HOUSTON (Oct. 8, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC Homegrown midfielder Brooklyn Raines has been named to the 2025 22 Under 22 class, the league announced today.
The list highlights the best young international and domestic players across the league, with players being voted on by an expert panel of MLS coaches, general managers, sporting directors, MLS Season Pass talents and select media.
In Houston, Raines’ trajectory illustrates another success story for the Club’s player pathway system. The midfielder originally signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Dynamo in February 2022 as a 16-year-old, first spending a majority of his playing time with Houston Dynamo 2 in MLS NEXT Pro, where he helped the team earn three consecutive MLSNP playoffs appearances between 2022-24. Throughout that time, Raines continued to earn first team minutes and, this season, has established himself as a key contributor in the first team’s midfield.
Since making his MLS debut at just 17 years, five months and 24 days (Sept. 4, 2022, at SEA), Raines has totaled 46 combined appearances in MLS regular season and postseason play. Notably, Raines is the youngest player in Dynamo history to start an MLS match (Mar. 25, 2023, vs. NYCFC) at 18 years and 14 days. Additionally, the American became the youngest player in Dynamo history to complete a full match (Oct. 10, 2024, at STL) at 19 years and 208 days.
Raines is also a highly touted U.S. Men’s National Team prospect and a consistent member of the U-20 U.S. squad, having already earned five call ups to the international team this year and is currently representing the United States at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. The young American has appeared in all three group stage matches at the tournament, contributing a goal and an assist as the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16. In group stage play, the U.S. defeated New Caledonia 9-1 and France 3-0, while falling 2-1 to South Africa. The U.S. will next face Italy in the Round of 16 on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m. CT, which will be broadcast on Universo and Peacock.
Notably, Raines also featured in every match of the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship and scored a stunning goal versus Panama in the Semifinals to secure the victory and earn a spot in the Final versus Mexico.
With the Dynamo, Raines scored his debut first team goal in match-winning style versus the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup to help the Dynamo advance to the Round of 32 and eventually win the entire tournament. The title marked Houston’s second Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and fourth domestic championship. The midfielder has also recorded two assists for the Dynamo, both coming this year – his first in a 4-1 U.S. Open Cup victory versus USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC and his second versus Liga MX side Tigres UANL in a Leagues Cup match.
The 2025 version of the 22 Under 22 list includes a total of 14 Homegrown players with eight of the top 10 coming up through MLS academies. To be eligible for voting, players had to remain 21 or younger before Decision Day on October 18 and therefore must have been born after October 19, 2003.
