Sounders FC Academy coach Brayton Knapp serves a number of different roles for the organization. Between helping with the U-14’s, scouting, managing the Camps system, and spearheading the new Sounders Discovery Program, Knapp has his finger on the pulse of the club’s player development initiatives.
To continue the holistic improvement of the youth system at the club, he recently visited the Academies of Bayern Munich and Brentford FC.
Brayton visited Bayern Munich in order to learn more about the Academy system for the reining Bundesliga champions. After watching their U-13 and U-15 teams play games last weekend, he met with youth coach Sebastien Semmler. They spoke at length about the history of the Academy, as well as Bayern’s philosophy towards player development.
Two key aspects that drive Bayern’s success are its commitment to world-class youth coaches, and an expansive scouting network. In addition to learning about the infrastructure of the youth system, Knapp visited the club’s facilities and watched the younger teams train. Two icons of the global game, Bastian Schweinsteigger and Thomas Muller, are alumni of the Bavarian Academy. The club’s combination of world-class signings and youth team products has propelled them onto the world stage, while maintaining passionate ties to the local community.
While the Bavarian’s model of player development is a finished product the Sounders can strive for, Brayton also learned about the process of forming a new Academy from Brentford.
After the English FA launched the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012, the Bees scrapped their reserve squad and replaced it with the Brentford Youth Development program. So, despite the club being founded in 1889, their Academy is younger than the Sounders’.
When visiting with the London-based, Football League Championship side, Brayton watched their U-13’s and U-15’s train and play matches. Afterward, he met with the Academy Director who’s been at the helm since the program’s inception. They exchanged stories about developing players and building an academy from the ground up. Despite being one of the smaller clubs in England’s capital, Brentford have been very successful in competing with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in recruiting top young players.
Since Brayton plays a vital role in various aspects of the Sounders Academy, the big picture lessons he learned from Bayern and Brentford can be applied throughout the entire system.
As a newly formed Academy program, the Sounders can adapt and learn from the philosophies, infrastructure, and methodology of other clubs. Furthermore, they can gauge their own success by comparing the development of Sounders youth players to their international counterparts.
The grand scale at which Bayern operates their Academy is extremely impressive. Speaking about 2013 Champions League winners, Brayton said, “The biggest takeaway from Bayern is just how well established they are. They have a belief in the way they play, and use their vast resources to develop players that could make it to the first team.”
While Bayern’s system may be a finished product for the Sounders to strive for, Brentford serves as an intriguing case study in how to create a new Academy. If MLS is to be one of the top leagues in the world, it needs to domestically produce world-class players. Since the league is much younger than other premier global competitions, lessons learned from Brentford can help streamline this process.
Despite possessing an Academy in its infancy, Brentford have enjoyed a great deal of success to date. By reaching and engaging players at a younger age, they’ve been able to inspire loyalty from their youth products. Furthermore, by maintaining a clear vision for the Academy, Brentford can allocate their resources efficiently.
With passionate youth coaches, support from the club, and a clearly defined philosophy, the Londoners are able to keep their best prospects away from bigger organizations. In addition to internal success, the Bees continue to garner positive results against the capital’s heavyweights.
After observing the youth system at Bayern, the Sounders now have a better idea of what a world class Academy looks like. With such a tangible target, the Rave Green can gauge the progress of their player development initiatives. Since both the Sounders and MLS are unabashedly ambitious about elevating themselves to the pinnacle of the world’s game, they have some catching up to do. By examining the methods that Brentford employed in the formation of their new EPPP Academy, the Sounders have running start in the race to produce the most influential Homegrown players.
