Three years ago, when the USL Championship changed the definition of its former Rookie of the Year award to instead honor the Young Player of the Year – aged 22 years of age or younger – it was a sign of the changing times and landscape the league was experiencing.

No longer were the players with potentially the best and brightest futures in the game those playing their first seasons in the professional ranks.

Instead, it was the realm of those who were entering the league at 16 or 17 years of age – and in some cases even younger – as the Championship became the place where the best young talent in the United States could grow.

In 2018, that was reflected in the award being claimed by Efrain Alvarez of the LA Galaxy II. The then 16-year-old – who has since made his senior national team debut for Mexico – recorded 12 goals and three assists and averaged a goal every 103.3 minutes when he was on the field for Los Dos in his second season in the league.

The 18-year-old’s story this season is notable, however, because in addition to his Young Player of the Year honor, Gomez was also voted to the Championship’s All-League First Team. His fellow finalists for the award – San Antonio FC’s Jose Gallegos and El Paso Locomotive FC’s Diego Luna – were also voted as Second Team honorees, with the 18-year-old Luna becoming the first El Paso player to earn a league honor in the club’s short history.

That’s a feat Alvarez – and the other two prior Young Player of the Year honorees in Cristian Parano (San Antonio FC, 2019) or Wilson Harris (Sporting Kansas City II, 2020) – couldn’t lay claim to, and could be an indicator of not only the talent this year’s trio of finalists possess, but the greater respect and opportunity that is now being afforded young players in the Championship.

This season alone, 21 of the Championship’s independent clubs saw players born in 2001 or later see action in the regular season, with players like Birmingham Legion FC’s Jaden Servania or Oakland Roots SC’s Ariel Mbumba recording more than 25 appearances.

The selection of Gomez and Orange County SC’s Kobi Henry – fresh off his success in claiming the USL Championship title in November – in this month’s U.S. Men’s National Team squad is also an indicator that the league’s reach continues to grow. With broadcast agreements that provide easy access to watch players live or on-demand and the opportunity to track player data through services like InStat and Opta, the visibility afforded to top young players in the Championship and League One has never been higher.

Add to that the competition clubs like LouCity can also offer in a league that this year boasted more than 125 current and former senior internationals in its ranks. The ever-increasing standards of play on the field and operationally off it have provided Gomez and his contemporaries a chance to rise to the top in pursuit of even bigger opportunities down the road.

“Being at a top club like this and getting First Team minutes at a young age really helped me develop in my game both on the attacking and defensive side,” said Gomez. “I’d say my game has more improved on the attacking side, which is what people look for in modern fullbacks.”

As he prepares to begin his next chapter in Europe, it could be that Gomez – and potentially Henry, Luna, Gallegos and those that will follow – will reach the heights of those that preceded them in the path from the Championship to top leagues in Europe.

Having previously been the starting point for players such as Alphonso Davies and 2016-title winner Tyler Adams to more recent arrivals including current U.S. Men’s National Team players Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie and Gianluca Busio, the future for the Championship will lie in positioning young players to make their move – and their mark – in the bigger picture.

Gomez may be the first to make such a move, but he certainly will not be the last as the Championship’s evolution toward elevating young talent continues.