Last year, the Sounders U-19s became the first Academy team in club history to advance to the semifinals of the USSDA playoffs. Led by S2 standouts Shandon Hopeau and Sam Rogers, the young Sounders stormed through postseason, topping a group that featured the reigning champs, FC Dallas, and dismantling Crossfire Premier in the quarterfinals as they finished in third place.
For young prospects making the jump from the Academy to the professional ranks, it’s critical to garner experience in these hyper competitive, winner-takes-all environments.
“It’s super important [to go far in playoffs],” said S2 midfielder and Sounders Academy product Shandon Hopeau. “For me, it was my first time on that big stage. There’s a lot of good players there, so it’s tough to win the national championship.”
While the U-19s were a bit of an underdog entering last year’s postseason -- they qualified through the wildcard pool -- this season’s U-17 squad, who face Barcelona AZ Academy on Sunday (12:00 p.m. PT, June 8), were the No. 2 team in the nation at the end of the regular season.
The Academy alums currently plying their trade with S2 have been monitoring the progress of the U-17s.
“They have a really strong team, it’s a good opportunity for them,” added Hopeau. “I’m excited to watch them play.”
Entering the tournament as one of the favorites, the U-17s have lived up to that billing, as they rounded out the group stage with three wins and a +12 goal differential. It was a similar story in the quarterfinals, with the young Sounders compiling a 3-1 win over Columbus Crew SC.
In addition to their ties to the Academy, the S2 players have a particularly vested interest in the U-17s, as three of the players -- Ray Serrano, Marlon Vargas and Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez -- are S2-signed players. Moreover, center back Blake Malone has started three USL matches this season, and almost the entire U-17 team has trained with S2.
“It’s great to see because it means that the academy, the whole system, is working,” said S2 center back Sam Rogers, who spent five years in Sounders Academy. “They’re putting the players in a positive environment, and the players are taking the initiative to get better, putting in extra work off the field. Some of them are S2-signed players, so it’s good to see them do well and leading the U-17s as much as they can.”
According to Rogers, the unique experiences afforded to Academy players at the playoffs are crucial to professional development, as they’re impossible to replicate during the regular season.
“I think it’s pretty important because it gives them a knockout mentality that, with the long academy season, you don’t really get that feeling,” said Rogers. “I think it’s good to develop that mentality of win-or-go-home at as an early of an age as possible, especially with the U-17s going this far.
“It just gives you the mentality of how to approach the game. Players can get lost in the development mentality, where winning isn’t everything. When you’re in the final four, winning is everything. It doesn’t always have to be pretty, getting the win is what’s important at that stage.”
On Sunday, the U-17s will have a chance to be the first Sounders Academy team to reach the USSDA national championship game. As graduates of the youth system, Hopeau and Rogers will certainly be rooting for them.
