Crew seeks strong bond with academy

When Ben Cross joined Crew SC Academy in 2017 as the U-17 / 18 coach, there were only a few players playing at a higher level to accelerate their development. He made that more of a priority in his three seasons before being promoted to an assistant under coach Caleb Porter this offseason.

Luchi Gonzalez — the coach for the Crew’s opponent this week, FC Dallas — did that when he was director of its academy for three seasons before he was promoted to head coach of the club this offseason.

Gonzalez has helped in the development of 15 players within the FC Dallas system that went on to sign homegrown contracts, more examples of the importance of a connection between a club and its academy.

“It’s definitely encouraging,” Cross said of a coach moving from an academy to a Major League Soccer head coaching job. “I think that it also shows … a country placing more value on youth development.”

Gonzalez is the only current head coach in MLS to go directly from academy director to coach of the senior roster. Brian Schmetzer of the Seattle Sounders and Wilmer Cabrera of the Houston Dynamo made their way to head coach through their club’s United Soccer League affiliates, but not the academy.

Cross is one of a handful of assistant coaches who were promoted from the club’s academy ranks. He said he has seen the pathway that Gonzalez created in Dallas.

“That’s a similar type of pathway we’d like to have here in Columbus,” Cross said.

Cross and Porter share similar ideas about player development and strengthening the connection between club and academy, which was exemplified this week with some academy players training with the entire first-team roster.

On Sunday, some members of the U-19 and U-17 academy teams scrimmaged against Crew firstteam players who didn’t play Saturday against the New England Revolution.

“The only way (academy players) are going to be at our level is if they come out and smell our level,” Porter said. “And they feel it, and they’re in it, and they’re around the best guys, and they learn something every single day in these environments.”

Homegrown contracts can benefit a club’s budget structure financially, but developing academy players also can keep players within the club and ease the transition to MLS.

“If we’re doing our job right, we’re having players come up through if there’s a real connection,” Porter said. “I very much believe in this.”

Crew captain Wil Trapp, a homegrown player himself, said having coaches, as well as players, with academy connections is important.

“As you see more and more homegrown players move into the first teams, it’s good to have continuity among the coaching staff,” Trapp said. “And having a guy who can be that bridge between their careers in a lot of ways, in familiarity and comfort.”