With three players previously on the MLSsoccer.com list of the best young players in MLS, Seattle is bound to add to the list in 2013.
On Monday, MLSsoccer.com will begin a week-long series highlighting the top 24 players in the league under 24 years old.
If history is any indication, Sounders FC will be well-represented in the countdown.
In all three seasons since the league website started the series in 2010, Seattle has had players selected, starting in 2010 when Fredy Montero topped the list at No. 1. At that time, Montero had earned MLS Newcomer of the Year honors in 2009 after a 12-goal season and in his second double-digit season with 10 goals in 2010, adding 10 assists in a stellar season for the Colombian.
In that same year, Steve Zakuani was No. 4 on the list while in the midst of a 10-goal season of his own in his second year in MLS. A fractured fibula and tibia in 2011 derailed his third season in April, but his outstanding season in 2010, in which he also had six assists, and his strong start in 2011 led to him keeping hold of his No. 4 ranking. FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea was rated the top player under 24 in 2011.
In 2012, Andy Rose was Seattle’s lone representative on the list, starting things off at No. 24. During his rookie season, Rose started in 11 of his 23 appearances for Seattle, highlighted by the first goal of his MLS career in a 4-0 drubbing of the LA Galaxy with 60,908 fans in attendance at CenturyLink Field. The top-rated player on the list in 2012 was Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Darren Mattocks.
This year, Seattle has six players eligible for the list - Will Bates, Philip Lund, Dylan Remick, Andy Rose, DeAndre Yedlin and Eriq Zavaleta.
Sept. 16: 21-24 revealed
Sept. 17: 20-16 revealed
Sept. 18: 15-11 revealed
Sept. 19: 10-6 revealed
Sept. 20: 1-5 revealed
