A legitimate golazo for Houston Dynamo FC, an electric shift from a Chicago Fire FC standout, and a Save of the Year candidate for the Philadelphia Union were just some of the highlights from an excellent week for MLS's rising stars.
Here's who made the cut in our latest edition of Young Players of the Matchday.
Chicago's 21-year-old homegrown played one of his best games as a pro, scoring twice and tallying his first assist of the season to spearhead the Fire's 4-1 rout of Charlotte FC. Long considered a potential future star for the Windy City side, Gutiérrez could be headed for a true breakout campaign, with his five goals in nine matches leaving him just one off his career high of six that he posted in 2024.
Ordaz left his mark in LAFC's El Tráfico clash against the LA Galaxy on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, netting a 50th-minute go-ahead strike in an eventual 2-2 draw. It was the third goal of the season and the second in his last four games for the 21-year-old homegrown attacker, who's increasingly making his case to be a first-choice option for head coach Steve Cherundolo.
Philadelphia wouldn't have kept the clean sheet in their eventual 1-0 win at Atlanta United without a series of highlight-reel heroics from their 19-year-old homegrown goalkeeper, including a ridiculous 17th-minute sprawling denial of a wicked volley from Pedro Amador.
If there's been a more dynamic fullback in MLS this season than Freeman, the list isn't long. The 20-year-old rising star put in a massive shift in Orlando's 3-0 rout of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF. His torrid form has not gone unnoticed as US men's national team boss Mauricio Pochettino rewarded him with a call-up to the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary roster.
- Chris Applewhite: The most promising prospect to rise through Nashville SC's academy, Applewhite was rock-solid through a 90-minute shift in his first MLS start, which ended in a scoreless draw against visiting D.C. United.
- Nicolás Romero: Minnesota's U22 Initiative center back is quietly emerging as a key cog for one of the league's better defenses. Romero went the full 90 and logged his third assist of the season to help the Loons cruise to a 3-0 win over St. Louis CITY SC.
- Max Floriani: The No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft out of Saint Louis University is forming a nice partnership with Reid Roberts in central defense for San Jose. The duo was steady in Saturday's scoreless draw at New England, which was a welcome sight for a team that has struggled defensively in recent seasons.
