Over the last three years, nine of the USL’s 18 nominees for Young Player of the Year have earned a move to MLS or Europe. That group, including players like Elijah Wynder, Mamadou Dieng, Griffin Garnett, and Rocco Rios Novo, illustrates the top-end talent that the USL has regularly produced. Even the players that haven’t earned a move (think Pape Mar Boye, Luis Alvarez, or Ray Serrano) have continued to dominate the league as they’ve approached their prime years.
2026 is shaping up to continue the trend. The favorite for Young Player of the Year in the USL Championship is already headed to Europe; multiple MLS loanees have impressed this season and could earn serious minutes in the first division next year. League One is set to grow its burgeoning reputation as a selling league if its class of up-and-coming stars is any indication.
Which young players are most deserving of awards attention as 2026 nears it close? I’m ranking the leading Young Player of the Year contenders across the USL to find out.
USL Championship
1. Colton Swan, FW, Charleston Battery
I see it, the U.S. U-20 staff sees it, and Hibernian’s scouting department sees it: Swan has the goods. The Charleston forward leads the Championship in non-penalty goals per match (0.69), and the Battery have scored an extra 0.59 goals per 90 with Swan on the pitch. The 19-year-old has proven to be highly capable while combining with a strike partner, and he’s already an extremely strong header of the ball. Swan was expected to be a contributor given his experience in MLS Next Pro and in the NCAA, but he’s exceeded all expectations at Patriots Point in earning an end-of-year move to Scotland. Few young players in USL history have so clearly contributed to winning soccer.
2. CJ Olney, AM, Brooklyn FC
On loan from the Philadelphia Union, Olney has been a set-your-watch-to-him creative presence for a Brooklyn team that’s otherwise struggled to find opportunities. The 19-year-old is creating 1.8 chances and attempting 3.1 crosses in the run of play per 90 minutes, and he’s got nine total goal contributions. Olney isn’t the most ferocious one-on-one dribbler, but he’s able to separate from defenders and consistently provide service into the box. If the point of an MLS-to-USL loan is to give a young player the chance to prove his ability to hang at a higher level, Olney is an undeniable success story.
