San Jose Earthquakes look for glory at 2022 GA Cup
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The San Jose Earthquakes Academy built a resume this club season on the field to be considered among the best in MLS. The Quakes went undefeated during the Generation adidas Cup qualifiers in December in the two age groups of…
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Continue ReadingThe San Jose Earthquakes Academy built a resume this club season on the field to be considered among the best in MLS.
The Quakes went undefeated during the Generation adidas Cup qualifiers in December in the two age groups of the competition, U15 and U17. The Northern California club was one of five MLS academies to win their groups in both age groups at the qualifying event alongside Charlotte FC, Inter Miami, Real Salt Lake, and Los Angeles FC.
The next challenge for the Quakes is the Generation adidas Cup (GA Cup) in Dallas, which kicks off on April 9 from Toyota Soccer Center. The Quakes U15 team was drawn into Group F alongside Manchester United, Minnesota United FC, and Columbus Crew. The Quakes U17 team was drawn into Group J with River Plate, Nashville SC, and DC United.
San Jose Earthquakes U17 Academy Coach Daniel DeGeer chatted with PrepSoccer this week about GA Cup, international experience, and the challenges of bridging the gap from a U15 team to a U17 team.
“We’re very excited to play River Plate and Manchester United,” DeGeer told PrepSoccer in a phone interview on Tuesday. “This will be an experience that the players and staff will never forget. Ultimately, we feel like these types of games will push us to the limit and will be an excellent test of where we stand against international competition. It is so important for these guys to experience these games and gain confidence in their careers.”
The GA Cup was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid so for many youth players this is their first experience playing against international clubs. That is not the case for the Quakes though. The success of the club, both in terms of results and player development, has attracted the interest of youth national team scouts from around the world. The Quakes U17 team members have been called into the U.S. youth national team ( Oscar Verhoeven Oscar Verhoeven D State CA , Cruz Medina Cruz Medina M State CA , Edwyn Mendoza Edwyn Mendoza M State CA , and Fidel Barajas Fidel Barajas F Sheldon | 2024 State CA ), Mexico youth national team (Emi Ochoa, Barajas), and Iceland youth national team ( Lorenzo Avalos Lorenzo Avalos null | D Salinas | 2024 State #121 Nation CA ) since the start of the 2021/2022 club season.
“First and foremost, we are very proud of our players called into their youth national teams,” DeGeer said when asked about the players international experience. “They are seeing the profiles of players we are bringing into the club and how they are being developed. When players leave for camp, they experience a professional environment: you have high-level players, an experienced staff, international competition or a domestic camp with games against an older club team. They are gaining new experiences and that helps them grow as individuals. We definitely support them in that process. I’ve noticed that when they return their confidence has increased and they’re further motivated to keep growing as a player.”
The quartet for Quakes on the USA team were recently in Argentina with the USA U17 Men’s National Team for games against Argentina and Uruguay. DeGeer also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team on the trip.
From San Jose to Argentina.
Shoutout Fidel Barajas Fidel Barajas F Sheldon | 2024 State CA , Oscar Verhoeven Oscar Verhoeven D State CA , Cruz Medina Cruz Medina M State CA , Edwyn Mendoza Edwyn Mendoza M State CA , Fidel Barajas Fidel Barajas F Sheldon | 2024 State CA , and coach Dan DeGeer for representing @QuakesAcademy on the highest stage. pic.twitter.com/8u7cs2FXng
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 15, 2022
“You take away a lot as you leave each camp because first and foremost, you have the U.S. Soccer methodology in their way of teaching and playing,” DeGeer said. “You are immediately exposed to that and that helps you learn and grow as a coach. We are also fortunate to have a very large staff at these camps so you have a lot of experts in different fields whether it is video analysis or the sports performance side or the level of expertise with your goalkeeper coach, assistant coach, assistant coach, head coach. There is a lot of collaboration there that you can take back to your club.”
For this specific trip to South America, USA was able to square off against the best that Argentina had to offer in the 06 age group. Quakes academy midfielder Cruz Medina Cruz Medina M State CA scored the lone goal for the game for USA in a 2-1 loss to Argentina. All four players from the Quakes academy started in the game against Argentina. USA defeated Uruguay 2-1 with Medina providing the assist on the game-winner.
.@QuakesAcademy player Cruz Medina Cruz Medina M State CA scores for the @USYNT against Argentina! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FVinwmjh2Z
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 15, 2022
“There is a lot that you learn on an international trip in terms of the quality of the opponent and the little details you see from those players,” DeGeer said. “For example in Argentina, you see players that have unique resources to get out of tight situations that you really don’t see too many American players have. But I also think we are making excellent progress. We went toe-to-toe against Argentina. We were playing our way. It was a competitive game and it could’ve gone either way. The same thing with Uruguay. We were actually the better side, created more chances, and had a higher percentage of the ball. We were proud of how the guys played and performed.”
This year’s success is not a flash in the pan for the Quakes Academy. The 2006 age group finished as semifinalist at the 2021 MLS Next Cup last summer. Medina was awarded the MLS Next U15 Golden Ball as the best player at the event.
DeGeer has been with those players since they first joined the academy. One coach staying with one age group for an extended amount of time is extremely rare in an MLS Academy.
“It’s been really fun,” DeGeer said when asked about being promoted at the Quakes academy alongside his players. “At the time I joined the Quakes, the U13s were the 2005 age group. I coached them for two years and then I coached the 2006s for two years at U14 and U15. Now, I have them combined on the U17 team. It’s been a lot of fun to grow with them. I’ve enjoyed coaching all of the age groups but I really enjoy coaching the U17s because I enjoy the tactical side of the game. These players, at this point, are really motivated to be a professional player or play at a really good college. I enjoy those interactions with the kids.”
Coaching the U17 team this year has meant some tough decisions for DeGeer and the staff at the Quakes academy. Last year’s U15 (2006) team was very successful but like most MLS academies, the Quakes have teams in the MLS Next league in the U15 and U17 age groups – no team in the U16 age group. They’ve found resourceful ways to stay connected with those 2006 players who might not make the roster on game day with the U17s.
“It has been tricky,” DeGeer said when asked about navigating the gap year. “We had a very good 2006 generation, they finished as semifinalist at the MLS Next Cup, but we also have a very good 2005 generation. Only 18 guys can make the game day roster, so we thought what kind of roster do we want to build? We wanted to keep the 06s close with us: have them in our training environment and schedule as many scrimmage games as possible for the guys who might not get games on the weekend. It is not necessarily ideal, but it has worked well because they are developing and getting better.”
“I think every MLS club is going through the same process in how do they handle players in the gap year,” DeGeer explained. “Some clubs may have a bigger roster so they want to find those scrimmages and games to challenge the roster, and some may have a thinner roster where it is not an issue. For us, it has been tricky getting the amount of minutes you would desire for that U16 age group. I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far.”
When asked about who the Quakes U16 team would scrimmage, DeGeer said they look local and possibly older to find worthy competition.
“We usually play an age group older or two,” DeGeer said. “But there also may be a very good 06 team around us. For example, De Anza has a very good 06 team too. They’re playing in a league where they aren’t getting a lot of competition so once a month we may play each other.”
DeGeer, in a lot of ways, is a personification of what the Quakes Academy is hoping to accomplish: identify potential, examine if it fits within the Quakes structure, and facilitate the transition and promotion.
Former Quakes Academy Director of Formation Paul Holocher identified DeGeer as a coach with potential to help the club. Holocher, the current Houston Dynamo Academy Director who worked for San Jose from 2015-2018, laid the foundation for collaboration among clubs in Northern California.
“We have done a really good job within the past five years of developing good relationships with the clubs within our area so we have a mutual understanding we’ve identified this player,” DeGeer, who previously coached at Burlingame SC and Star Academy in the Bay Area, said. “We will contact the director of the club and say we are interested in this player and hopefully there is collaboration with the director to make the transition very smooth.”
DeGeer cited the aforementioned Verhoeven and Medina as two players who were identified early on as top talents in the 2006 age group. Medina trained with the Quakes as a U13 and then joined the academy full-time in the U14 age group. Verhoeven also joined as a U14. Most of the roster has been with the Quakes Academy and DeGeer since U13.
Much of the Quakes current success comes from that continuity within the structure of the club; establishing the club identity, training philosophy, and expectations early on for the players. The Academy is reaping the rewards on the field right now – and hoping for even more next week as the big test at the 2022 Generation adidas Cup awaits.
Only one MLS Academy has won the competition in the U17 age group (Seattle Sounders in 2019), could the Quakes be next?