How a surprise USL Championship squad will have an outsized effect on football at the 2024 Paris Olympics

With the Olympics in full swing, eyes are turning to the United States U23s. We want to end the summer on a high note after the United States men’s national team crashed out of the Copa America during the group stage. All eyes will be on this team as they play a crucial match against New Zealand on Saturday. But when these two teams meet, there is one surprising American club that will be well represented. It’s not even a Major League Soccer club, but rather a small but storied operation in Northern Virginia, Loudoun United FC.

The USL Championship squad has played quite a role in the Olympics, with two club alumni on the United States roster, a current player on the expanded New Zealand squad and a video analyst on the US women’s national team staff – a huge impact for a team that has only existed since 2018.

The Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area has always been a hotbed for football, an area usually recognized by University of Maryland graduates, but in time Loudoun could become one of the area’s major pipelines as they continue on their way.

Who is Loudoun United?

Originally announced in July 2018, Loudoun entered the league as an affiliate of DC United. Although they started as a USL team, players were still in the DC United system due to affiliate status. Loudoun United coach Ryan Martin spoke about some of these issues this created when it came to squad selection.

“The question we always asked ourselves when selecting players was how does this benefit DC United. Now the question is how does this benefit Loudoun United,” Martin said.

In February 2023, a majority stake in Loudoun United FC was sold to Attain Sports and Entertainment, allowing DC United to continue placing their own team in MLS Next Pro – a league created specifically for youth development in America.

No longer a DC United affiliate

Martin is a man who has worn many hats, spending time as a college assistant at Wake Forest before moving to scouting with Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew. He returned to coaching with the Crew and then FC Cincinnati before becoming academy director at DC United. That’s when he was able to really make his mark before becoming head coach of Loudoun United in 2019.

This season, Martin Loudoun has been able to lead United to a play-off spot as things stand in the USL Championship, while ensuring the key pillars of youth development are balanced with winning.

“If you surround young talents with older, experienced players and they can help them understand difficult situations and find solutions in a game,” said Martin, “I think it makes it so much easier for young players to grow and develop quickly. to grow.”

This is the style that sets USL development apart from MLS Next Pro. While there is no right way to prepare a player for the next level, they are clearly on different paths. Loudoun is a path similar to Bethlehem Steel, a USL club owned by Philadelphia Union, where young players took their lumps before making their debuts for the senior team. That’s the path that produced players like Brenden Aaronson, Paxton Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, all players now competing for glory abroad. It is a path that has had success, but is no longer the norm.

USL development

Looking at how Loudoun plans to operate when it comes to development, Martin’s background in running an academy is quite clear. He knows the mix he wants and also has a setup within the club to promote growth and ensure success for these players. But it’s not limited to just players either.

“For example, we have a Gavin Turner, a young kid in the American youth pool. It’s like he can now play next to Tommy McCabe because McCabe has won a USL trophy and he has also been in the MLS and Florian Valot can help with certain players , Keegan Hughes, who is under contract with the Columbus Crew and has won the MLS Cup, can he help Matai Akimboni through a tough match against Monterrey Bay and how can he measure up to a 32-year-old leader,” said Martin.

“And what are some of the tricks and things that he’s learned along his journey that maybe he can pass on to the younger players? So I’m very happy to have these young players and we’ll continue to do that. But for me it’s also Like this.” to find a balance because otherwise the growth process takes too long and it hinders many of these children when they look at a child next to them who is 19 or 20, maybe a year older, and they have no solutions for the answers that the game offers. of the opposition.”

When I speak to players Martin has coached, things like the ability to make mistakes and the connection with the club stand out. Even if someone may have only played fifteen times for Loudoun while going back and forth between DC United, considering the amount of time he spends training and with the club, that’s enough time to make a connection. Because players start younger and younger every year, if even a 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan makes his professional debut in the MLS, what development means is something that changes every day.

“It’s difficult because you have to put in context that they are young and still growing physically and mentally. I think mentally is the hardest challenge for coaches in different environments because they are obviously very gifted physically, otherwise they wouldn’t doing.” I am not able to compete technically and tactically in a professional setting,” Martin said. “They still have a way to go, but technically they are all quite good. The mental side is what I discovered: you have to teach and train these players about what it is to be a professional footballer.”

As more players choose to go straight to the academy rather than going to university this is something that needs to become more of a process all around as it is one thing to have a 14 year old debut but it is another to ensure they thrive and succeed. .

Notable players and staff in Paris

When the United States and New Zealand take the field, some of Loudoun’s fruits will be on full display. Not only will Griffin Yow and Kevin Paredes represent the United States, but Riley Bidois is also on the New Zealand squad and there is even a Loudoun alum on the US women’s team staff in Luis Guevara. Located in a city of less than 500,000 in Loudoun County Virginia, there will be significant representation in Paris.

“Between Griffin Yow, Kevin Paredes and Luis Guevara Riley, we have four former Loudoun people representing us in Paris, you know? And so for us, for me personally, it’s a huge honor to have people go on and do huge things to continue their careers, continue their development,” Martin said of the Olympians. “Hopefully I’ve been able to play a small part in their development and give them the opportunity to be where they are today and build relationships with them. building. I still talk to all of them to this day. There is no greater honor than to represent your country and to do this at the Olympics is huge and to have four Loudoun guys that I worked with. is even more special.”

With Bidois getting that call-up to New Zealand, this will be the third consecutive men’s Olympics where a USL player is on the roster. That’s a moment that shows the growth of the league. Despite being a lower division in American soccer, the United Soccer League’s impact is only growing by the day as it gains a larger footprint both domestically and in the global transfer market.

“I think this is a time for us as a league to take a step back and be proud of where we have been in the growth and development of the sport over the last three, four, five, six years. Not just in the US. but around the world, especially in the U.S., with some of the players you mention and the staff,” USL President Jeremy Alumbaugh said of the competition’s impact on the Olympics.

“And that’s another thing I’d like to take away. We spend a lot of time with players, and this may be a personal feeling, but I think it’s just as important that we make the move both on a sporting and business level , make the jump, and that maybe at the Olympics they can represent a sport that they love so much. So I think every now and then we have to take a step back and just put a smile on our faces and watch the path that some of these players have taken.”

He continued to mention Patrick Shulte, current Columbus Crew goalkeeper and U.S. U23 starter. Schulte started his career with Saint Louis FC in USL and is just one example of how much of an impact the league has had over the years.

What is changing

While the development path is rapidly changing, USL and Loudoun United are ensuring they can play a role in that path. We don’t know what will happen next because there’s a chance that things like NIL deals could attract more players to college, shifting the ever-moving target. But even Martin wants to continue his own development.

“You know, one day I would like to go to Europe and be a manager there and it’s a reality, but what we tell people is that Loudoun is a great place to be from,” Martin said. “As you come along your path, you take lessons along the way and part of your journey and we are fortunate to play a part in these guys’ journey.”

It’s a journey that won’t end when the United States and New Zealand take the field, but that’s an important moment to reflect on how far the team has come and where they might go in the future.