Rankings Analysis: Colorado’s Best from the 2025 Class 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Colorado Player Rankings for <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2022/12/updated-2025-colorado-boy-rankings/">the class of 2025 were released this week</a>. The group features some of the top players in the country at the club level as well as some rising stars from the high school game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out the PrepSoccer <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2022/10/behind-the-scenes-prepsoccers-national-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rankings process here</a>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["59812"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The young center midfielder on the Rapids U17 MLS Next team has been one of the brightest talents in the league this season. Clever on the ball and nifty in tight spaces, Pak has the qualities to be a midfielder at a professional level in the future. For a player playing up an age group, he has taken over his role on the team and really emerged as a catalyst for the squad.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a25fba74d10"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["70495"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Harzbecker is the left center back on the Real Colorado U17 MLS Next squad. While playing alongside and against some of the best 2024s in the country, Harzbecker has shown his quality. He is excellent in his positioning, he reads the game really well and seems to always be in the right spots. He tends to play safe and not try to do too much, which is a preference most coaches want from a center back. When on the on-the-ball defending, Harzbecker does a good job in using his body to force the attacker to their off foot or put them off balance before putting in a challenge. He's not on the ball that much with Real Colorado, but he does have the passing quality to break the press and find outlets. He is left-footed, which is a major plus and should put him pretty high on most scouts depth charts for the position in this class.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["70494"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Mann is one of the center midfielders on the Real Colorado U17 MLS Next team. When watching that team play, Mann does not always make the high impact plays (goals or assists) but he does make the winning plays. He covers a ton of ground in the center of the field. When Real Colorado is pressing, Mann is often the player cutting out a passing lane or marking the player who should be in position to receive the next pass. His influence on the game can be obvious too. He had some games where he provided the key pass immediately off an interception. But I believe his best attribute is his consistency. From game to game, it is obvious who Mann is. He rarely makes mistakes and he makes his teammates better. He might not be the flashiest prospect from Colorado, but he's a very good one every game.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["71665"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='71665' first='Carlos' last='de Luna Villapando'] is a new name to the scouting list for Colorado. He's been playing at a high level for some time, but he's cemented his role as a center forward with the Colorado Rapids U17 MLS Next team in recent fixtures. He is a technical player who has a tendency to drop a level when receiving the ball so that he almost falls into an attacking midfield role. He has a good first touch that allows him to skate away from challenges. His strength is in the combination play. He's excellent at playing off teammates with quick passes and movement. He's not physical imposing on the field, but he's one of the smartest players on the field, which should take him far in this sport.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["71761"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Melucci is a 5-foot-10 forward from the Real Colorado 07 squad. He is in top form right now, as one of the leading scorers on the Real Colorado MLS Next squad. He's scored some spectacular goals this season including a long range effort back in October. Melucci is one player that scouts should be looking at early considering the potential.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["70761"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"The attacking midfielder was one of the top players from the high school game during the 2022 season. His lung-bursting run in the State Championship game for the game-winning goal was incredibly impressive. Heinemann's play at the high school level should get him on scouts radars for this class. He is a high work-rate player with the ability to run past players on the ball or break the game open with a pass.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a25fba74edd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->