Most Top Young MLS Standouts are Black. Here’s why that matters.
At a mere 17 years old, New York Red Bulls forward Julian Hall is already inspiring the next generation in Major League Soccer as one of six Black players among the youngest to make their debut.
New York Red Bulls homegrown forward Julian Hall defines what it means to be young, gifted and Black.
New York Red Bulls’ homegrown Julian Hall celebrates his first MLS goal. Hall scored on a late-game header that tied the game 2-2 against CF Montreal on June 19, 2024.
He’s the son of a Black father and a Polish mother and calls East Harlem home. And as of Monday, his 17th birthday, Hall can add “inspiration” to that list. He made his Major League Soccer debut on September 23, 2023, at age 15 years and 190 days. He scored his first MLS goal on Juneteenth in 2024 one minute after substituting into the game at CF Montréal. His first MLS start came this season on March 8 against Atlanta United FC.
“That just kind of shows how the game is developing and how it’s evolving. There’s so many different cultures, including Black culture, and kids coming up that are doing just as well as anyone else around them. And that just inspires the youth in that no matter what color you are, you can be where you want to be.”
Freddy Adu set the age precedent in April 2004, becoming the youngest to play in an MLS match at age 14 years, 306 days old. Philadelphia Union’s Cavan Sullivan broke that record last July. But out of the 10 youngest to debut in MLS, six are Black, including four in the top 5. Hall is third on that list, accompanied by Adu, Alphonso Davies, Axel Kei, Matai Akinmboni and Nimfasha Berchimas.
Julian Hall makes his first MLS start for the New York Red Bulls on March 8, 2025, at Atlanta United FC.
“At first it's always just an enjoyment when you're first starting out,” Hall said. “But when you read that list, I think just seeing all those people making their debuts at such a young age just gives that encouragement to young Black people that they can make it as well. So I'm happy that we have all this culture coming through at such a young age, and that really has young Black players thinking that they can really do something with their own football technique.”
Hall, Kei (Real Salt Lake) and Berchimas (Charlotte FC) still play within the MLS ecosystem. Davies and Akinmboni, however, are defenders who’ve transferred to FC Bayern Munich and AFC Bournemouth, respectively, since making their MLS debuts.
Kei broke Adu’s 18-year-old record as the youngest player to sign with an MLS club and became the youngest U.S. pro athlete. Now 17 years old, the center forward born in the Ivory Coast was just two weeks removed from his 14th birthday when he put pen to paper for RSL. He’s scored four goals and four assists for MLS Next Pro Real Monarchs and made his RSL first team debut in October 2023.
Berchimas was Charlotte’s second homegrown signing in November 2022. Not only has the 17-year-old left winger scored six goals for Crown Legacy FC in NEXT Pro, but Berchimas has also matriculated through the U.S. Men’s Youth National Team ranks, most recently, playing in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in the summer of 2024. Berchimas made his Charlotte FC debut on opening day in 2024.
Julian Hall dribbles the ball during a match against Atlanta United FC.
Growing up in East Harlem, near 135th Street and Lenox Avenue, Hall said RBNY's all-time leading goal scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips was his first inspiration, whom Hall first noticed at seven years old. Thierry Henry also fits that bill.
Hall remembers initially playing soccer at four years old, later meeting RBNY academy center back Eric Tai. They grew up together while playing at Chelsea Piers.
Today, Hall is an active player in Red Bulls’ first team, and he’s standing out not just for being the youngest on the roster. Hall admits to inspiring the generation while also focusing on his professional development. That balance, he argues, is not heavy.
“It’s just become a part of my life, and I think I’m just learning new things as I go. But I think I find it good for me to try and inspire — like I said — other people and trying to help other people see that there is a way to get to where you want to be. I love that. I think it’s a part of who I am as a person. So, yeah, I mean, it’s not too much of a heavy balance for me. I kind of take pride in those things.”
ABOUT DRAKE HILLS
Drake Hills is a contributor to Black Players for Change and has recorded the organization's work since its genesis. Drake is a San Diego native, a proud Oregon Duck and Northwestern Wildcat. Before his six years covering American soccer for the USA TODAY Network, Drake's world changed when he discovered Diasporic studies. He's been chasing stories that live at the intersection of Blackness and soccer ever since.
