthquakes)

At one time Niko Tsakiris was considered among the best American players of the 2005 birth year, but 2025 was a lost year for him at the club level. He played just 363 MLS minutes across 11 games and four starts due to injuries and international duty.

The good news is that Tsakiris played well in his time on the field and he was also important to the U.S. U-20 World Cup team (notching a nice goal in a 3-0 win over Italy). The talent is there for Tsakiris, but this seems like an important year for him to finally begin having that talent translate over onto the field consistently.

8) Jonny Shore (midfielder, New York City FC)

Jonathan Shore, 18, had a very good debut season with New York City FC as he played in 30 matches and made 16 starts to help his club advance to the Eastern Conference Final. In the Conference Semifinal, Shore had one of his best performances when he went the distance in a big 1-0 away win over the Philadelphia Union.

Shore will have to fight for his minutes in 2026 and it might be difficult for him early in the season. Shore missed most of this current preseason with an injury while central midfielder Keaton Parks has returned after undergoing surgery midseason surgery last summer.

The most likely scenario is that Shore eventually finds his way onto the field on a regular basis for NYCFC.

Also for the New York City native is the U.S. U-20 national team. Shore should be expected to be a leader of that group and NYCFC will likely allow him to be part of that team. Shore is eligible for Mexico through his mother, but the odds are that he features for the U.S. team this U-20 cycle.

9) Nolan Norris (defender, FC Dallas)

Norris was one of the most important players on the last U.S. U-20 team. As a versatile defender, he served as the team’s captain during World Cup qualifying, and he played well at the World Cup where he started ahead of two high-upside left backs in Luca Bombino and Peyton Miller.

Despite his success with his peers, first team minutes at FC Dallas have never been there consistently for Norris. In 2025, Norris played just 725 minutes for Eric Quill.

That should change in 2026 as FC Dallas will want to move another academy product into the first team – which was historically a strength of the organization. But aside from that, Norris should be ready. As he is both a left back and a central defender, he might find a starting job on the left-side of a three-man backline.

Whether Norris can help be part of a contingent that brings FC Dallas back to the postseason is another question. But the minutes should be there for him.

10) Taha Habroune (forwards, midfielder, Columbus Crew)

Habroune, 20, is another player who has shown glimpses of being ready to take on a bigger role with Columbus. Now it is about actually doing it.

In 2025, Habroune played 886 minutes in all competitions for Columbus and his best outings came in the Leagues Cup where he had a two-assists in a game against Puebla and was one of the best players on the field in a win over Leon. His only goal in MLS games came against Cincinnati, one of the best teams in the league.

It is hard to predict the coming season for Habroune as Columbus have a new coach in Henrik Rydström, who is a complete outsider from Sweden. But the safe bet is that minutes will be there for Habroune, but will he take advantage of it? He has the talent to do so, but it will come down to his maturity and his connection with Rydström

Internationally, Habroune is another player who should be expected to be part of the initial Olympic team camps starting in the fall. He was an important player for the recent U.S. U-20 team throughout the cycle but didn’t have a great World Cup.

11) Pedro Soma (midfielder, San Diego FC)

Last season, Soma made the move to San Diego after playing on loan with Barcelona B from Cornella in Spain. Barcelona decided not to exercise an option to purchase, and Cornella was playing in the fifth tier of Spain. Soma, 19, had to make a move and San Diego offered him a pathway to playing first-team games.

Unfortunately for Soma, it was tough for him to break into regular minutes San Diego when he joined as the team was overachieving. Instead, he focused on the U.S. U-20 team where he typically was an option off the bench, playing behind Benja Cremaschi, Brooklyn Raines, and Niko Tsakiris.

But San Diego, as part of the Right to Dream network, will want to get young players on the field and the early signs are that Soma will play a lot more. He started both legs in the team’s aggregate win over Pumas in the Champions Cup.

Internationally, Soma should be in the Olympic pool, but it will be hard to make that team as in addition to competing with many players from the YNT system, an overage spot could be used in central midfield.

12) David Vazquez (midfielder, San Diego FC)

Often for young players, it is about making smart decisions to find minutes. Last season, when Vazquez made the move from Philadelphia to San Diego (at first a loan, then with SDFC exercising a $500,000 option to purchase) it gave the impression that SDFC rated him and had a plan for him. Given San Diego’s ambitions with being a hub for youth development as part of the Right to Dream network, it was an optimistic sign for Vazquez.

Set-piece execution pays off! ???? pic.twitter.com/5hsAEhCAhc

— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) February 4, 2026

While playing time was limited for Vazquez in 2025, the signs are that he is going to play more in 2026. Earlier in the month, Vazquez came off the bench and scored a big goal in the 4-1 win over Pumas in the Champions Cup.

Vazquez, 19, is facing an important year but there are signs for optimism.

13) Tate Johnson (fullback, Vancouver Whitecaps)

The son of former MLS player Brian Johnson, Tate Johnson was one of the more surprising young American players in MLS during the 2025 season. Coming out of North Carolina, he went through the MLS draft and was taken by the Vancouver Whitecaps.

What happened in the season was remarkable. He was part of the team’s runs to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final (starting in victories over Pumas, Monterrey, and Inter Miami) and to MLS Cup (starting in the Conference Final against San Diego).

Despite not being selected to be part of the U.S. team’s U-20 World Cup team, he earned more big game experience than anyone else in the pool during the season.

Now comes the hard part for Johnson. Expectations will be higher for him and for the team. Can Johnson be part of helping to keep the Whitecaps one of the best in the league?

Internationally it’s tough for Johnson. His next opportunity will be with the Olympic team and there are plenty of options in that age group at left back (Luca Bombino, Nolan Norris, Peyton Miller), but Johnson has a chance to continue to impress at Vancouver and he will be in the mix.

14) Sergio Oregel, Jr. (midfielder, Chicago Fire)

Sergio Oregel was part of a Chicago Fire team that returned to the playoffs and led the league in homegrown minutes under new manager Gregg Berhalter. Oregel finished the season having played an impressive 2157 minutes and having made 26 starts.

Unfortunately for Oregel, he did not make the U.S. U-20 World Cup team. But the list of very successful players who were cut from youth national teams is long. Whether or not Oregel gets there remans to be seen, but we will learn a lot about him this season. During the offseason, Chicago spent money on central midfields by signing Robin Lod and Anton Salétros. But central midfielders are always in rotation and Oregel will have plenty of opportunities to continue to play for a Chicago Fire team that is on the rise.

15)  Luke Brennan (winger, Atlanta United)

The 2025 season was one to forget for Atlanta United. Now it 2026, old friend Tata Martino has returned and is hoping to lead the club back towards the top of the league. In Atlanta, there is pressure on the coaches and the front office to quickly turn things around. Ownership has spent a lot of money on this team and will want to see returns.

Luke Brennan is arguably the team’s best homegrown player and he was a very important player for the U.S. U-20 national team all last cycle. But minutes have not been there for him with Atlanta United’s first team. In 2025, Brennan appeared in 22 matches for Atlanta United for just 675 minutes. Lost in the dysfunctional mess that was the first team, Brennan played well and was fun to watch.

But will Martino have time for Brennan? Does he see him as part of the solution?

It might take time for Brennan to find his way into Martino’s rotation but it is easy to see a future where the Argentine manager finds important ways to use Brennan.