CARSON, Calif. – From the moment a player joins the LA Galaxy Academy, that individual is instilled with the importance of one word.
Culture.
That idea forms the foundations of the Galaxy’s developmental system, which strives to match the high standards established by the club’s first team.
“We don’t throw the word 'culture' around lightly. We tell all of our players that there must be a love for our club, and each must have a willingness to fight and to bleed for the club and the city,” said Academy coach Mike Munoz. “We tell our kids to watch first team games and practices because the likes of Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard are their heroes and players that they all aspire to be like.”
To drive this point home, the Galaxy have placed their Academy players in close contact with the first team with the creation of the club’s
Blended Learning Program
. Thanks to the innovative
high school program, members of the Galaxy Academy can walk by the team’s five MLS Cup trophies or observe the daily preparations of Keane, Gerrard or
Gyasi Zardes
.
“Our goals and our objectives are fairly clear and straightforward, but the manner in which we accomplish them is what separates us. Immersing kids in our culture is paramount to our goals which is why we have taken this initiative with our youth,” Vice President of soccer operations Peter Vagenas said. “The high school program is part of true development at the highest level. The creation of the program is about more than the hour they were spending on the training field before because being a professional is about more than just practice, it transcends soccer, and filters into each part of your life.
“The fact that the kids show up first thing in the morning and walk in with the likes of Keane, Gyasi and Giovani dos Santos and then go into the classroom where we uphold the same standards of our team helps us immerse the players in this professional culture. Placing those demands on a daily basis helps us develop these kids not only as athletes but as people, and that is something that is paramount for this club.”
In recent years, the Galaxy Academy has become a pipeline for local talent to fulfill their dreams of playing professional soccer. Currently, 14 Academy alumni are playing for either
Galaxy or
LA Galaxy II
, and many others are plying their trade in colleges across the United States.
Simply producing talented soccer players isn’t the only goal, however, according to Munoz. For the Galaxy Academy coach and the rest of the staff, the development of soccer talent remains critically important, but he admits that the Academy cannot succeed if players do not accept what it truly means to be a member of the club.
“When a Galaxy player walks through the halls, he does so in a certain way. He has respect for his craft and his education,” said Munoz. “We always want to make sure that we’re not just crafting good players, but also good young men. Whether or not they reach the first team or not, we want our players to continue to be good people in their communities.”
Of current members of the Galaxy Academy, just how many players does Munoz truly believe can make the jump to the professional level?
“We don’t have a crystal ball, and we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that these kids succeed but between our U-14s and our U-16s, we believe that there are eight to 12 players who could make it. That may be a crazy number, but I believe that our guys have a definite chance.”
Vagenas agrees.
“If you look at any club in the world, their emphasis on producing players from their academies is a massive initiative worldwide. Not only because of the competitive edge it gives you to develop kids at a young age and to engross them in your culture, but frankly, it’s a more efficient way of doing business. If we’re able provide our first team with players who have come through our system then we should not only be able to continue to wrap this city around soccer which is an exciting concept.”
Whether or not the Galaxy first team becomes filled with academy players in the near future, Vagenas believes that the Academy’s best days are still ahead of them.
“We think that we have players that can push for spots with Galaxy II and the first team, but we’re going to be increasingly able to do that at a younger age. That’s the goal,” Vagenas said. “We believe in our young talent wholeheartedly, and we’re anticipating the day when this all comes to fruition. We’ve seen tangible examples so far, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
