ICS Roundtable: Who is Republic's Best Young Player?

As a group of yellow children once said, children are our future. Today on the ICS Roundtable, we aren't talking about children, but we are talking about the young players who represent what the future of Sacramento Republic FC could be and choosing who we believe is the best player at or under 23 years old.

Evan Eyster (@IronPonyChef)

The best player under 23 for Sacramento right now is Harry Williams.  While there are two other very good young players in Wilson Kneeshaw and Mike da Fonte, both of them miss the cutoff by just a little bit.  Williams became a super sub for Sacramento this season, with a very high energy attack.  With four goals this season, Williams has the potential to be the leading scorer moving forward with the team as he earns more and more time.

George Shiel (@GeorgeMShiel)

Cameron Iwasa is the best player under 23 right now. I can see Wilson Kneeshaw making a run next year though.

Josh Beeman (@josh_beeman)

Tommy Thompson is a tempting answer, but the existence of Reno 1868 FC makes me doubt that we'll ever see him in Old Glory Red again. For my money, the best Republic player at or under 23 right now is Cameron Iwasa. While I think he may not have the highest upside of any young player on the team, I think the Sacramento native is the best Republic player 23 or younger right now.

Since Iwasa is on the upper range of the category, I'd also like to say that Carlos Rodriguez is a good defender even at the relatively young age of 20. He's held his own at the USL level well and I expect he'll get even better as time goes on. I'm also excited about what I saw from Harry Williams and Wilson Kneeshaw this season. There is a lot of young talent on this team, which bodes well for the future.

Omar Gonzalez (@omarvelously)

When he's on the roster, the answer is Homegrown talent Tommy Thompson. He's struggled with consistency throughout the season due to a lack of minutes, but when he's given the chance, the Loomis native performs. Republic could have used his dynamism and off-the-ball movement in the playoffs, but he was busy with the Earthquakes where he has deservedly started all five of their last league matches.

Jeff Shunta (@JTShunta)

Cameron Iwasa's maturation as a scorer and overall offensive threat has been amazing to watch. I look forward to seeing this hopefully continue next season.

Who do you think is the best young player on the Republic? Let us know your picks in the comments below!