Who's next?

That's the question that has always been the guiding principle of MLSsoccer.com's "24 Under 24" list, our annual ranking of the top young players (under 24) and explorations into the latest in youth development in MLS, the United States, and Canada.

The 2015 "24 Under 24" rankings prove that there are more than a few players, many from home, many from abroad, who are ready to wear that mantle.

HOW THE 2015 "24 UNDER 24" RANKING WAS DETERMINED

The rankings this year, as in past years, are determined by a panel of soccer media members across the US and Canada who regularly cover MLS, including from ESPN, Fox, RDS, SI.com, FoxSports.com, Goal.com, and, of course, the editorial staff at MLSsoccer.com.

Ben Baer, content researcher

Matt Doyle, senior editor

Jason Saghini, director of video

Diego Pinzon, editor, FutbolMLS.com

Alicia Rodriguez, contributing editor

Jonathan Yardley, contributor / broadcaster

Jeff Carlisle (ESPN.com)

Brian Dunseth (various)

Alexi Lalas (Fox Sports)

Kurt Larson (Toronto Sun)

Patrick Leduc (RDS)

Seth Vertelney (Goal.com)

Kyle McCarthy (FoxSoccer.com)

Todd Kingston (Opta Sports)

Katie Witham (Fox Sports)

Franco Panizo (SoccerByIves)

Alex Abnos (SI.com)

Andy Edwards (NBC ProSoccerTalk)

Will Parchman (TopDrawerSoccer)

A 75-player short list (see below) was selected by a preliminary panel of MLSsoccer.com editors and external constituents, and then the larger panel rated the 75 players based on the following criteria:

Technical (first touch, dribbling, shooting, heading, etc.)

(first touch, dribbling, shooting, heading, etc.) Soccer IQ (positioning, reading game, situational understanding, tactical awareness, etc.)

(positioning, reading game, situational understanding, tactical awareness, etc.) Physical Attributes (balance, agility, speed, endurance, strength, vertical leap, etc.)

(balance, agility, speed, endurance, strength, vertical leap, etc.) Personality (attitude, marketability, media savviness, charisma, intangibles, etc.)

(attitude, marketability, media savviness, charisma, intangibles, etc.) Potential (improvability, ceiling, national team potential, potential future transfer value, etc.)

The votes were tabulated to establish the final 24 players. The cut-off date for eligibility for this year's was October 25, the final day of the 2015 MLS regular season.

2015 "24 UNDER 24" SHORT LIST

Alejandro Zendejas, FC Dallas

Erik Palmer-Brown, Sporting KC

Justen Glad, Real Salt Lake

Eric Ayuk Mbu, Philadelphia Union

Angelino, New York City FC

Bradford Jamieson IV, LA Galaxy

Anatole Abang, New York Red Bulls

Deybi Flores, Vancouver Whitecaps

Kianz Froese, Vancouver Whitecaps

Tommy Thompson, San Jose Earthquakes

Kellyn Acosta, FC Dallas

Matt Miazga, New York Red Bulls

Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders

Marky Delgado, Toronto FC

Jordan Allen, Real Salt Lake

Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC

Diego Fagundez, New England Revolution

Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps

Rafael Ramos, Orlando City SC

Shay Facey, New York City FC

Zach Pfeffer, Philadelphia Union

Kekuta Manneh, Vancouver Whitecaps

Alvas Powell, Portland Timbers

Carlos Rivas, Orlando City SC

Dillon Serna, Colorado Rapids

Cristian Higuita, Orlando City SC

Jay Chapman, Toronto FC

Luis Gil, Real Salt Lake

Fatai Alashe, San Jose Earthquakes

Jose Villarreal, LA Galaxy

Amadou Dia, Sporting KC

Khiry Shelton, New York City FC

Matt Polster, Chicago Fire

Juan Ramírez, Colorado Rapids

Walker Zimmerman, FC Dallas

Lucas Melano, Portland Timbers

A.J. Cochran, Houston Dynamo

Sean Davis, New York Red Bulls