Participation in First Team trainings provides growth opportunity for Academy and Defiance players

To grow in your craft sometimes means getting out of your comfort zone.

The Seattle Sounders instill exactly that when it comes to the development of players within the organization. 

With the recent bye week and absences of core players Alex Roldan, Raúl Ruidíaz and Nouhou due to the international break, Academy and Defiance players had the opportunity to participate in several First Team practices.

“It’s been great for them to get some training time with the First Team,” said midfielder Albert Rusnák. “There's a lot of talent in the Academy and in the second team and it's good for the club…That means the future's bright.”

By throwing the younger players into higher level First Team practices, the coaching staff’s goal is to challenge them in order to avoid complacency in where they are currently at in their development.

“When you're playing against older, faster, smarter, better players, you have to catch up,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “We want to instill in the Academy kids that when you come to the Seattle Sounders First Team, it's about winning.” 

And while the First Team practices provide Academy and Defiance players a chance to advance their game, it also gives the rostered players something extra to compete for as well.

“For us old guys, I look at it as a challenge to prove that, ‘Hey, you're good, but you're not quite there yet,’” said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “Once the new young shiny guy comes along your time might be over, so this is a time to prove that that time isn’t here yet.”

It’s been an important couple weeks of training for the Sounders as the team heads into their sixth-to-last match this weekend on the road against FC Dallas. And the support from the Academy and Defiance players during these sessions have been helpful as the Rave Green look to add another win to their MLS regular season record.  

“They definitely bring the energy,” said Rusnák. “[They are] enthusiastic in training and they run a lot, which is always good, and it means everybody else has to kind of keep up. So yeah, I think it's been good for them, but I also think it's been good for the players that were here from the first team.”