For the third year running, Columbus Crew SC Homegrown midfielder Wil Trapp earned a top-10 ranking in MLSsoccer.com’s “24 Under 24” list. Ranking seventh among all MLS players 23-years-old and under, Trapp has become a steady stalwart in Crew SC’s midfield.
“It's always exciting," Trapp says. "Every year, you strive to be your best. To be on a list with the best young players in this league, that's an honor. It stands up to Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter playing young players and having the confidence in young players.”
MLSsoccer.com announced the "24 Under 24" list, their annual ranking of the top young players – with numbers 6-10 being announced on Wednesday.
PHOTOS: #24u24 No. 7 | Wil Trapp
Trapp turns 24-years-old in January, rounding out his “24 Under 24” trifecta with a No. 4 (2015), this year’s No. 7 and a No. 9 (2014) ranking.
As a part of this year’s MLSsoccer.com coverage, technical staff members from across the league were anonymously asked about each ranked player:
Technical Insight
"He’s fantastic. Fantastic. I like him. Very good at dropping in deep and getting the ball and playing out, very good at creating things from the central area. He’s got a very good range of passing – short, medium, long. He can connect very, very well. Wins a fair few challenges."
"He hits as good of a diagonal ball as anyone in the league and is great at starting the Columbus attack. For a guy who’s not the biggest, I think he’s still pretty strong ball winner in midfield.”
So far in a highly decorated 2016, Trapp – Crew SC’s first ever Homegrown MLS All-Star – has made 25 appearances (25 starts) for Crew SC at central midfield.
He received a call-up from the United States National Under-23 team and captained the side for two starts against Colombia in an Olympic qualification playoff in March and was named to the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Gameday Roster, becoming the first Homegrown Player in Crew SC history to receive that honor. He played 45 minutes against Arsenal FC in the game, coming on as a substitute at halftime.
Debuting in 2013, the Homegrown Player made started 16 games in the midfield and recorded one assist for the Black & Gold in his rookie season, earning the club’s Breakout Performance of the Year award.
HALF-PRICE NIGHT: #CLBvNE
He made his MLS debut with a start in the central midfield against Portland– becoming the fourth Columbus Homegrown Player in club history to start a match – and earned “Barbasol Man of the Match” honors as he led all players in passing percentage with an 86 percent completion rate. He also started in the international friendly against Wigan Athletic that July and recorded his first career assist on Federico Higuain’s “Goal of the Week” winner against New York Red Bulls that August.
Before his first-team experience, Trapp served as Crew Soccer Academy team captain for the U-16 and U-18 age groups and was two-time Columbus Crew Academy player of the year (2009, 2010). Trapp won the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year (2009) and compiled a 41-1-2 record over a two-year high school career at Gahanna. He helped the Golden Lions' clinch their first state championship in 2009 with the game-winning penalty kick in the shootout. Trapp was a two-time high school All-American.
Trapp has earned two senior National team caps for the United States. On January 9, 2015, Trapp received his first-ever call-up to the United States Men's National Team's senior roster in order to participate in its January training camp.
THE HEX: #USAvMEX
He earned his first cap for the Stars and Stripes on January 28, 2015 in a friendly at Chile, entering as a second-half substitute.
On August 28, 2015, he earned a call-up by the U.S. Under-23 squad in their last training camp ahead of 2015 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying and he started for the side in a friendly against England on September 3. He was then called-up again for the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship, where he captained the U-23s in a 3-1 Group Stage opening victory against Canada at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. He earned another starting nod in a 6-1 win against Cuba and did not play in the Group Stage finale against Panama.
Trapp again started in the Semifinal match against Honduras, a 2-0 loss for the United States. Trapp started the Third Place Game against Canada, a 2-0 win for the U.S. U-23s, giving the side an opportunity to play Colombia in a playoff for an Olympic berth in early 2016.
On January 6, 2016, Trapp was called-up by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann to participate in U.S. Soccer's annual January camp for the second consecutive year. Held in Carson, Calif. Trapp earned his second senior team cap for the U.S. with a second-half substitute appearance against Canada, helping the squad to a 1-0 victory.
In March 2016, Trapp was called-up again by the U-23s ahead of their home-and-home playoff against Colombia for a berth in the Summer Olympics. He started as the team's captain and played all 180 minutes over both contests, with the first coming at Colombia and the second in Frisco, Texas.
Prior to that, Trapp earned 15 caps as a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team, helping the team qualify for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he earned three caps in group play. He was one of five finalists for U.S. Soccer’s 2013 Young Male Athlete of the Year award, an honor that he went on to win. He was called-in for U-20 duty at the Toulon Tournament, held from May 28 to June 8, 2013 and earned four caps. The midfielder earned a 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Best XI selection, scoring one goal in the tournament. Trapp also competed with the U-14, U-15 and U-18 National Teams.
Collegiately, the midfielder started 45 matches for the Zips in two seasons at Akron. He finished his college career with eight assists and one goal. Trapp was a two-time All-MAC First Team honoree in both seasons at Akron. As a freshman, Trapp was named MAC Newcomer of the Year and the top freshman in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
As a youth player, Trapp won 2010 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year and was the fifth-ranked recruit in the country by both Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News and a Top Drawer Soccer five-star recruit.
