Phenoms

This week's football wonderkid comes from the depths of the English Football League, in Manchester's industrial suburb of Rochdale.

Rochdale AFC teenager Kwadwo Baah, a tender 17 years of age, announced himself by scoring a pair of goals in Tuesday's League One match against Charlton that would make any Premier League winger envious.

Both goals came from the left wing, the opener a sublime first-time strike, and the second a powerful bottom-corner finish after a clever dribbling sequence.

Want to feel old? Gareth Bale’s iconic sprint vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final was seven years ago. An incredible Yunus Musah sprint against Real Valladolid on Sunday brought a wave of nostalgia of Bale's brilliance and showcased the young American’s incredible speed.

In case a refresher is needed of Bale torching Marc Bartra, here is the moment the Welsh man immortalized himself in YouTube “Best Last-Minute Goals Compilations”.

The National Women’s Soccer League recently announced the opening of player registration for the upcoming 2021 NWSL Draft. The draft will be streamed live on the NWSL’s Twitch channel on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET. It's the most life-changing day for college players who are looking to continue their careers at the professional level. 

It’s not everyday that Americans exchange goals in the 2. Bundesliga, but that was the case on Sunday when Julian Green’s Fürth defeated Leon Flach’s St. Pauli 2-1. 

The 25-year-old Green hasn’t played for the U.S. since 2018 and has fallen down the attacking midfield depth chart at the international level, but he opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th-minute in a man of the match display.  

Of all the phenomenons we’ve covered over the last six years — Christian Pulisic’s tender years, Martin Ødegaard’s journey of the Prodigal Son, Alphonso Davies meep meep — Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko stands out as the most prodigious.

Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies has been named the 2020 Canadian Player of the Year, Canada Soccer said on Thursday, on the back of a remarkable season with the Bundesliga club.

The 20-year-old left back, who also claimed the honor in 2018, enjoyed a stellar year in which the German club won five trophies, including the Champions League. Davies earned the highest voting score from Canadian media and coaches, finishing just ahead of Christine Sinclair's record set in 2012, Canada Soccer said.

Gregg Berhalter, you sly dog. 

18-year-old phenom Efraín Álvarez hasn’t filed a one-time switch from Mexico to the USMNT yet, but that hasn’t stopped Berhalter from luring Zlatan Ibrahimovic's cub into camp, showering him with praise and raising the pulse of Tri supporters everywhere. 

Younger generations are making their mark on the footballing world, and Sophia Smith is one of many that have the proven ability to make everyone around them feel old.

Smith graduated early from Stanford University after winning an NCAA Championship to pursue her dream of playing professionally in the NWSL. After being the No. 1 overall 2020 NWSL College Draft pick and scoring her first professional goal in her debut with the Portland Thorns, Smith has shown she's capable of playing at any level.

Sergiño Dest’s first Barcelona goal will immediately make him a favorite of culés everywhere as the 20-year-old American took matters into his own hands to end 52 minutes of futility against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League.

With Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong left in Barcelona to rest, manager Ronald Koeman elected to field a young starting 11 against Dynamo with Dest joined by Óscar Mingueza (21), Francisco Trincão (20) and Pedri (17). Antoine Griezmann, Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembélé were left on the bench.