The number one thing young players say challenges them the most when I ask about the differences between the levels of Academy, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS training sessions is the speed of the game. Not only how fast or strong players are at a higher level, though that is true too, but how quick the game moves and how immediate decision making needs to be. Speed of the game means not only literally how fast other players move, but how quickly decisions need to be made.
It is the great equalizer. You can be as fast as Usian Bolt or as strong as The Incredible Hulk – and those things can help you – but what I am told over and over again is that if you aren’t able to process and react to the game quickly, you end up looking more like Bruce Banner.
It is similarly true, apparently, that the only way to know what that pace looks and feels like is to be involved in it. So for the first time this preseason, two FC Cincinnati Academy players were invited to join the first and second teams in Clearwater, Florida. An important milestone for the FC Cincinnati Academy as it continues to develop young players to supplement the professional rosters of the organization.
Midfielder Ademar Chavez (16, U16) and goalkeeper Slade Hall (16, U18) were brought to Clearwater as part of the FC Cincinnati 2 contingent and trained with the full group for the first time in their young careers. Chavez, who profiles more as an attacking midfielder, also featured in the first team preseason match against Philadelphia Union on Friday, February 7 at the Joe Dimaggio Sports Complex and has since become a regular call up to the MLS NEXT Pro side FC Cincinnati 2.
“From an organizational standpoint it shows that the academy is developing players that the first team are confident that they can bring in to contribute to the squad, in whatever capacity is needed,” FC Cincinnati Director of Player Development Larry Sunderland said on the young players being selected for preseason. “They're confident to bring those players in and not only support their development but help the first team improve, that’s a continued proof of concept for the academy.”
“It’s an important step for all our players in the academy as well. That's a motivating factor for them, it shows them that they're in the right place. That there's opportunity here, and we hope it keeps them going.”
There is immeasurable value in having young players feature in training. For the player the perks are somewhat obvious; playing against players of a high caliber at a higher level helps you develop. And if you are talented, but unable to keep up with those first team players at the ripe young age of 16, you can now take what you learned from first team training back to your academy team, know what the expectation is, and strive for it in your every day training. That’s without even mentioning the benefits of hands-on coaching from the first team staff and seeing what the best of the best do up close and personal.
For the organization though, the long term benefits, especially in preseason (where it is a relatively risk free environment), are massively valuable as the coaches get a glimpse at what the academy has to offer in the future, and the development of these young players is pinnacle to the success of the club in the long run.
“We know that playing with older players, playing with more experienced players, does accelerate how someone can reach their potential,” FC Cincinnati Director of Play Pathway Jeff Larentowicz said in a conversation with FCCincinnati.com. As Director of Player Pathway Larentowicz is responsible for not only coordinating and supporting the development of FC Cincinnati Academy and second team players, but does hands-on training with players. More simply put, Larentowicz helps shepherd players from FCC’s youngest age all the way through to the professional ranks.
“What we've tried to do is align the second team and the academy to first team principals,” Larentowicz continued. “So that you're hearing the same messages from a younger age, and you're running what we're trying to do on the field more consistently, more often, at a young age. That way, when you reach your late teens or early 20s, and hopefully breaking into the first team, you’re doing so with all kinds of knowledge downloaded, and you’re ready to contribute in a more complete way when the first team calls on you.”
The FC Cincinnati Academy has had an undeniable presence in the organizations training sessions this year, with a combination of first and second team graduates from the academy being core to both first and second team squads with even more academy prospects recently featuring in training just last week.
Recent graduates like Stefan and Andrei Chirila have been vital to their respective squads in their first years with their new teams, with more established grads like goalkeeper Paul Walters, and midfielders Stivin Jimenez and Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela similarly continuing their journey. Chavez and Hall have also been selected for matchday rosters with FC Cincinnati 2 along with others like Will Kusiel (17, an MLS NEX All-Star in 2024) and Carson Locker (17, a newcomer to the organization in 2025) have featured in each of the three games FCC 2 have played this season.
“I think it is really important. It shows the commitment from the club, and obviously the vision where we want to foster young talent and get them into the mold of a professional player at a younger age,” Tyrone Marshall, Head Coach of FC Cincinnati 2 said in a recent interview. “We want them ready to make the jump to the pros and giving them that experience with the MLS NEXT Pro team is an important part of that.”
The goal, in broad terms, is to have players with high potential have multiple years of experience in professional environments so that by the time they enter the professional ranks those players have multiple years of experience at age 19 to 22, rather than adapting to the professional expectations at those ages. It’s a plan that takes years of patience, and requires organizational synergy, but one that is applied worldwide and sees a higher level of success.
The two players selected to be brought to preseason camp represent exciting young prospects, but it would be wrong to characterize them or any player in the organization as the ‘top prospects.’ That just isn’t how the organizational leaders speak of any specific player in the system, rather opting for talking about exciting classes or groups of players.
All that being said, these players obviously check a few boxes that make them candidates to be called up. Talent is one of them, but so is the positional need to balance out the training sessions, the maturity to operate in a professional setting, and the propensity to train at the level needed to not only help them develop but help the other players around them. Generally speaking, being selected for first team training is not singularly attributed. It is a multidimensional selection process.
“It's been an amazing experience, I am loving it. I'm super excited to be able to showcase my talent and learn all that I can,” Chavez said in a sit down from the team hotel in Clearwater, Florida. “To be able to train with the first team is an amazing experience. To be able to experience what MLS is like, how intense and competitive it is, is just so amazing.”
“It really is kind of mindblowing, being with all these big names and I’m just 16,” Hall added. “It’s a little mind blowing working with guys like Alec (Kann) and Roman (Celentano)...but I know this is a rare opportunity so I just have to prepare, enjoy the time, and make the most of it.”
Hall joined FC Cincinnati after stints in the Atlanta United Academy and Real Salt Lake Academy. While he was making inroads at RSL, occasionally training with the first team, he felt his development had stagnated when he was not selected to attend MLS NEXT FEST (the premier youth tournament showcase in the MLS NEXT calendar) and looked for opportunities to continue his journey elsewhere. He trialed with FCC and joined the U18 squad shortly thereafter.
A Bakersfield, California native, Chavez was travelling two-hours each way to train with the LAFC Academy before moving to Cincinnati. As he was getting older and pushed along in the academy process, the hours and requirements for his family became harder to manage with that commute. He also felt like a pathway to the pros wasn’t available to him at LAFC. So he reached out to FC Cincinnati, a club he had seen at another MLS NEXT event and a trial was organized.
Now, both players live full-time in Cincinnati as members of the FC Cincinnati Residency Program and train with their respective teams.
The Residency Program at FC Cincinnati has become an important part of the academy's growth and ability to support youth players. By placing young players with Host Families in the Cincinnati area, FCC is able to make playing for the academy a possibility for those without close proximity to the area.
It is a useful tool and a vital investment in the development of players for FCC, giving the chance to support recruits and their families from other regions of the United States and place them in a caring, attentive environment so parents of these young players know their sons are being cared for while away from home. Allowing for the possibility of young players like Chavez to join the academy.
Hall’s case is a little bit different in so much as he is part of the Residency Program, it is just that his host family is his own mother who moved with him to Cincy. The Hall’s though have then opened their doors to other young players in the academy to live with them, further extending the opportunity to welcome top talent locally and nationwide to the FC Cincinnati Academy.
It is a program that has also already paid dividends for the club. First team midfielder Gerardo “Dado” Valenzuela is a graduate of the residency program from the academy and remains very close with his host family in Cincinnati even though he now lives on his own. Other first and second teamers like Stefan and Andrei Chirila have also graduated through the program and are now on professional deals.
In all 29 players in the FC Cincinnati Academy are currently enrolled in the residency program with 15 local families serving as hosts, some welcoming more than one player at a time. 10 more players have joined the academy under the umbrella of the program but doing so, like Hall is, being “hosted” with their own families while teammates also live with them in the program.
The jump from academy training to first team work is, by many reports from veteran first teamers, nearly impossible to prepare yourself for. So learning on the fly and being comfortable with discomfort is a valuable feeling to settle in with. The hope for players not only like Chavez and Slade, but every player in the FC Cincinnati pipeline, is that the approach taken to integrate them at the highest levels in controlled settings will make that jump just a little easier.
