The Real Salt Lake U15 and U17 Academy team’s will be heading off to Dallas this weekend for the Generation Adidas Cup with hopes to bring home RSL's second GA Cup trophy. Both team's be competing against academy teams from across the globe and select matches will be streamed live on the Major League Soccer's Twitch channel.
RSL has competed in the GA Cup since its inception in 2007 and won the competition in 2008.
Many RSL and Real Monarchs players have played in the GA Cup including Aaron Herrera, Tate Schmitt, Justen Glad, David Ochoa, Jaziel Orozco and Christian Nydegger.
Herrera, Schmitt and Glad played together in 2014 and relished their time playing against some of the best academies in the world.
“It was an opportunity for us to show ourselves and prove to everyone else that we can compete with these other countries and leagues,” said Herrera. “It’s an incredible opportunity and definitely a confidence builder especially for us considering how well we did there.”
The Academy trio helped RSL reach the GA Cup final where they’d eventually fall to Stoke City on penalties.
"It's crucial for the mental development of players,” said Schmitt. “You’re playing top Brazilian, Liga MX, European teams and playing against those teams, it's cool to see that you're just as good, if not better. It’s huge for your confidence because they're the next players up in their organization and you're the next up in your organization, if you keep competing and doing well. It was huge to just be able to go there and compete at that high competitive level and enjoy it”
Glad was even recently named in MLS' GA Cup All Time Best XI.
In the past few years, RSL Academy products David Ochoa and Jaziel Orozco have also had the opportunity to compete in the GA Cup and offered some advice to the academy players heading down to Dallas this weekend while reflecting on some of their favorite moments.
“Be yourself, have fun and, and more importantly, give it all for the crest and prove to the kids down there that RSL is a top academy in the world.” said Ochoa.
"It’s cool to meet other guys on different teams," said Orozco. “I still have phone numbers from those guys, we follow each other on Instagram and still keep in touch with them, it's really cool. You make new relationships and new friends and it's a really good vibe to go over there."
Orozco is another example of an RSL Academy player who moved through the Academy, to Real Monarchs, playing 24 games for RM last year, and now making a breakthrough with the First team.
In 2020, current Real Monarchs midfielder Christian Nydegger helped lead the U17 RSL squad go undefeated in the GA Cup qualification stage with a +5 goal differential.
“It's unlike any tournament I've ever been to,” said Nydegger. “The amount of time, effort and focus that they put in. Everything's there for you as a player to make your life easier and make you improve on arguably the biggest stage in the U.S. for youth soccer."
This year, the RSL U15s will compete in Group D which also includes FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, and Club Tijuana while the U17s will compete in group C which includes CF Montreal, Tigres, and Houston Dynamo.
Former RSL Academy standout and first team player Jordan Allen will be coaching the U17s and experiencing the GA Cup from the dugout for the first time.
“Obviously it’s a lot different,” said Allen. "My first experience with it was actually going with RSL as a trial run to see if I wanted to play for the team. I went in there not really knowing anybody, but I ended up loving it, I loved the coaches, I loved the way the team played. It was my first introduction and now this is my first big event as a coach, so it is also an introduction as a coach now too which is cool."
For both the U15s and the U17s, they’ll have plenty of role models within the walls of Zion's Bank Real Academy to look too for inspiration as they embark on their own GA Cup journey.
“For the next generation, just take advantage of it,” said Glad. “It's a great opportunity to showcase your talent. Obviously, you never know who's watching those types of games. So it's a great opportunity for them. Hopefully they go out there and show what they got.”
