Union’s Brenden Aaronson could face FC Dallas’ Paxton Pomykal in headline duel of young American playmakers

No matter how hard they try, neither the Union nor FC Dallas get much attention from most of American soccer, or their respective cities. But smart fans will be paying attention when the teams meet Saturday night at Talen Energy Stadium (7:30 p.m., PHL17), because there’s the potential for something special.

If the Union’s Brenden Aaronson and Dallas’ Paxton Pomykal both play, and they’re expected to, the game will feature two of American soccer’s top young playmakers. It’s rare enough for a game to have just one, especially when many MLS teams spend big money (for good reason) to bring in foreign stars. Having two in one game deserves attention.

Pomykal, 19, has been getting hype for a while. He turned pro two years ago and is a mainstay of the U.S. under-20 team. This season, first-year FC Dallas manager Luchi Gonzalez, who got the job after coaching the club’s academy teams since 2012, gave Pomykal the proverbial keys to the car.

The decision has paid off. Pomykal has played in all five games this season for Dallas (3-1-1, 10 points), and has two goals and one assist. He averages 52.8 pass attempts with an 89.8 percent completion rate. His average of 2.2 chances created per game is the second highest of any American in MLS.

You might say that last stat counts for only so much. Pomykal ranks 21st among all players leaguewide. But only four of the players above him are younger than 25, and eight are 30 or older. So the company he’s in is pretty rare.

Aaronson didn’t get much attention from national youth soccer savants before this season, his first with the Union (2-2-1, 7 points). When he stepped in during Marco Fabián’s suspension, though, he turned some heads, especially when he scored on his debut in Atlanta United’s hothouse atmosphere. The 18-year-old Medford native has registered one chance created in each of his three games so far, and his pass-completion percentage has gone up each time.

“You’re seeing young guys that are out on the field and not just playing the — I’ll call them the role-player positions, maybe outside back, centerback, where we’ve produced good American talent,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “I think everyone gets a little more excited — it’s just human nature — when it’s an attacking player. Both of those guys can get goals, can get assists, are exciting to watch play."

Aaronson said he hasn’t crossed paths with Pomykal much, though they were in separate age groups at a U.S. youth national team camp in January. Aaronson was, and remains, impressed.

“He likes to take people on; he never stops going at people. At the camps, I knew he was going to be a really good player,” Aaronson said. “It’s really cool to see him doing what he’s doing. ... Kids are starting to get more technical than they were before, and you can see it in these MLS games [that] a lot of these kids are getting chances now.”