Danny Carmona is, in my opinion, the most elite player in the entire class.

When a player scores an incredible solo goal, spectators usually think, “There’s no way he can do that again.” Carmona completely defies that line of thinking because he seems to live in that mode. There were three separate moments at MLS NEXT Cup that convinced me he sits alone at the top when it comes to attacking players in the U16 age group.

The first was an unreal solo goal against the Philadelphia Union U16 Academy that immediately caught my attention and made me keep a close eye on him heading into the final against Barcelona AZ.

In that championship match, Barcelona looked like the favorite and took an early 1-0 lead that carried into the second half. Then Carmona completely took over the game.

First, he dribbled through Barcelona’s defense, making multiple defenders look helpless as they tried to take the ball away from him. After breaking down the defense, he set up a teammate for a spectacular strike that tied the game at 1-1.

Then came what may have been the most unbelievable goal I have ever witnessed at an MLS NEXT event. From nearly the corner of the field and roughly 28 yards out, Carmona curled a shot into the top corner, punishing the defense for giving him even a glimpse of space.

As if that wasn’t enough, he scored again less than a minute later. His second goal made it 3-1 and completely shifted the momentum of the match. TFA would eventually win 4-3.

By the end of the tournament, Carmona walked away with both the Golden Boot and MVP honors.

The young man has already drawn interest from Austin FC, where he guest played at Generation adidas Cup, as well as the LA Galaxy and Mexican giants Pumas and Club América.

In my opinion, he is unquestionably on his way to earning a professional contract and has the talent to eventually play overseas.

Carmona led Total Futbol Academy to qualify in Group T with a campaign of one win and two ties. The left-footed forward made a major impact offensively for them, delivering goals and creating plays. Carmona plays mainly on the right and is very hard to dispossess, using his body well to shield the ball and being very quick and creative to execute dribbles in transition or 1v1. He is also very dangerous when he brings the ball inside to his preferred left foot to shoot or deliver final passes, demonstrating great precision.

Carmona is a forward on the Total Futbol Academy U16 MLS Next team. He plays center forward for his club team. He is five-foot-10 and left footed. Carmona has been the top scorer in the MLS Next through the first month of the season with eight goals in his first four games. He’s a well-rounded prospect for the position. He does a bit of everything well. His hold-up play is among the best in the class. His finishing is exceptional for this age group – and the results clearly show. Carmona has benefitted from having a talented team around him, but the forward deserves all the credit for producing the results consistently through the first stage of the season.