HOUSTON (Dec. 2, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC Homegrown midfielder Brooklyn Raines has been nominated for U.S. Soccer’s 2025 Young Male Player of the Year Award, the Federation announced in its slate of 2025 End of Year Awards finalists. The winners will be announced in January 2025.
Raines has been nominated due to his consistent presence (six callups) on the U-20 national team throughout the year and his crucial role patrolling the center of the park during this fall’s 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile where he also tallied a goal and assist.
Dynamo fans have the opportunity to vote for Raines, as well as all award categories, HERE. The fan vote, which ends on Friday, Dec. 12, accounts for 15 percent of the overall vote tally. The remaining votes will come from National Team players that earned a cap in 2025, professional league coaches, media, U.S. Soccer Board of Directors and the Athletes’ Council.
The highly touted U.S. Men’s National Team prospect played a key role in helping the U-20 squad win their group at the U-20 World Cup and make a run to the quarterfinals. Raines featured in every match during the tournament and recorded a goal and an assist during the team’s run. He tallied the assist during the team’s 9-1 victory over New Caledonia on Sept. 29, before netting his goal in a 3-0 victory versus France on Oct. 2. The 20-year-old also started in the 3-0 Round of 16 victory over Italy and again in the quarterfinal match versus Morocco, where the U.S. was eliminated following a 3-1 defeat.
Additionally, Raines 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.
Notably, in October, the young American was named to Major League Soccer’s 2025 22 Under 22 class that highlights the best young international and domestic players across the league.
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, 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 47 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.
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.
