Plata, Gil, Garcia all named to MLS 24 Under 24 list

In a move that shocks basically nobody, RSL had three players named to MLS's 24 Under 24 list: Joao Plata, Luis Gil, and Olmes Garcia.

#7: Joao Plata

In case you've forgotten, Joao Plata is really great. And honestly, there's no way you could forget that, because we simply won't stop talking about him here at RSL Soapbox. It's reassuring, though, to see that other people at least somewhat recognize his talent, but it's a little surprising to see him so low on the list.

Plata has been on the outer edge of 2014 MVP talks, such has been his importance to Real Salt Lake. At only 22, that's not just an accomplishment, it's a true feat of strength. Rather than reiterate everything that makes him great, go ahead and re-read some of those.

#8: Luis Gil

Luis Gil hasn't had the 2014 many thought he could have. He's logged 1,200 minutes, starting 14 games — ten fewer than 2013, and with only five matches remaining, which he's not likely to start, he's not going to come even close. He's looked more and more like the Javier Morales-in-training we hoped he would be when he joined Real Salt Lake, but how long can he take not playing and remain highly rated?

#21: Olmes Garcia

Olmes Garcia has been a fascinating player to watch. He's already played more than last season, and he has at times looked more dangerous than he ever did then — but he's also somewhat lacked the magical goalscoring that made him notable. As a young, promising player signed in part to give Jason Kreis a young striker to mold, there was always likely to be a longer period of transition after the change to Jeff Cassar. He'll find minutes difficult to come by at times — we have the most heavily loaded set of strikers we've ever had.