Minnesota United, along with Major League Soccer, unveiled the 2025 22 Under 22 class highlighting the best young international and domestic players across the league, which included MNUFC defender Nicolás Romero at No. 19. Players were voted on by an expert panel of MLS coaches, general managers, sporting directors, MLS Season Pass talent, and select media.
Romero joined the Loons at the start of the 2025 season after playing his entire soccer career with Atlético Tucumán in Argentina. Romero started in Tucumán’s academy at the age of 12 before making his senior team debut at the age of 17 in 2021. With Tucumán, the center back made 78 game appearances across all competitions, and scored twice in over 6,500 minutes of action on the pitch.
With the Loons, Romero has appeared in 32 matches across all competitions, including 28 starts. In MLS play, Romero has appeared in 26 games, recording five assists across 2,035 minutes. Defensively, he ranks second in clearances for the club this season with 44 clearances, and has helped the team record nine of the 10 shutouts.
Rank | Player | Club | Age | Academy(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Obed Vargas | Seattle Sounders FC | 20 | Seattle Sounders FC |
2 | Alex Freeman | Orlando City SC | 21 | Orlando City SC, Weston FC |
3 | Idan Toklomati | Charlotte FC | 21 | Maccabi Petah Tikva |
4 | Owen Wolff | Austin FC | 20 | Austin FC, Atlanta United, Columbus Crew |
5 | David Martínez | Los Angeles Football Club | 19 | Monagas SC |
6 | Quinn Sullivan | Philadelphia Union | 21 | Philadelphia Union |
7 | Peyton Miller | New England Revolution | 17 | New England Revolution, Oakwood SC |
8 | Nathan Ordaz | Los Angeles Football Club | 21 | Los Angeles Football Club |
9 | Luca Bombino | San Diego FC | 19 | Los Angeles Football Club |
10 | Zavier Gozo | Real Salt Lake | 18 | Real Salt Lake |
11 | Chris Brady | Chicago Fire FC | 21 | Chicago Fire FC |
12 | Noah Allen | Inter Miami CF | 21 | Inter Miami CF, Weston FC |
13 | Olwethu Makhanya | Philadelphia Union | 21 | |
14 | Kevin Kelsy | Portland Timbers | 21 | Mineros de Guayana |
15 | Manu Duah | San Diego FC | 20 | Santa Barbara Soccer Club |
16 | Julián Fernández | New York City FC | 21 | Vélez Sarsfield |
17 | Ilay Feingold | New England Revolution | 21 | Maccabi Haifa |
18 | Frankie Westfield | Philadelphia Union | 19 | Philadelphia Union |
19 | Nicolás Romero | Minnesota United FC | 21 | Atlético Tucumán |
20 | Darren Yapi | Colorado Rapids | 20 | Colorado Rapids |
21 | Brooklyn Raines | Houston Dynamo FC | 20 | Houston Dynamo FC, Barca Residency Academy |
22 | Taha Habroune | Columbus Crew | 19 | Columbus Crew |
The 2025 version of the list includes a total of 14 Homegrown players with eight of the top 10 coming up through MLS academies. The most represented club is the Philadelphia Union with three players, while three other clubs had two selections on the list – Los Angeles Football Club, New England Revolution, and San Diego FC. Players on this year’s 22 Under 22 list entered through three different mechanisms: Homegrown signings (14), U22 Initiative signings (seven), and MLS SuperDraft selections (one).
Several players on the list have progressed through the MLS Pro Player Pathway, beginning their careers in MLS NEXT before competing in MLS NEXT Pro and then starring in MLS. 13 players in this year’s class previously played in MLS NEXT, as well as seven who earned their first MLS contract after starring in MLS NEXT Pro. Notable MLS NEXT standouts include Peyton Miller (No. 7), who helped lead the U19 New England Revolution to an MLS NEXT Cup title in 2023 as a 15-year-old, and San Diego FC’s Manu Duah (No. 15), who starred at Santa Barbara Soccer Club before becoming the first No. 1 overall selection in the MLS SuperDraft to compete in MLS NEXT.
Notable MLS NEXT Pro alumni include Philadelphia Union defender Frankie Westfield (No. 18), who played in 26 games with Philadelphia Union II in 2024 and helped lead the club to the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Final, as well as Real Salt Lake’s Zavier Gozo (No. 10) who scored six times in 26 appearances for Real Monarchs in 2023-24. Additionally, Orlando City SC’s Alex Freeman (No. 2) saw action in 50 MLS NEXT Pro matches from 2023-24 before breaking out for the first team in 2025.
To be eligible for voting, players had to remain 21 or younger before Decision Day on October 18, and therefore must have been born after October 19, 2003. The all-time 22 Under 22 winners are below. Note: Prior to 2018, the list was known as the 24 Under 24.
