Real Salt Lake forward Olmes Garcia was named to MLSsoccer.com’s 24 under 24 list on Tuesday, placing 19th on the site’s list of top MLS players under the age of 24.
Garcia’s honor is very well-deserved – the 20-year-old Colombian has five goals and four assists in 21 league games for RSL, just seven of which have been starts.
Check out MLSsoccer.com’s write-up on Garcia below. Make sure to stay tuned to the site this week for the entire 24 under 24 list.
19. Olmes Garcia
Pos: F | Real Salt Lake | Age: 20
The speedy 20-year-old Colombian striker is just another one of RSL’s goal-scoring threats in 2013. Utilized more off the bench as a sparkplug for the highest-scoring MLS club, the first-year player has tallied (as of Sept. 11) five goals and four assists. All five of his goals have come while subbing on for Jason Kreis’ club. All four of his helpers have come in games he started. The good news for RSL fans – Garcia is locked in with Salt Lake for five years.
What TDs and coaches like: "Because of the style of the game RSL play, he will do well. I think he has a great future ahead of him. ... He scored a great goal against us, and I think that he’s got the ability to finish. He’s a dangerous kind of player. ... He has the potential to be a very good player. He’s got good pace, good size and an ability to score goals."
Where TDs and coaches want improvement: "It’s going to be an up-and-down year for him. He shows at times brilliance and not as brilliant in other games. ... To be able to play off the ball. You can see when he has the ball, he does the right things, but he needs to improve off the ball. He needs to position himself better. ... He needs to improve his finishing."
Opta Says: Among players eligible for 24 Under 24, only Juan Agudelo (0.7) has more goals per 90 minutes than Olmes Garcia (0.5) during the 2013 season.
