Last Saturday, New York City FC took the field with the youngest starting attack in MLS that weekend. Santiago Rodríguez (23), positioned as a False Nine, was flanked Talles Magno (20) on the left and Gabriel Pereira (21) on the right. They were electric, and combined for three goals and one assist: Not only was the NYCFC attack the most youthful to play that match day, they were among the most productive in the league.
They faced off against an FC Dallas starting attack that was the 20th-oldest to take the field that day: Jesús Jiménez (29), Jáder Obrian (27), and Paul Arriola (28) have an average age of 28. To go by conventional wisdom, players in their mid-to-late 20s are in their prime, but the Dallas attacking trio looked flat in comparison to the young guns at the other end of the field.
Not only did NYCFC win 3-1, the Dallas attack didn’t find the back of the net that night – the team’s late consolation goal was scored by defender José Martínez. Youth won the day in Queens.
MLS Matchday 9
Average Age of Starting Attackers
| Team | Avg Age | Goals | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYCFC | 21.3 | 3 | W |
| 2 | CF Montréal | 23.8 | 0 | W |
| 3 | St. Louis City | 23.8 | 0 | D |
| 4 | Charlotte FC | 24.0 | 1 | W |
| 5 | LAFC | 24.1 | 1 | D |
| 6 | Minnesota United | 24.3 | 0 | L |
| 7 | Houston Dynamo | 24.5 | 0 | W |
| 8 | Real Salt Lake | 24.8 | 3 | W |
| 9 | Orlando City | 25.2 | 1 | L |
| 10 | Atlanta United | 25.3 | 1 | W |
| 11 | NE Revolution | 25.3 | 2 | W |
| 12 | Philadelphia Union | 25.7 | 3 | W |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 25.8 | 1 | W |
| 14 | SJ Earthquakes | 26.0 | 1 | L |
| 15 | Austin FC | 26.2 | 0 | L |
| 16 | FC Cincinnati | 26.7 | 2 | W |
| 17 | Colorado Rapids | 26.8 | 0 | D |
| 18 | Inter Miami | 27.3 | 0 | L |
| 19 | Nashville SC | 27.8 | 1 | D |
| 20 | FC Dallas | 28.0 | 0 | L |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders | 28.1 | 1 | W |
| 22 | Chicago Fire | 28.3 | 1 | L |
| 23 | Columbus Crew | 28.3 | 0 | L |
| 24 | NJ Red Bulls | 28.8 | 0 | L |
| 25 | DC United | 29.3 | 2 | W |
| 26 | Portland Timbers | 30.0 | 0 | L |
| 27 | Toronto FC | 30.0 | 1 | L |
| 28 | Sporting KC | 30.3 | 1 | L |
