It was another big weekend for MLS's young stars, with more goals, stalwart defensive efforts, and even a shutout of Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi.
Here's who stood out during Matchday 8.
Making his first start of the season, FC Cincinnati's 20-year-old homegrown midfielder scored the match's lone goal with his 28th-minute game-winner at D.C. United. Two of his four shots were on target to go along with one chance created as part of an all-around active shift.
Long a highly-touted prospect for Colorado, we're still awaiting a full-on MLS breakout from the 20-year-old forward. He took a positive step in that direction with Saturday's 53rd-minute tally to aid his team's big 3-2 victory over red-hot San Diego FC.
One of the hottest attacks in the league at the moment belongs to the Portland Timbers, who count the imposing, 20-year-old striker among their offensive weapons. Portland's 4-2 victory over Sporting KC was keyed by a brace from their offseason arrival from Ukrainian Premier League powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk, who spent 2024 on loan with FC Cincinnati.
Seattle's much-needed 1-0 victory at FC Dallas was aided by a true Man of the Match effort from their standout homegrown midfielder. Vargas was instrumental in helping the Sounders log the clean sheet with his active work on defense, and missed what would have been a long-distance golazo by a matter of inches.
Brady continued to stake his claim as the league's best young backstop, helping the Fire manage the impressive feat of shutting out mighty Inter Miami in their scoreless draw in front of a record crowd of 62,358 at Soldier Field.
- Tate Johnson: Vancouver's attack understandably stole the show in their 5-1 rout of Austin FC, but a steady effort from their 19-year-old left back helped ensure the one-sided result.
- Dominik Marczuk: Real Salt Lake endured a heartbreaker with a last-minute concession in their 2-1 loss at Nashville SC, but they can take a positive in their 21-year-old Polish international winger finding the scoresheet.
- Mitja Ilenič: New York City FC's 20-year-old right back assisted on Alonso Martínez's 55th-minute game-winner and helped the Pigeons maintain the clean sheet in their 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union.
