MLS, at its core, is a local product. That’s a problem.
There still aren’t enough people in one city that care about what’s happening with a team in another city for the league to drum up interest for a far juicier TV deal when their arrangement with Apple winds down in 2029.
I’m not here to solve that problem — oh, no. But I am here to give you, dear reader, a reason to glance at an MLS team or two outside your city every now and then. Today, we’re examining one underrated player at each of MLS’s 30 teams who is worthy of your attention. Some, of course, are more well-known than others. But if you buy stock now, in all 30 cases, I expect that in a year’s time you’ll be able to look back and say that you got in on the ground floor.
Just think of all the boasting you can do in the group chat about that, eh? Onwards.
Atlanta United
Mauricio Amaro, 21, DM
Amaro is yet to debut for Atlanta, but joined as a U22 Initiative player from Uruguay's top-flight earlier in this summer window. The dude is strong, runs a ton, and is impressive enough to have prompted multiple front office types to message me about his quality when the Five Stripes got the deal done.
