MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24, presented by EA Sports, is back and the Colorado Rapids have three players on the shortlist, Marlon Hairston, Eric Miller and Dillon Serna.
Hairston has been the breakout player of 2016 for the Rapids, recording three goals and three assists in 17 appearances (11 starts). Following a solid rookie year, his sophomore season was plagued by injury, limiting him to just three appearances. This year, the 22 year-old has shown what he is capable of, using his speed and creativity to give opposition defenses headaches. With more playing time and consecutive starts, Hairston is proving to be quite the player in MLS.
Miller was traded to the Rapids from Montreal Impact in February of 2016 and immediately slotted in to the first team, getting his first start in the opening day loss at San Jose. The versatile defender has gone on to log almost 1500 minutes of playing time in 19 appearances, while providing one assist.
Miller already boasts plenty of experience at the age of 23, having appeared in 49 MLS matches as well as receiving a call-up to the January camp for the USA's senior squad. His ability to play in any position along the backline makes him a commodity in a Rapids defense that has given up the least amount of goals in MLS (24).
Perhaps the most notable young Rapids player is Dillon Serna. The 22 year-old Brighton native signed a homegrown contract with Colorado in 2013 and has appeared 52 times for the club, notching seven goals and five assists in his career. Serna is known for his speed and wicked left foot, which struck the game-winner against Sporting Kansas City back in May.
Unfortunately, Serna suffered a knee injury in the U.S. Open Cup loss to FC Dallas at the end of June, and underwent season-ending surgery. His recovery will take up to eight months, but the midfielder’s potential remains high.
50-player shortlist
Anatole Abang (New York Red Bulls, on loan at Hobro IK, Denmark)
Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas)
Luciano Acosta (D.C. United, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution)
Fatai Alashe (San Jose Earthquakes)
Jordan Allen (Real Salt Lake)
Federico Bravo (New York City FC, on loan from Boca Juniors, Argentina)
Victor Cabrera (Montreal Impact)
Jonathan Campbell (Chicago Fire)
Jay Chapman (Toronto FC)
Sean Davis (New York Red Bulls)
Marky Delgado (Toronto FC)
Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC)
Diego Fagundez (New England Revolution)
Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake)
Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC)
Jack Harrison (New York City FC)
Cristian Higuita (Orlando City SC)
Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England Revolution)
Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
Mikey Lopez (New York City FC)
Kekuta Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC)
Jimmy Medranda (Sporting Kansas City)
Lucas Melano (Portland Timbers)
Eric Miller (Colorado Rapids)
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
Alex Muyl (New York Red Bulls)
Lucas Ontivero (Montreal Impact, on loan from Galatasaray, Turkey)
Tim Parker (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Matt Polster (Chicago Fire)
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers)
Rafael Ramos (Orlando City SC)
Rodrigo Ramos (Chicago Fire)
Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC)
Carlos Rivas (Orlando City SC)
Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)
Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia Union)
Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids)
Tommy Thompson (San Jose Earthquakes)
Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres (Houston Dynamo, on loan at Cruz Azul, Mexico)
Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC)
Jose Villarreal (LA Galaxy)
Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire)
Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia Union)
Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas)
Starting next Monday, MLSsoccer.com will be revealing the top 24 young players in MLS. The 24 players were picked by a panel of soccer media members across the US and Canada. The cut-off date for eligibility for this year’s ranking was October 23, the final day of the 2016 MLS regular season.
They will reveal Nos. 24-16 on Monday, 15-11 on Tuesday, 10-6 on Wednesday and the top five ranked players will be announced on Thursday.
