The Seattle Sounders Academy U-14s returned from Westfield, Ind., last week after competing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase. After facing the likes of Atlanta United and Philadelphia Union, head coach Sean Henderson is understandably pleased with the way the young Sounders demonstrated their abilities against elite competition.
“We were happy with our performance, even though the results weren’t perfect,” said Henderson. “But when we look at individual performances, or collective performance as a team, we were pretty happy with how the kids played overall.”
Since the U-16s were competing in the USSDA Playoffs at the same time, the U-14s were without key players such as Josh Atencio (CM), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (ST) and Danny Robles (CAM), all of whom played up with the U-16s. Team captain Ethan Dobbelaere (CM) and leading goalscorer Sintayehu Clements (ST) were also absent because of injury.
With so many players unavailable, Henderson opted to reward some of the brightest prospects in the Sounders Discovery Program — an initiative that invites the top local players in the U-11 to U-13 age groups to train with the Academy staff twice a week and compete in high-profile friendlies — by giving them a shot with the U-14s.
“We had quite a few 2003s and one 2004 who joined us, which was great in terms of preparation for next year and giving them some experience,” said Henderson. “In two of our three games, our entire midfield was made up of 2003s and they did very well.”
One SDP player in particular, U-12 prospect Oscar Rincon (ST), took full advantage of his opportunity with the U-14s despite facing defenders two years his senior. The Washington Premier FC standout featured in two of the three matches and bagged a brace against Oakwood SC. As a seventh-grader competing against freshmen in high school, his impressive displays at the USSDA Showcase are indicative of SDP’s positive impact on the Sounders’ youth system.
“We’re doing a better job of evaluating the young kids because we get to see them and coach them for 50 sessions with SDP instead of watching them with their club five times,” said Henderson. “The U-14s, U-16s and U-18s have all benefitted over the last couple of years from all these kids being in SDP.”
While the SDP kids certainly impressed above their own age group, several full-time members of the U-14s played key roles in the showcase, providing leadership for a youthful group of players. Andrew Tran (LW) chipped in with a couple of goals and dynamism from the wide channels, while Sota Kitahara (CDM), an SDP alum who has spent time with the U-15s and U-16s this year, provided a technical and cerebral presence in the midfield.
With the showcase wrapped up, the U-14s have turned their attention to the upcoming Youdan Trophy. Taking place in Sheffield, England, at the end of July, Henderson will bring along a group nearly identical to one the one that took third place at the Manchester City Cup in May.
According to Henderson, these tournaments serve as a litmus test for the growth of player development in the Pacific Northwest.
“We want to use some of these events against top competition as a benchmark to see our progress as an age group and as an Academy,” said Henderson. “And so when we look at the Man City Cup, how the playoffs have gone, and how we’ll do at the Youdan Trophy, that’s a good barometer to see if we’re actually developing and improving as an Academy.”
The past couple of seasons have seen the implementation of several Sounders Academy initiatives, like SDP, aimed at accelerating the development of top youth prospects. As these young players continue to test themselves against the best in the world, more and more Academy products will matriculate into the professional ranks.
