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MLS Youth Report

MLS Youth Report: Youth fuel Union rise, young Yanks shine in Leagues Cup

ASN's look at how young American players and U.S. youth internationals performed in MLS over the past week
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 12, 2026
8:00 AM

MLS is in the middle of Leagues Cup right now with leagues games returning this weekend. One of the stories in this year’s edition annual MLS vs. Liga MX tournament has been that some head coaches have opted to play more young players they otherwise would not have played. Some players have taken advantage of the opportunities and others have not.

Here is yet another edition of the MLS Youth Report.

 

Philadelphia’s youth on the rise

 

One of the top stories in MLS since games resumed after the World Cup has been Philadelphia’s turnaround. Prior to the World Cup, the Union were in last place, now the team is playing well in Leagues Cup and is climbing in the MLS table.

The heart of this rise has been the team’s young trio of Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield.

On Sunday, Philly defeated Necaxa 3-1 in Leagues Cup with Cavan Sullivan being the MOTM with a goal and an assist.

 

Sullivan, 16, has been hyped for years but since play resumed after the World Cup, Sullivan has clearly raised his game to the point where he is making positive contributions every single game. Even if he doesn’t score or assist, he is always dangerous and always skillful.

But on Sunday, he was delivering on the scoresheet as well. It will be interesting to see if Sullivan plays with the U.S. U-20 team this cycle or goes straight to the Olympic team.

 

Pierre went a solid 90 minutes in central defense, and he has taken his career to another level since returning to the Union over the summer following his loan to Lyngby. Pierre is one of the most important American prospects given the need for more top central defense prospects. Pierre is clearly one of the best.

Philadelphia saw other young players step up. Andrew Rick, 20, started in goal and made eight saves. He is another Union player who could potentially make the U.S. Olympic team.

Normally a starter, Westfield came off the bench to play the final 30 minutes. He continues to have a strong chance to be the U.S. Olympic team’s right back.  

Malik Jakupovic, 17, played the final 17 minutes. The U.S. U-17 forward did not have much time to impress but he is highly rated inside the Union system. While he has played for the U.S. youth teams in the past, there is a strong chance he eventually opts for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Overall, it was a big day for a Philadelphia Union team that has several top U.S. youth internationals.

 

Norris impresses at Dallas

 

Nolan Norrs, 21, is having a good Leagues Cup and is quietly raising his game this season. On Saturday, Norris went 90 minutes for in a 1-0 win over Chivas and played well to help keep a clean sheet. In the game before, he played in the middle of a three-man backline to help Dallas to a 2-0 win over Queretaro. In that game, Norris had 10 clearances as Queretaro raised the pressure in the second half.

Norris is an underrated American prospect. It’s not clear he has a high upside but he has a high floor. When combined with his versatility, he is a player a lot of coaches want on their team. He seems like a good pick for the Olympic team to be able to play central defense, left back, and defensive midfield.

 

Gomez helps end Seattle’s skid

 

Dating back to before the World Cup break, the Seattle Sounders entered Sunday’s game against Queretaro having lost seven games in a row (six in MLS plus one in Leagues Cup) and was beginning to see its season get away from them.

Against Queretaro, the Sounders were able to prevail with a 3-0 victory in what was its best performances in months. What was particularly interesting is that head coach Brian Schmetzer decided to give chances to a few players who have not played much.

 

Winger Sebastian Gomez, 20, was moved up to the Sounders first team from the Tacoma Defiance of MLS Next Pro. This season he had played just 71 minutes with the Sounders. But he was the MOTM against Queretaro with a goal and an assist. His goal in the 4th minute opened the scoring and set the tone for the Sounders. But he played well with his passing, duel winning, dribbling, and he drew three fouls. It might have opened the door for him to continue to play meaningful minutes the rest of the season.

Also of note, Edson Carli, 18, made his first team debut for the Sounders when he played the final seven minutes.


Chirila helps Cincinnati in two wins

Andrei Chirila, 17, has made six appearances with FC Cincinnati in MLS competitions this season but has spent most of the year in MLS Next Pro.  But in Leagues Cup, he was given two first team starts and impressed in wins over Pachuca (3-1) and Pumas (2-0). He did not play in the Tuesday night loss to Atlas.

The young central defender fit well into Cincinnati’s three-man backline where he played on the left side. His passing was very effective in getting the ball into the attack and he help up very well physically despite his young age.

Chirila is a solid prospect for Cincinnati and U.S. Soccer, which needs more central defenders. The issue, however, is his Romanian passport. He has represented the U.S. U-18 team this year but his older brother Stefan Chirila, 19, also plays for Cincinnati and represented U.S. teams but now represents Romania’s youth teams. Andrei is a prospect that U.S. U-20 head coach Gonzalo Segares will want to do his best job keeping in the U.S. setup.

 

Corcoran & Baker-Whiting help Nashville

 

After a 1-0 loss to Leon in its Leagues Cup opener, Nashville SC responded with a convincing 4-1 win over San Luis in its second game.

U.S. Olympic hopeful Matthew Corcoran, 20, played 90 minutes in the win and was very effective in helping Nashville control the midfield with his 40/44 passing (where he was 6/7 in long balls, which was important to switching the points of attack). Corcoran continues to have a nice season for a strong Nashville team. Across all competitions, he is heading for a 2000-minute season.

 

Versatile fullback Reed Baker-Whiting came off the bench for Nashville in the 71st minute and scored the game’s final goal in the 88th minute as he looks to build a case for an increased role with Nashville down the stretch.

 

Elsewhere in MLS

 

In the weekend’s only MLS game, the Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2-0 with U.S. Olympic hopefuls Peyton Miller and Ethan Kohler starting for the Revolution. Neither stood out for good or for bad in this game,

Columbus finished its Leagues Cup group stages with two wins and shootout win with eight points. Taha Habroune played all 90 minutes in the 2-1 win over Pachuca and then the final 23 minutes in the 1-1 shootout win over Pumas (where Habroune missed his shootout attempt).

What was encouraging from the Crew is that young forward Chase Adams, 18, looked a little more ready from MLS minutes after subbing into each of those last two games. He also converted his shootout attempt against Pumas.

The Chicago Fire defeated Santos Laguna 3-1 over the weekend and Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter put 16-year-old midfielder Robert Turdean into the starting lineup for his first team debut. The good news for Turdean is that he did not look out of place and might make his MLS debut sooner than later. Also of note, Sergio Oregel played the second half, which is when Chicago scored all of its three goals.

Turdean also became the youngest player to ever play an official game for the Chicago Fire. 

Cruz Azul defeated New York City 2-1 with U.S. U-20 defensive midfielder Jonny Shore starting and playing 76 minutes for NYCFC.

Monterrey defeated Inter Miami on Saturday 3-2 with U.S. U-20 hopeful Daniel Pinter starting at forward and playing 76 minutes for Miami in the loss.

Leon defeated Orlando 2-1 over the weekend with Orlando starting 18-year-old Bernardo Rhein Goncalves at left back. Goncalves has made four appearances in MLS this season for Orlando. Overall, it was a tough experiences for the youngster. Also of note, top U.S. U-20 forward Justin Ellis played the last 37 minutes for Orlando.

Olympic hopeful left back Tate Johnson played all 90 minutes for Vancouver in a 3-1 loss to Juarez in what was a disappointing winless Leagues Cup campaign for the Whitecaps.

Jude Terry, 17, played the last 22 minutes for LAFC in its 1-0 win over Toluca over the weekend. Terry was on the field when Eddie Segura scored a stoppage time winner.

San Diego rebounded from a loss to Club America to defeat Tijuana 1-0 in its second Leagues Cup game. SDFC started two Olympic hopeful fullbacks in Luca Bombino on the left (who played 63 minutes) and Oscar Verhoeven (who played all 90 minutes). Both players had solid outings in the win.

Finally, over the weekend Austin FC defeated Puebla FC with U.S. U-20 midfielder Ervin Torres starting and playing 62 minutes for Austin in the win.

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