Big Ben is about to be Black and Blue for the next two weeks.
The Quakes Academy Under-14 and Under-15 teams are adding some international flavor to their schedules this month as they will embark on a tour of London and the United Kingdom from April 2-13 to take on their English Premier League counterparts at Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Brentford.
“This trip is a great example of the club investing in our younger age groups to experience international professional academy games versus some of the best clubs in not just England, but in the world,” said Quakes Academy director Luchi Gonzalez.
The U-14 and U-15 squads will be accompanied by 10 members of the technical staff and will coached by Luis Garcia and Ivan Mirkovic, respectively, with club legend and current U-23 Individual Development Programming Head Chris Wondolowski providing additional support. Garcia, who organized the trip with Director of Academy Operations Alex Saunders, expressed his excitement to go on the UK tour.
“We have so many talented players, and this trip will serve as perfect preparation for the following seasons when they reach the [MLS NEXT Pro Pathway] and start taking on the best academies in the nation,” said Garcia. “It will test them competitively and give them a chance to see what the level is like with some of the top academies of the world, week in and week out.”
In addition to the opportunity to continue developing their skills against some of the best players in their age groups across the pond, Garcia also extolled the other virtues of young players going outside their comfort zones to take international trips.
“It’s important when you have players this young who are going to be away from home for an extended time like this that you make the most of it to make it a learning experience,” he said. “They need to see how to be more responsible with their nutrition, with their studies, everything, because eventually, they’re going to grow up and be away from their families for more trips like this, and those habits carry over into everything else, especially the football.”
While the agenda has the teams engaging in activities like sightseeing the Tower of London and watching an actual Tottenham-Southampton Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they will balance the extracurriculars with the books. Manager of Player Wellness Melissa Sousa, who won a global award for Academy Player Care last year, will be on hand for academic guidance and support throughout the trip.
Ultimately, the two-week journey shapes to be yet another example of the Quakes Academy going above and beyond to provide its players a holistic experience that aims to develop them on and off the pitch.
