Sporting Kansas City defender Erik Palmer-Brown was named to MLSsoccer.com's annual "24 under 24" rankings, revealed on Tuesday to highlight the best young players in Major League Soccer this season. At age 18, Palmer-Brown is the youngest player in this year's 24 under 24 class.
RANKINGS: Full 24 under 24 list
The rankings are determined by a panel of soccer media members across the United States and Canada who regularly cover MLS. The panel rated players -- all born after October 25, 1991 -- based on the following criteria:
- Technical (first touch, dribbling, shooting, heading, etc.)
- Soccer IQ (positioning, reading game, situational understanding, tactical awareness, etc.)
- Physical Attributes (balance, agility, speed, endurance, strength, vertical leap, etc.)
- Personality (attitude, marketability, media savviness, charisma, intangibles, etc.)
- Potential (improvability, ceiling, national team potential, potential future transfer value, etc.)
Palmer-Brown has appeared in nine matches for Sporting Kansas City across all competition since signing as a Homegrown Player in August 2013 and making his MLS debut in May 2014, becoming the youngest player to appear in an MLS match in club history. He has started in the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game each of the last two years.
The Lee’s Summit, Missouri native joined the Sporting KC Academy at age 13 and attended the prestigious U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. Palmer-Brown has represented the United States youth national teams at the U-15, U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, including an appearance at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer.
Palmer-Brown is the fifth Sporting KC player to receive 24 under 24 recognition since the series started in 2010:
- Erik Palmer-Brown (#24 in 2015)
- Oriol Rosell (#14 in 2013)
- C.J. Sapong (#2 in 2012, #15 in 2011)
- Teal Bunbury (#5 in 2011, #17 in 2010, #20 in 2012)
- Ryan Smith (#12 in 2010)
