22 Under 22

Player-eligible list for 2022 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR

It’s time for the young stars to shine.

The 2022 edition of MLSsoccer.com’s 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR list will be unveiled on Tuesday, Sept. 20. A week out, we’re publicizing the list of players who were considered for voting purposes.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, players have to remain 21 or younger before the end of the 2022 MLS regular season, which is Decision Day on Oct. 9. Or in other words, they must be born on/after Oct. 10, 2000.

That cutoff ensures some players narrowly age out by turning 22 before the 2022 MLS regular season ends. Those like FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and New York Red Bulls midfielder Frankie Amaya fall into that category, while those like Orlando City SC winger Facundo Torres and FC Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal are already too old (22 this season).

Now, every year a player or two bursts onto the scene late on between voting and unveiling. New England Revolution midfielder Noel Buck and D.C. United defender Matai Akinmboni both come to mind there. And players exiting the league this summer – for example, LAFC center back Mamadou Fall being loaned to LaLiga’s Villareal – were left off.

Lastly, some editorial discretion was applied. That resulted in some players being omitted when weighing their first-team impact, perceived potential and résumé thus far.

Full list

With enough qualifiers established, the full player-eligible list (sorted alphabetically by last name) can be found below. Stay tuned for 2022’s 22 Under 22 presented by BODYARMOR list – and associated content – next week.