Over the last two weeks, the USL Championship and USL League One released their all-league lineups, but who’s got next? League One has already named its Young Player of the Year, and the Championship will follow in short order. Even so, there were dozens of budding stars that stood out in 2026 – enough to name an all-league lineup exclusively of U22 talents.
Who would make the cut in a hypothetical All-Young Player team? Let’s dig in.
Colton Swan, FW, Charleston Battery
Swan, 19, was the class of the young forwards across the USL in 2026. Not only did the Charleston star rack up nine goals and three assists in the regular season, but he did so while providing some of the best off-ball movement of any No. 9 in the league. When Swan was on the field in the regular season, the Battery put up 2.0 goals per 90 minutes. That number was merely 1.4 goals per 90 without the teenager. It’s easy to boil Swan’s game down to his aerial dominance, but he brings so much more to the table – as we’ve continued to see throughout the playoffs.
