The Pitch: MLS’ Youngest Team Is Eyeing the League’s Biggest Prize

It’s a big deal in the Big Apple for the New York Red Bulls, who with an average player age of 23.122 years old*, are one of the youngest rosters to enter the MLS postseason in league history. Formerly defined by the likes of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, who both joined MLS in their 30s, it’s more than 10 years later, and the Red Bulls are trending 10 years younger. With an average player age exactly three full years below the current league average (26.063*), this crop of bright young stars could be on a path to win it all.

The New York Red Bulls are the youngest club team in the world as compared to big five soccer leagues, ahead of La Liga’s Valencia CF (avg. age 23.99) in Spain, the Bundesliga’s VfB Stuttgart (24.22) in Germany, and the English Premier League’s Southampton FC (24.40), and Arsenal FC (24.43) according to CIES Football Observatory . In addition, the Red Bulls are younger than last year’s Memphis Grizzlies, which at 24.3 average years old, were the youngest NBA Playoffs team since 2010-11.

The Red Bulls youthful approach is more than one-size-fits-all, tapping into a variety of mechanisms, including: three international signings in Cristian Cásseres Jr. (age 22), Dru Yearwood (age 22), and Cam Harper (age 20), a pair of incoming trades in Andres Reyes (age 23) and Frankie Amaya (age 22), and a crop of eight Homegrown players that features 20-year-old defender John Tolkin, who has started all 31 of his appearances and added a goal and three assists this season. As these young stars are cutting their teeth for club and country, the fountain of MLS youth will be challenging for a championship.

The No. 4 seeded New York Red Bulls host the No. 5 seeded FC Cincinnati in Round One of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Red Bull Arena (12 p.m. ET, UniMás / TUDN / MLSsoccer.com / MLS App).

*Averages include only players on current active rosters. Average age is expressed as years.days as of October 10, 2022. Information provided by Elias Sports Bureau.

Luciano Acosta Takes QB Leadership Page from Joe Burrow’s Book

After watching NFL quarterback Joe Burrow bring the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988, MLS midfielder Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta is channeling that same leadership energy for FC Cincinnati’s first-ever Audi MLS Cup Playoffs run, and he’s taking notes from Burrow’s book.

Their similarities as young leaders are genuine, and…