Young Players: Who stepped up in Matchday 38?

How ‘bout that Decision Day, eh?

Entire seasons – and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs dreams – can be wrecked or redeemed by the events of this dramatic final matchday, and the 2024 edition did not disappoint, especially if you’re a supporter of Atlanta United, CF Montréal or LAFC.

Young players made massive contributions throughout Saturday’s events. Some of them were unmistakable, like the first two names on our list, both of whom also feature in the Team of the Matchday. Others ran a bit deeper under the surface.

For the final time in the 2024 regular season… here we go.

Four teams were vying for the final two playoff spots on Saturday, and Montréal’s mission was clear: Avoid defeat to New York City FC and one of those slots would be theirs. Clark was a primary reason they got the job done, extending his roaring run of form with a man-of-the-match performance highlighted by a goal and an assist in the Quebecois’ 2-0 win at Stade Saputo.

CFM’s attacking trident of Clark, Josef Martínez and YPPOTW alum Bryce Duke absolutely cooked here, and it not only got them into the postseason, it earned them hosting rights for Tuesday’s Wild Card match vs. Atlanta. It’s also important to note the sheer opportunism they produced with so much on the line – NYCFC were dominant for long stretches in this one, superior in most statistical categories but undone by Clark’s incisive directness.

“We didn’t have a great match and personally, I didn’t have a great match,” Clark told reporters on Monday, which is just what Laurent Courtois and the CFM faithful will want to hear with a playoff game looming. But give the Minnesotan his flowers: With 4g/4a in the Bleu-blanc-noir’s 5W-1L-1D season-ending tear, he’s arguably the hottest player in the league.

One of YPPOTW’s most-featured faces of the season showed up yet again on Decision Day, scoring the equalizer, laying the groundwork for the game-winning own goal and clanging a wicked shot off the crossbar in RSL’s 2-1 comeback win over Vancouver, a result which helped the Utahns finish third in the Western Conference as they enter the playoffs on a six-game unbeaten streak.