There’s a long, winding pathway that leads even the most talented youth players to the highest level of the game.
For many players that helped the US men's national team officially secure FIFA World Cup qualification last week, a stop at the Generation adidas Cup isn’t too far in the past.
In fact, two academies stand out when it comes to supplying the USMNT squad during the 2022 Concacaf World Cup qualifying cycle: FC Dallas and Philadelphia Union. Nine of the players that appeared in qualifying for the United States spent time at one of those two academies.
USMNT players from Dallas' academy:
- Jesus Ferreira
- Kellyn Acosta
- Ricardo Pepi
- Weston McKennie
- Chris Richards
- Reggie Cannon
“We’re proud of the players and kids,” FC Dallas vice president of youth soccer Chris Hayden said. “It reinforces that we saw something in a player at the right time and invested in him, and then he adapted and continued.”
FC Dallas’ influence on the US squad is easy to spot. The list of FC Dallas Academy alumni to appear in qualifying is long, spanning from current MLS talents such as Jesus Ferreira and LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta, to others that play in Europe: Ricardo Pepi, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards and Reggie Cannon. Several of those players appeared at different iterations of the Generation adidas Cup over the past seven years.
From the perspective of FC Dallas, seeing those players move on to higher levels serves as a proof of concept – and an example to current academy talent.
“It sort of validates the work we’re doing, and not necessarily, ‘oh yeah, we’re doing a great job, we’ve cracked the code,’ but that the idea of a young player in Dallas having a chance to play professional and then play in World Cups or play in Europe is possible,” Hayden said. “And the message that it sends to the kid in our U-13 Academy or the 10-year-old here, it’s a lot more believable and credible when there’s a lot of examples.”
USMNT players from Philadelphia's academy:
- Brenden Aaronson
- Mark McKenzie
- Zack Steffen
Competing at an event like the GA Cup is just one small step in a player’s development pathway. But as the competition has grown and evolved to include more international opposition, the importance of that has been impressed on an organization like Philadelphia.
“We’ve always enjoyed the GA Cup because of the level of competition it exposes your players to, and your staff,” Union Academy director Tommy Wilson said. “We’ve made it a part of our program, even outside of the GA Cup, to expose our teams to that level of [international] competition. This is something that we really welcome.”
The Union’s list of academy alumni in the USMNT ranks isn’t as extensive as FC Dallas. Still, Brenden Aaronson emerged as a key player for the Yanks before missing the final World Cup qualifying window due to injury. Belgian Pro League club Genk defender Mark McKenzie offered backline depth early in qualifying. Zack Steffen spent time at an early iteration of the Union academy, even winning the GA Cup back in 2012.
With the current pathway in place in Philadelphia, the list of full US internationals could grow longer. Four of Philadelphia’s Homegrown signings – Quinn Sullivan, Paxten Aaronson, Brandan Craig and Jack McGlynn – were called up to the most recent US Under-20 men’s national team roster for a trip to Argentina earlier this year. The quartet could all be in the frame to compete at this year’s U20 Concacaf Championship.
Aaronson’s success has helped the Union set up a template to replicate in the future.
“First and foremost for me and the staff, what we try to create here is a pathway for the players to the first team,” Wilson said. “And a pathway for the staff to the first team. Because quite a number of our staff are working for the first team who cut their teeth in the academy. The ultimate goal for us is to do with our club, with our philosophy, is to do what happened with Brenden.
“That’s something we can control: Brenden’s pathway. A national team selection is a bonus because it’s out of our purview. It’s not really in our control. We don’t go agitate when they’re not picked, we’re delighted when they are picked. That’s sort of an added bonus for them.”
Competing at a Generation adidas Cup was part of Aaronson’s journey to World Cup qualifying. At the 2017 edition of the tournament, Aaronson scored twice against Monterrey, including a late winner in stoppage time. The current Union Under-17 squad faces an extremely difficult group, drawn with LAFC, Flamengo and Cruz Azul. The U15s take on Portland Timbers, Atlanta United and Porto.
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That’s all part of the process for the academy directors and technical staff – test players in high-pressure moments against high-quality opposition. Get a sense of who rises to the occasion. Find out if players respond in surprising ways or even exceed expectations.
USMNT players from an MLS academy:
- George Bello
- Gianluca Busio
- Giovanni Reyna
When it comes to the GA Cup serving as an incubator for the USMNT, the list goes beyond just FC Dallas and Union alumni. George Bello (Atlanta United), Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City) and Gio Reyna (New York City FC) are also part of the competition’s alumni that saw time at a GA Cup recently.
As this year’s edition of the tournament kicks off on April 9, every team involved – including some of the best in MLS in terms of identifying and developing talent – will be focused on continuing the progress with the current academy talent.
“I know the competition will be very high and difficult, and it will reveal things to us about our players, about our methods, so I think we’ll always be smarter after playing in the GA Cup than before,” Hayden said.
