Alex Muyl was snubbed by his own league's list of it's most promising youngsters, missing out on selection for this year's MLS 24-under-24. His consolation was an honorable mention from mlssoccer.com and some faint praise from Simon Borg.
Until now. Muyl's talents may not have captivated the MLS taste-makers, but he has been selected as one of 10 young players for Adidas' second annual Backed By Messi campaign.
Adidas and Messi have new branded boots to sell, of course. Backed By Messi is a marketing campaign, but so too is 24-under-24.