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On Thursday, MLSSoccer.com will release its annual "24 under 24" list, which recognizes the league's best young talent. The New England Revolution, who has one of the youngest rosters in MLS, could be well-represented as they have four players that made the shortlist: Diego Fagundez, Andrew Farrell, Patrick Mullins and Kelyn Rowe. Let's take a closer look at the candidates.
Diego Fagundez
Fagundez is no stranger to the "24 Under 24" list as the mohawked sensation was positioned at number 20 in 2011 and number five in 2013. Fagundez was electric last year as he contributed 13 goals and seven assists. Success has been harder to find this season as the Massachusetts native has only amassed five goals and four assists.
Despite the down year, Fagundez could still rank high because of his upside and name recognition. It was only a couple months ago that the 19-year-old was called up by the Uruguay U-20 national team to play two friendlies against Peru. With this in mind, a top ten finish is possible.
Projected Finish: 8th
Andrew Farrell
Farrell was a key member of last year's record-breaking backline that only allowed 1.12 per game and recorded 14 shutouts. Farrell, who was the first overall pick in the 2013 SuperDraft, wasn't a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award, but he did come in at number nine in last year's "24 under 24" list.
A repeat appearance in the top ten isn't out of the question since Farrell still has loads of potential. The sophomore has had shaky moments defensively and his stylish beard serves as a reminder of his offensive shortcomings, but he's still an important contributor. Farrell is a versatile player that should be somewhere on Jurgen Klinsmann's radar.
Projected Finish: 12th
Patrick Mullins
Mullins, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, was unstoppable in the month of May. After starting in the season opener, Mullins didn't play in the subsequent seven games. When he did reappear, the two-time MAC Hermann Trophy winner made the most of his minutes by scoring in four consecutive matches. The impressive scoring streak tied the record for a rookie set by former Chicago Fire forward Damani Ralph.
Mullins was the talk of the league for a while with many people hypothesizing that he may win Rookie of the Year. The former Terp cooled, however, and hasn't scored since May. Although he still has incredible promise, it's hard to imagine that he will appear on the "24 under 24" list.
Projected Finish: Not on the list
Kelyn Rowe
Rowe's sophomore campaign was one to remember as the midfielder offered seven goals and eight assists. The move to the center was largely responsible for the impressive output as Rowe became free to pull the offensive strings with crisp passes and long-range blasts.
Incredibly, Rowe has never appeared on the "24 under 24" list and an injury-plagued start to 2014 might force him to miss out again. Rowe has only had three goals and five assists in 22 appearances this season. Still, Rowe's undeniable talent might allow the midfielder to sneak onto the list.
Projected Finish: 17th
My Projected List
- Zardes
- Plata
- Yedlin
- Diaz
- Hamid
- Castillo
- Torres
- Fagundez
- Kitchen
- Trapp
- Shipp
- Farrell
- Gil
- MacMath
- Powers
- Birnbaum
- Rowe
- Okugo
- Wenger
- Thompson
- Teibert
- Saad
- Akindele
- McInerney