With numerous young talents back with their clubs after competing in FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifying or receiving call-ups to the United States Youth National Team programs, the U-22 talent in the USL Championship and League One was on full display across Week 28 of the regular season.

Here are seven young standouts you should know after impressive performances over the past seven days.

Want to learn more about the young homegrowns in the USL Championship and League One? Check out the Crystal Geyser USL Academy to Pro Tracker on USL-Academy.com.

1. Finn Sundstrom, North Carolina FC

After earning his first call-up to the United States Youth National Team program at its U-20 ID Camp in Florida the prior week, Finn Sundstrom returned to North Carolina FC’s lineup on Friday night and continued his stellar season as the hosts took a 1-0 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC at First Horizon Stadium.

The 18-year-old – who recently signed a multi-year contract to turn pro with NCFC – recorded a game-high seven clearances while also making two interceptions and three recoveries and winning 6 of 9 duels. Sunstrom also completed a game-high 58 of 60 passes including completing 5 of 5 passes into the attacking third.

Having only made one brief appearance in the 2024 season, Sundstrom’s progression this year has been one of the notable young player stories of the season and seems set to only continue as North Carolina vies for a top-four finish in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.

2. Jack Panayotou, Hartford Athletic

There was a clear plan of attack for Hartford Athletic in Week 28 as it balanced vying for a place in the 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup Final in midweek before continuing its pursuit of a first trip to the USL Championship Playoffs since 2020 when it visited Monterey Bay FC on Saturday night.

After being held out of the club’s Jägermeister Cup triumph on Wednesday night, Jack Panayotou helped ensure Head Coach Brendan Burke’s strategy paid off. The 21-year-old delivered a brilliant opening goal in the club’s 4-0 victory against Monterey Bay as part of a solid 70-minute display that saw Panayotou record four shots overall and record one chance created while completing 9 of 12 passes.

Panayotou has been handled carefully since his return from an injury that sidelined him for more than three months before his return in late August. In his past two appearances, he’s delivered, scoring the only goal in a key road victory against Miami FC on September 6 before his second goal of the season in just his fourth league start since arriving on loan from the New England Revolution. As Hartford pursues a historic campaign, he could have an even bigger role to play down the final stretch.

3. Arquímides Ordóñez, Loudoun United FC

Loudoun United’s Arquímides Ordóñez ended the international break on a high, recording an assist to help Guatemala earn a 1-1 draw on the road against Panama in World Cup Qualifying, and then returned to Loudoun United and picked up where he left off with his fourth goal in five appearances since signing a multi-year contract with the club in August.

The 22-year-old showed his awareness and movement to open the scoring for Loudoun against San Antonio FC on Saturday evening at Segra Field, spinning inside to control a pass into the penalty area from Ben Mines before finishing calmly with his second touch into the bottom-right corner of the net.

While the game got away from Loudoun after a red card late in the first half, Ordóñez had a strong individual performance overall. He completed 12 of 13 passes, recorded two shots and one chance created and won the lone tackle he contested. As United pursues its first trip to the postseason, its new attacking addition continues to pay dividends.

4. Kieran Sargeant, Lexington SC

Lexington SC has shown some different looks in recent weeks when it comes to formation, shifting between using a back three and a back four defensively in different contests. A key to that has been the flexibility of Kieran Sargeant, who produced another strong display while notching his team-leading fifth assist of the season on Friday night against Orange County SC.

Having previously played on the left side of the three center-back set-up for the side, Sargeant moved back into his more familiar left back role in the back four against OCSC and was impressive at both ends of the field. The 22-year-old loanee from Houston Dynamo FC won 5 of 8 duels and made six recoveries defensively while also pushing regularly into attack as LSC attempted to break the visitors down defensively.

Sargeant attempted 24 passes in the final third and completed 46 of 54 passes overall while recording three chances created, including setting up Forster Ajago for his 58th-minute goal. Sargeant’s teasing cross to the far post allowed Ajago to meet the ball at its highest point with a good header that earned Lexington a valuable point in its pursuit of the playoffs.

5. Mark Bronnik, Union Omaha

There might not be a better avatar for Union Omaha’s second-half turnaround than Mark Bronnik, who moved into a tie for the team-lead with his sixth goal of the season on Saturday night as he notched the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Westchester SC.

The 18-year-old has scored five goals in the past six games for Los Buhos, with the side now on a four-game winning streak to move above the playoff line as its attack overall has come to life with 13 goals over that span. Bronnik had a solid overall performance against Westchester, notching two shots – hitting the woodwork with his other effort aside from his finish in first-half stoppage time – and one chance created while completing 18 of 23 passes, including 5 of 8 in the attacking third.

After a limited role in the first half of the season, Bronnik is now averaging a goal every 108.8 minutes over the season. With eight games to play in the regular season, his first season with double-digit goals is looking a distinct possibility.

6. Javier Mariona, AV ALTA FC

Antelope Valley’s recent run without a win continued on Saturday night against One Knoxville SC, but the performance of Javier Mariona was a bright spot for the side at Lancaster Municipal Stadium as he found the net for the first time since May in a stellar all-around display.

The 20-year-old struck first for AV ALTA, finding the net in the 13th minute with a remarkable turning finish to the left corner after he had flicked the ball up to himself after controlling an initial effort by Jerry Desdunes off a corner kick. Mariona ended the night with three shots overall and completed 4 of 6 dribbles as he endeavored to put pressure on the Knoxville back line.

Mariona also completed 48 of 57 passes and won a team-high 8 of 13 duels in the contest. As Antelope Valley looks to break out of its current dry spell, the young Philippines international coming into form could be key to the club’s postseason hopes.

7. Ashton Miles, Orange County SC

Orange County SC had to withstand a lot of pressure on the road against Lexington SC on Friday night – per Opta, 37.8 percent of the game was played in OCSC’s defensive third as the hosts recorded 39 touches inside the penalty area compared to Orange County’s 4 – but the side emerged with a 1-1 draw thanks in part to a strong performance in central defense by Ashton Miles.

The 20-year-old OCSC Academy product was stellar defensively, recording a team-high seven clearances while winning 2 of 2 tackles and 5 of 6 duels, including 2 of 2 aerial duels, without committing a foul across the 90 minutes. Miles was also solid in possession, recording a team-high 46 touches and completing 27 of 35 passes.

With Orange County currently working through defensive absences due to injury – a situation that worsened when Nicola Ciotta was substituted after only five minutes in Lexington – Miles has stepped into the breach to try and help his side’s playoff pursuit remain on track.