It was hardly a glamorous debut, but the Dynamo Academy took steps Thursday toward promoting a player to the Dynamo first team.
With clean-up crews in the stands and only a handful of spectators, two Academy players came on as second-half substitutes for the Dynamo Reserves in a practice game against San Jacinto Junior College, the first of their kind to join first team players in any competitive situation. Academy players are not allowed to play in MLS Reserve Division games because it would jeopardize their NCAA eligibility, but practice games are a different matter, and 17-year-old Blake Shannon and 16-year-old Benji Saenz came off the bench Thursday in a 1-0 Dynamo win.
Shannon, a senior at Kingwood High School, intends to graduate one semester early and join fellow Dynamo Academy prospect Matt Kirby at the University of Denver. The left-footed player came on for Kyle Brown and played initially at right back before switching to left back for the final 10 minutes.
Saenz, from Aldine MacArthur High School, replaced Nick Hatzke in the 64th minute and finished the match at left midfield. Both players admitted to having more than a few nerves for their Dynamo debut.
"They asked if we were available for today's game, and we said, 'Yes,'" Shannon said. "I was nervous, and I've never been in something like this, but it's good experience." Both players had their ups and downs, and their most notable play came when Shannon flashed a header high from a corner kick with the game still 0-0.
"I think they both realize that technically, they did OK," Dynamo Reserves coach John Spencer said. "I think they also realize the fitness level required to play at this level is a lot, lot higher than it is at the youth level or even the college level."
Both Shannon and Saenz said the coaches and older players were supportive, both on the field and in the locker room, and gave plenty of advice.
"This helps us a lot, because now we know what to do and what to train on," Saenz said. "Hopefully we can show the other Academy players what to do to be at this level." Dynamo Academy players have practiced with the first team numerous times in the past six months, but the Dynamo staff is likely to look for more opportunities to give the young players professional experience without jeopardizing their amateur status.
"It's a good idea to try and bleed these young kids into the professional game," Spencer said. "No disrespect to anybody at college, but a lot of times we're getting these kids too late. If you look at the rest of the world, it's 15 and 16 years old when you become a professional. It's important in Major League Soccer for us to progress to the next level and start trying to get these kids into the professional game younger rather than going to college."
Shannon and Saenz were the first Academy players to don the first team uniform competitively, but they surely will not be the last. On the opposite sideline Thursday playing for San Jacinto were Academy players Edward Estrada, Josue Garcia, and Eduardo Munguia, all continuing their careers in college and moving closer to their own Dynamo dream.
For more information on the Dynamo Youth Development System, presented by StatoilHydro, click here. Registration is ongoing for the Dynamo Centers of Excellence, which include the opportunity to earn selection to the Dynamo Academy or Dynamo Junior Academy.
