Jack Harrison has ranked third on the MLSSoccer.com 24 Under 24 list.
The highest-rated of all of the NYCFC players included, Jack earns his place following a strong Sophomore season.
Scorer of the winning strike vs. Montreal Impact last night, Harrison drops one place in the rankings this year, despite more than doubling his goal and assist tally year-on-year in 2017.
The 20-year old’s brilliant goal at the Saputo Stadium was his 10th of the campaign which, when added to his six assists, explains why Jack cracks the top three for the second consecutive year.
To date, Jack has played 53 times for NYCFC, scoring 13 goals and completing 13 assists.
This annual 24 Under 24 countdown from the MLS Editorial team aims to measure the best U-24 players in the league across five metrics (technical, soccer IQ, physical attributes, personality and potential).
Yangel Herrera was named in sixth place on the list, while Ronald Matarrita placed 16th, completing NYCFC’s representation.
What the Technical Staffers Say:
"For me he’s a huge talent and what makes him so dangerous is coming inside from the right onto his left foot … he faces defenders up, he wants to go 1v1 against outside backs and we don’t see a ton of that in this league … rarely do you see [MLS wingers] taking defenders on and creating imbalances, and that opens up room for the rest of the NYCFC attack … has huge upside … playing with Villa he’s only going to get better … you can’t let him have space to run at you – your fullbacks have to close down quickly to prevent him from gaining speed … clearly favors his left, we try to push him right … quality player, have seen him express himself against some of the best fullbacks in the league … can beat athletic, intelligent, experienced fullbacks … left foot cutting inside is one of the best in MLS … have to respect him, your midfielders have to come across and help his defender when he cuts inside … has physical power, too – can dribble or muscle past a fullback or center back … not scared to go endline and cross with his right, makes him difficult to defend … very impressive for a young player … when NYCFC has to defend for a stretch of 10-15 minutes, you lose his quality offensively and [opponents] can test his positional defending – blocking passing angles, pressing, recognizing that it’s a moment to defend. Has some work to do there."
Evaluation Criteria
All MLS players aged 23 or younger before October 22, 2017 were eligible for consideration. The final list of 24 players is determined by a panel made up of top soccer media members and the MLSsoccer.com editorial staff. The panel ranked the eligible players based on the following criteria:
- Technical: first touch, dribbling, shooting, heading
- Soccer IQ: positioning, reading game, situational understanding, tactical awareness
- Physical Attributes: balance, agility, speed, endurance, strength, vertical leap
- Personality: attitude, marketability, media savviness, charisma, intangibles
- Potential: improvability, ceiling, national team potential, potential transfer value
2017 List (So Far)
No. 3. Jack Harrison (New York City FC)
No. 4. Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps)
No. 5. Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC)
No. 6. Yangel Herrera(New York City FC)
No. 7. Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
No. 8. Hector Villalba (Atlanta United)
No. 9. Paul Arriola (DC United)
No. 10. Tyler Adams (Red Bulls)
No. 11. Yamil Asad (Atlanta United)
No. 12. Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo)
No. 13. Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
No. 14. Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas)
No. 15. Albert Rusnak (Real Salt Lake)
No. 16. Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC)
No. 17. Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting KC)
No. 18. Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake)
No. 19. Ballou Tabla (Montreal Impact)
No. 20. Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
