When midfielder Marlon Vargas (17) inked his contract with Seattle Sounders FC 2 on May 11, he became the fourth Sounders Academy player from the 2001/02 class to turn professional with the club. His U-17 teammates — Azriel Gonzalez (17), Ray Serrano (16) and Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (16) — had all signed with S2 at various points throughout the past 12 months. And in all likelihood, several more players from this U-17 team will follow in their footsteps and sign with S2 in the coming years.
“I looked up to Azriel, Alfonso and Ray because I wanted to get to where they were and now I’m here,” said Vargas, who was one of six S2 players called up to the First Team to participate in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup against Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday. “So, now, I want the kids from the academy to look up to me and say, ‘I want to be like him and get up to S2 with the rest of the boys.’”
Since 2016, this 2001/02 class has achieved some tremendous accolades. In addition to winning the prestigious Youdan Trophy two summers in a row, the current U-17s secured the Premier Division title of Generation adidas Cup and finished third at the Manchester City Cup. They’ve beaten their counterparts from storied international academies such as Everton FC, Celtic FC, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Club América.
“I don’t think it’s a special generation because what’s coming behind it is just as good and is going to push their progress even further.” — Sounders FC Director of Player Development Marc Nicholls
Five players from this class have received call-ups to U.S. youth national teams at the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 levels. In the 2017/18 USSDA season alone, the four S2-signed players have combined for over 70 goals and 50 assists for the U-17s and U-19s across all competitions.
“People should absolutely be excited about this group,” said S2 Assistant Coach Wade Webber. “We’ve already signed four players from this class, but the U-17 team has a bunch more as well.”
Ray Serrano during a match with S2 | Charis Wilson
It may be tempting to label this 2001/02 class a golden generation, but the reality is much more nuanced. The truly exciting thing is that they aren’t a one-off special class, but rather they’re the first wave of players to benefit from a player development infrastructure that has been in the works since 2014.
“We think the 2003 and 2004 age groups are every bit as talented as the 2002’s,” said U-17 Head Coach Chris Little. “I think you’re just seeing the start of the pipeline.”
To say that the 2003/04 class is just as talented is a bit of an understatement, with seven players in the pool having already received USYNT call-ups and two to three more on the bubble.
Added Sounders FC Director of Player Development and Academy Director Marc Nicholls: “I don’t think it’s a special generation because what’s coming behind it is just as good and is going to push their progress even further. In some ways you might say that this generation has spearheaded some change because they’re so talented.”
One of the key players in leading the club’s cultural change is Gonzalez, who joined the Academy at 13. He was one of the first players in the youth system to regularly play above his age group. His success encouraged the Academy staff to adopt a similar approach with Ocampo-Chavez, Serrano and Vargas, as well as the likes of fellow U-17 teammates Josh Atencio, Danny Robles, Danny Leyva (2003) and Sota Kitahara (2003).
“If a player is good enough, then their age doesn’t matter,” said Little. “We’re going to move them up and challenge them and make them uncomfortable. I think that’s one of the best mechanisms of player development, pushing a player and playing them up and making it difficult for them. They have to adapt quickly and rise to that challenge, and that’s something we’ve done consistently.”
In addition to S2, a pair of crucial components that make up the Sounders Academy pathway, the Youth Club Partnerships and Sounders Discovery Program, have benefitted this 2001/02 class. Through sharing training curriculums and offering coaching education courses, the Club Partnerships program has elevated the technical ability and tactical acuity for local players between the ages of 6-14.
Marlon Vargas with the U-17 Academy team | Quinn Width
Similarly, SDP invites the top local players between the ages of 10-13 to practice twice a week with Sounders youth-team coaches using the same training sessions as the full-time Academy teams. This allows the Academy coaches to collect a large sample size of player evaluations for hundreds of local players, which has increased the efficacy of scouting and reduced the learning curve for players selected to join the Academy.
On the current U-17 squad, which is ranked third in the nation, 11 players came from SDP, while a total of 20 signed from youth partner and affiliate clubs.
“Our partner clubs are an instrumental part of our Academy and developing these players at a younger age,” said Little. “The pathway starts with the partner clubs and goes to us introducing them to the SDP program. Then they start in the full Academy at 14 or 15. There are so many people and facets that play a large role in the development of each player.”
“If a player is good enough, then their age doesn’t matter.” — U-17 Head Coach Chris Little
With the advent of the Club Partnerships initiative and SDP, as well as the vertical integration with S2, local players now have a pathway that begins at the age of six and progresses all the way through to the First Team.
“There is something different about the group,” said Webber when asked about the influence of SDP and Club Partnerships. “The U-17s have a good core of guys who are local and in national team pools, like Josh Atencio and Danny Robles. Alec Diaz [who played for Pac NW] has over 20 goals this season.”
Another reason this 2001/02 class his yielded so many professional prospects is the depth of quality throughout the squad. Center back Elias Katsaros (16) is a starter for the U-19s. Outside backs Enrique Montana (17) and Connor Drought (16) have enjoyed breakout seasons, positioning themselves to earn some minutes with S2 this summer. Peter Kingston (16) has progressed into a well-rounded midfield maestro, while goalkeeper Bobby Harraka (17) has quietly compiled an outstanding season in net.
Academy U-17s celebrate their Generation adidas Cup win
When you look at the bench, guys like Leyva (15) and Kitahara (14), both of whom are USYNT prospects playing above their age group, the nightly competition at practice has fostered a professional environment that comes close to replicating what they’ll one day experience at the professional level.
“We need to make sure that the standards we hold them to create a culture of excellence every day,” said Little. “Hopefully, the demands are high enough that they’re used to these standards, so that when they go into the First Team, they’re tough and resilient enough to take it when they have to compete for their place.”
It’s a sentiment shared by members of the technical staffs for S2 and the First Team.
“This season you’ve seen S2 sign a lot of Academy products, and all the [Sounders Academy] coaches in there are doing a great job in terms of these players being ready to take the next step,” said S2 Head Coach John Hutchinson. “We’ve signed Azriel, Ocampo-Chavez, Marlon and Ray Serrano. These are just a taste of what the Academy has to offer the First Team. You will see more talent sign for S2, there’s a lot of Academy kids coming through.”
It’s easy to get excited about the future for these players from the 2001/02 class who’ve signed with S2, but the reality is that they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
Are they a golden generation? No. But they’re a unique class of extremely talented prospects who’ve all benefited from an expansive youth-development infrastructure, and they’re blazing a trail that future generations of local players can follow.
