Young Players: Who stepped up in Matchday 22?

Attackers get most of the headlines, but defenders had their say during Matchday 22 over the holiday weekend.

Here's who made the cut for our latest Young Players of the Matchday selections.

Christian Benteke presents one of the toughest matchups for a center back in MLS, and Atlanta United's 21-year-old homegrown was more than up for the challenge on Saturday.

Morales started and played the full 90 minutes while helping his side earn a 0-0 draw at Audi Field, providing a notable positive in an otherwise challenging campaign for the Five Stripes.

Speaking of rising young center backs, Portland have one of the league's best in their 21-year-old New Zealander.

Surman has established himself as a true workhorse for the Timbers, logging another 90-minute shift in Saturday's 2-1 home win over New England – a regular occurrence during an under-the-radar breakout season.

The 18-year-old fullback continues to perform beyond his years while on loan with San Diego FC from LAFC.

Bombino got on the stat sheet twice in his team's wild 4-3 defeat to Houston Dynamo FC at Snapdragon Stadium, logging a secondary assist on teammate Milan Iloski's opener, then knocking in his first MLS goal in the 54th minute.

NYCFC's Slovenian right back also put forth a mammoth performance in attack, logging 1g/1a to help pace his team's 3-1 victory over Toronto FC at Yankee Stadium.

It was the second goal and assist of the season for the 20-year-old, whose nine starts and 969 minutes are each on track to surpass his totals from 2024.

LA's 3-0 victory over Vancouver was kickstarted by an early opener from their 21-year-old Brazilian forward.

Nascimento has been a quiet bright spot for the struggling Gs, with four contributions (2g/2a) in just six starts. His continued development would bode well for Greg Vanney's side as they assess what players will remain with the club going forward.

• Cavan Sullivan: The Philadelphia Union prodigy has his first career start out of the way, a historic milestone he checked off on Saturday at Nashville SC. He figures to be brought slowly, given he's still just 15 years old, but it speaks to Sullivan's sky-high upside that head coach Bradley Carnell felt comfortable deploying him in the XI in an MLS match.