Under the Radar: MLS Next standouts from the opening weeks
The opening weeks of the club season are here. With the start of a new campaign, there is the promise of new talent emerging from all of the leagues, clubs, and teams. Through the opening weeks of the MLS Next…
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Continue ReadingThe opening weeks of the club season are here. With the start of a new campaign, there is the promise of new talent emerging from all of the leagues, clubs, and teams. Through the opening weeks of the MLS Next season, there have been some eye-opening results, and also some standout performances.
Through those opening few weeks of the season, there have been a few players that have caught the eye of scouts – either for being under-the-radar before or just not being scouted previously.
Below are a few players who stood out from the games that PrepSoccer scouts caught during the last weekend in the MLS Next action.
Sebastian Salm
Sebastian Salm
Salm plays left back for his club side. He was a standout in the first half in the game against FC Dallas. He anticipated the pass from the center back into the midfielder, he cut out the pass, and did well in playing a perfect pass to Blake Landreneau for the assist. Salm, a 2024 recruit, is right footed, but he is a good passer with his left. He makes good decisions on the ball. He is a bit conservative in the tackle but has good technique in his slide tackle. Luke Mobley and Andrew Allain were also standouts for Louisiana TDP.
Shreiner played the right center back for FC Dallas against Louisiana TDP. He was clearly the target for his side on set pieces as he managed to get free on the far post on two chances. He looked comfortable on the ball and hit a couple of great cross-field passes. Shreiner has good size and decent pace for the position. The multi-sport athlete is a 2024 recruit to watch this season in MLS Next. Mikey Murphy was a bright spot in the midfield for FC Dallas. The tall box-to-box midfielder showed good skill on the ball. He made a couple of excellent passes. He has quick feet to navigate traffic.
Ryan Amond
Ryan Amond
Amond might have been the biggest surprise of the weekend. The SC Wave attacking midfielder scored three goals in the loss to Minnesota United. He was the best player on the field for much of the game. Amond’s first goal showed off his intelligence, as he patiently waited and adjusted the timing of his run to link up to the cutback from Stefan Zekanovic. His second goal showed his quality with a bending effort that tucked inside the post. Zekanovic had quite the game as well.
Adam Heiden
Adam Heiden
Heiden played for Shattuck-St. Mary’s last season. Moved back to Minnesota United this season. Kicked off the campaign with a shutout victory over his previous club. Heiden is a confident goalkeeper. He will gladly play off his line – he might even prefer to be the sweeper-keeper if given the chance. He is active in the game and ready to use his feet to cut out long-balls. He made a couple of impressive athletic saves on close shots. Nathan Moua was a standout in the attack for Minnesota United. He scored the opening goal of the game. He has a good first touch, and a unique ability to escape pressure. He made a couple of key passes in the game.