With the MLS is Back Tournament rapidly approaching, the Extratime crew examined which players are ready to raise their stock.
There are different schools of thought with this topic: First, there's the veteran goal scorer coming off injury. In that group, Bradley Wright-Phillips comes to mind, having scored 20-plus goals on the regular with the New York Red Bulls -- but he joins LAFC as a 35-year-old free agent who had just two goals in an injury-plagued 2019.
And then there’s Dom Dwyer. Remember him? He scored 20-plus goals once -- for Sporting KC back in 2014, the first of three consecutive seasons he struck for double-digit tallies.
But Dwyer’s scored just 24 goals since arriving in Orlando via a blockbuster trade midway through the 2017 season. The English striker, who will turn 30 during the tournament, started 2020 with yet another injury following a season in which he had seven goals and adding four assists in 27 appearances.
Then there’s the young player on the verge of breaking out. Highlighting that group, David Gass argued, is SKC’s Gianluca Busio, who could be poised for major minutes due to the season-ending injury to Felipe Gutierrez. Matt Doyle highlighted a plethora of young players who could be in this camp, mentioning LAFC’s Diego Rossi, Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco and the FC Dallas duo of Paxton Pomykal and Reggie Cannon.
And then there’s the promising expansion team signing yet to make their league debut. That’s where Andrew Wiebe, who is all aboard the Dwyer train, said Inter Miami CF’s 20-year-old Argentine forward Julian Carranza resides.
Do you agree? Disagree? Who is your pick? Let us know below.
