The core mandate of Sounders FC Academy is to develop players for the first team. There are plenty of methods the club uses to achieve this goal. In 2016, one of the most effective ways that Sounders Academy helped to accelerate the development of some the brightest prospects in the pipeline was by having them train and play with older teams in the club.
“It’s very important that talent doesn’t stand still, and that we continue to push players that are ready to play up,” said Academy Technical Director Marc Nicholls. “It increases the test for the players and can speed up development. It’s important that they don’t get too comfortable in their environment and always strive to improve.”
Sounders Academy adopted this approach from the ground up in 2016, and it led to plenty of success at the club and international level.
For the second year running, the Sounders U-14s and U-15s played a year up in the Far West Regional League, which is comprised of the best club teams from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Both squads finished top of the league table in 2016 by playing a progressive, attacking brand of soccer against bigger and faster opponents.
When the U-14s played in their own age group at a U.S. Soccer showcase in November, the benefits of playing up in the FWRL were evident. Despite missing three players to U.S. Youth National Team duty, the team went unbeaten and scored 11 goals in three matches against Real Salt Lake, the San Jose Earthquakes and Sacramento Republic.
Meanwhile, the Sounders U-16s are the youngest USSDA side in the country at that age group. In October, they brought a squad composed of mostly of standout players on the U-14s and U-15s for the first round of qualifying for Generation adidas Cup. The young Sounders were dominant, scoring 10 goals in three games against the LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers.
Alfonso Ocampo Chavez (U-14), Josh Atencio (U-14), Elias Katsaros (U-14), Ray Serrano (U-14) and Danny Robles (U-14) have all become consistent starters for the U-16s after impressing at GA Cup. Additionally, the trio of Ocampo Chavez, Atencio and Robles have all become regulars with the U.S. U-15s after first impressing national team scouts at the tournament.
Striker Azriel Gonzalez (U-16) has routinely played one or two years up in his three-year spell with Sounders Academy. That development strategy paid off in 2016 as he won the Youdan Trophy Golden Boot award, scored in his debut with the U-18s and became a mainstay with the U.S. U-16s.
Sounders Academy prospects have also been afforded plenty of opportunities with the first team and S2.
A few standouts from the U-18 squad — Shandon Hopeau, Sam Rogers, Jake Morris, Jamie Dimitroff and Georg Armstrong — trained with the first team throughout the run to the MLS Cup.
Throughout the 2016 USL season, a total of nine Academy players earned minutes for the second team. The one with the most minutes, former U-18 captain Lorenzo Ramos, recently signed a contract with S2.
Four of the nine Academy standouts who garnered minutes in USL — Morris, Milo Barton, Kei Tomozawa and Nick Hinds — earned call-ups to various U.S. Youth National Teams in 2016. Morris and Hinds are dynamic left backs and even managed to play above their age group with the U.S. U-20s.
Playing for S2 eased the transition for Sounders Academy alums at the collegiate level. Striker Handwalla Bwana made four appearances for S2 before leading the University of Washington in points, which earned him Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. Hinds became a week-in, week-out starter at college soccer powerhouse Akron and finished the season with five goals and four assists.
With so many Sounders Academy products excelling while playing up, the futures of the first team and S2 look bright.
