The march towards the 2017 MLS season is on its final stretch this week, as the North American domestic league enters a new season.
The league's relationship with young players and development has been a volatile one over the course of its two decades of its lifetime, with an academy system more or less an afterthought as it struggled to established and alive.
Even after the introduction of academies roughly a decade or so ago, the route is far from straightforward for teenagers looking to make that jump.
Regardless, entering the 2017 season, the number of young players continue to grow. As part of the start of the season, TopDrawerSoccer.com is releasing its inaugural Top 50 ranking of the top young prospects signed on rosters around the league. More on the parameters can be found here, with the list below the first 10 players to earn a look.
50. Mason Stajduhar – Goalkeeper – Orlando City SC
DOB: 12/2/1997 | HT: 6-2 | WT: 190
The path of a young goalkeeper through U.S. domestic ranks is fraught with uncertainty of playing time and worries about stagnation. From that perspective, Stajduhar’s career is an interesting litmus test. The 19-year-old was bypassed for the U.S. U20 MNT qualifying squad for college goalkeepers, and it’s unclear the last time he’s seen action anywhere, as he didn’t feature for the Orlando City B team during the 2016 USL season. There’s still plenty of time in Stajduhar’s development in goal, though the lack of games is a concern. He’s a promising player nonetheless, and his progression in 2017 will be important.
