Now that the Dynamo has taken the field for the first time in the calendar year of 2008 with a 1-0 exhibition match victory over the San Jose Earthquakes, it is clear to all that professional soccer is back on the front burner.
With our back-to-back MLS Cup winners matching up against the recently resurrected 'Quakes, there was naturally much talk about the "old" and the "new." However, there is another team of Dynamo players proudly wearing the orange and white that is much more representative of the future of professional soccer in Houston, and that is the Dynamo Academy team presently on tour in Guadalajara, Mexico.
James Clarkson, Dynamo's Director of Youth Development, arrived Tuesday afternoon in Guadalajara with his young charges for a series of matches against Tecos, Atlas and, of course, Chivas. There is no question that the Mexican clubs have developed youth programs that have become pipelines for players to reach the first-team level.
Of course, many of these clubs are well over 100 years old and have had decades to create their youth programs. The expectation from club management and the coaching staffs in Mexico is that the youth programs will produce, year-in and year-out, a significant number of players with the talent, technique and attitude to successfully compete in the first team. Let me give you a glimpse behind the scenes at one of the most decorated youth programs in Mexico, that of Chivas de Guadalajara.
The head coach of Chivas, Efrain Flores, is the former director of the youth program. In total, there are 102 full-time professionals age 16 and older in the Chivas system, and if you look at the number of players that Chivas has on the various Mexican national squads, you quickly come to the conclusion that they have done an excellent job of scouting. Keep in mind that these 102 players come from all over Mexico. Chivas has seven players on the U-17 squad, six on the U-20 squad, another six on the U-23 squad and finally five on the full national team. No wonder some folks call Chivas the "surrogate Mexican National Team!"
There are a total of 46 players living "on campus," which is called Verde Valle and features dormitories, dining rooms and study areas, as well as a variety of recreational activities. These boys, ranging from 14 to 18 in age, live three to a room, and the club houses, feeds and educates them. Their daily schedule is as follows: training from 8-10:30 a.m., lunch, school from noon until 5 p.m. and then usually a session of training and or games in the evening.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Chivas program is that all the youth coaches meet at a minimum once a week with the first-team coach. In fact, the first-team coach relies heavily on the youth coaching staff not just for developing players. Each youth coach is assigned a team in the Mexican first division which he must scout on a weekly basis. Each coach is responsible for knowing all aspects of a Chivas first division opponent.
The physical plant of the Chivas complex is also impressive. The club is presently in the middle of building a new training center with eight fields, four of which will be natural grass, with the others being synthetic.
This is the second Dynamo trip to Mexico. Keen observers will remember that James took the Academy boys to Monterrey last summer, where we had a series of very competitive games against clubs from Nuevo Leon. While it is clear that we still have a way to go to catch up to the high quality of youth development that is taking place in Mexico, Dominic and the coaching staff believe that we are headed in the right direction. In just one short year of having the youth program, our Academy team here in Houston is able to boast of some very talented players, such as Samir Pena, Dan Roberts, Tyler Deric, Matt Kirby, Josue Soto and Alex Dixon. In addition, James spearheaded the creation of a satellite program in the Rio Grande Valley in affiliation with the McAllen Youth Soccer Association. We have 27 kids in the program, including Mario Perez, Felix Garcia and Eric Sanchez.
The Dynamo mentality is to "make things happen," and in our two short years in Houston, we have witnessed a quantum leap for the sport and the franchise. By its very nature, youth development will take a bit longer to develop, but we expect that the Dynamo first team will soon see the fruits of our labor. The future will be here sooner than we think!
