Michael Morris and Brayton Knapp have various important roles in the Sounders youth system. In addition serving as assistant coaches for the U-15 team and scouts for the Academy, they are also in charge of running the Soccer Programs Department.
The pair carefully crafted a detailed curriculum for the expansive camp program, which runs up to eight camps per week throughout the state over a twelve week period in the summer. These camps vary in size and function, with specialty camps such as finishing, defending, goalkeeping and an overnight camp with classroom tactics sessions.
On top of this, Knapp runs the Sounders Discovery Program, which allows the Academy staff to train and evaluate players ahead of them joining the Academy system. Their combined experience in various facets of the organization has enabled them to integrate the assorted soccer programs to have a more holistic youth development structure.
Speaking with Morris, you get an idea of just how complex the Sounders scouting network is in the state. By using the camp system as a medium to introduce a version of the Academy curriculum to all of the passionate young soccer players across Washington, the benefit is two-fold. On one hand, they get to increase the quality of soccer in the region while simultaneously strengthening the club’s ties with the community. On the other, they have fully-functioning system to evaluate thousands of soccer players that may not normally get the chance to be scouted.
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When they aren’t coaching or running the camp system, the pair are working around the clock to scout all of the best youth prospects in the state. They attend showcases, RCL, Far West Regional League and Elite Development Program matches and training sessions to find players to bring into the Academy. Since the youth teams start with the U-14 age group, the organization created the Sounders Discovery Program to reach players too young to play for the Academy.
Under Knapp's leadership, SDP has successfully integrated all of the work that he and Morris do for the Sounders. Over a ten week cycle, the best players in the U-13 and U-12 age groups train with Academy coaches every Monday night. SDP is mutually beneficial for both the players and the coaches. For the players, they get the opportunity to train in a competitive environment, and bring the benefits of their experience back to their club teams. As for the staff, they help improve the quality of soccer in Washington, while also regularly evaluating potential players to bring in to the next year’s U-14 Academy team.
The work that Morris and Knapp do between SDP and scouting at the club level provides them with an excellent way to plan for the future. By closely keeping tabs on the best players that are too young to play in the Academy, they are able to create a talent pool to draw from each year to fill the new U-14 team.
As a club with strong ties to the local community and passionate support, it’s important that club has a culture in line with the fans. With such a passionate fan base, the organization is rapidly becoming an important part of the region’s culture and identity. Now, young soccer players in Washington will grow up dreaming of playing in front of a raucous crowd on CenturyLink Field. The integration between the Soccer Programs and the Academy gives every young Sounders fan a chance to one day realize that dream.
