The past week of action in the USL Championship produced some outstanding finishes, and impressive defensive performances among the 47 players aged 22 and younger who featured in Week 22 of the regular season.

Here are eight players who stood out, leading off with a 2023 USL Academy Finals star who has started to find regular minutes for one of the top four clubs in the Eastern Conference standings.

Logan Neidlinger, Indy Eleven

The step up to First Team action from the Academy can be tricky for any young talent, but the progression 18-year-old right-sided midfielder Logan Neidlinger has shown since his debut as a late substitute against Loudoun United FC less than a month ago was evident on Sunday evening.

Neidlinger’s first professional goal highlighted a strong all-around display that saw him complete 21 of 32 passes, notch a pair of shots on target overall and also win 3 of 4 tackles and 6 of 9 duels as he played his third consecutive full 90 minutes for the Boys in Blue.

“He’s been really good,” said Indy Head Coach Sean McAuley. “I’m not against playing young players at all, the worry is that if you’re playing too many young players, the ones you’ve signed to play and drag the team through and take the team over the line aren’t, because whoever’s good enough will play, and Logan’s good enough, more than good enough. He was excellent again today.”

Neidlinger is the latest product of Indy’s Academy to step into the First Team as a USL Academy signing having been an All-Tournament Second Team selection at the 2023 USL Academy Finals last December. While he’ll likely take a supporting role as more of the club’s veterans return to full fitness, he’s one to watch for the future.

Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Birmingham Legion FC

The 22-year-old continued his strong season with another highlight-reel finish in Legion’s 2-1 victory against Monterey Bay F.C. on Saturday night, firing home from the top-left edge of the penalty area off the inside of the right post.

Hernandez-Foster was also typically clean in possession, completing 35 of 40 passes – including 10 of 12 in the attacking third – while notching three recoveries and one tackle defensively as Legion saw out the win despite being down to 10 players for the final 20 minutes.

“We just kept our composure and stayed together as a team after that happened,” he said after the game. “It was quite a long 20 minutes and we knew we had to protect our goal as much as we could.”

The United States youth international had a strong display on the back line as Locomotive won its first home game of the regular season, winning 3 of 3 tackles and 5 of 7 duels while making one clearance and one interception. Craig’s strength on the ball was also on how as he completed 64 of 70 passes – including 13 of 17 accurate long passes – and notched one chance created.

Brandan Craig, El Paso Locomotive FC

The United States youth international had a strong display on the back line as Locomotive won its first home game of the regular season, winning 3 of 3 tackles and 5 of 7 duels while making one clearance and one interception. Craig’s strength on the ball was also on how as he completed 64 of 70 passes – including 13 of 17 accurate long passes – and notched one chance created.

Grayson Doody, Las Vegas Lights FC

The 22-year-old left back notched his second assist in as many starts since arriving on loan with Lights from Club de Foot Montreal to help the side earn a 1-1 draw against Detroit City FC at Cashman Field and extend its undefeated streak to 11 games. Doody also completed 64 of 67 passes overall, won 2 of 2 tackles and 4 of 6 duels, and made one interception and five recoveries to make up for his errant pass that led to Detroit’s first-half goal.  

Samuel Careaga, Memphis 901 FC

In the end, Memphis couldn’t find a solution to the Charleston Battery’s pressure but Samuel Careaga delivered another stellar performance that included his fifth goal of the season early in the second half while the side was down to 10 players. The Argentine 21-year-old was also a perfect 40-for-40 passing and had three shots and one chance created.

Tomás Ángel, Phoenix Rising FC

The recent Rising arrival looked close to being on the same page with his new teammates as he completed 9 of 9 passes and had six shots, two of which forced good saves from Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Jordan Farr. Once the timing between the 21-year-old Colombian and his teammates improves – see Juan Carlos Azocar’s offside finish for an example – this promises good things for Phoenix if it can be sustained.

Ben Norris, Orange County SC

The 17-year-old midfielder had a sharp display in midfield in OCSC’s scoreless draw with FC Tulsa on Friday night, completing 30 of 34 passes and recording one chance created and one shot on target. Norris also battled well for possession, making six recoveries and blocking two shots while winning 10 of 13 duels overall.

Luisinho, Miami FC

The 21-year-old Brazilian has shown some spark this season in South Florida and produced another standout finish that served as a late consolation in Miami’s 2-1 defeat to El Paso Locomotive FC. Luisinho has now scored three goals this campaign in just under 600 minutes and put all three of his shots on target after coming on at the hour-mark against Locomotive.