“The first part is scouting. Sharing resources. We’ve never really done that before and we’re excited about it. Secondly, it’s working with them to find out which players may not be a long-term fit for Arsenal and whether we can have a look under the hood before they put them out on loan or sell them to another club. Just getting that opportunity could be beneficial to us. They brought us up to Colney and let us watch the U-18’s play a match against Southampton. That’s a kind of access not a lot of people get.”
– Colorado Rapids President and CEO Tim Hichney, from an interview with the Burgundy Wave of SB Nation.
I must admit to becoming immediately fascinated by the idea that the Rapids would be looking to get some kind of the right of first refusal from their relationship with Arsenal that I completely missed the point of what Hichney was saying.
Certainly, I knew not to expect some announcement that Olivier Giroud or Mesut Ozil would be transferring to Colorado in January but the idea that maybe Rapids and Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke would be looking to move some talent across the pond had me intrigued.
After an awful 18 loss season, which included going winless in the final three months of the season, it would be hard to blame Colorado for looking for a quick fix from their partnership with Arsenal. So, who would Arsenal be willing to part with? Who could be the key to turning around the Rapids? Well, the answer is no one, and the questions are wrong.
While I may have been momentarily caught up in the thrill of investigating who would be the next Euro-league star to make the move stateside, when rereading the quote from Hichney, it’s clear that the Rapids are looking at things the right way. Yes, the Rapids are looking to add a DP for the next season but they are also looking to do so much more. The question the Rapids seem to be asking themselves is, how do we sustain long term success?
Bookending the intriguing middle part of his answer, is Hichney referencing scouting and watching the Arsenal U-18’s play. That was the clue that this wasn’t about some short cut to a turnaround. Hichney and the Rapids front office understand that they need to look at the entire process of building a club.
Further proof to that point is their recent hiring of a new Sporting Director, Padraig Smith. With his experience working for both UEFA and the Football Association of Ireland, Smith is well versed in the fields of analytics and analysis of both player performance and club financial operations and the mutual effect of both as it pertains to the on-field and the off-field product. The hiring of Padriag Smith and the expressed desire to get more from the relationship with Arsenal really shows that the Rapids are committed to making the club relevant and competitive not just in the immediate but for years to come. The Rapids are attempting to improve their entire model for accessing and developing talent, not just improving the win-loss record of senior squad.
The Rapids are far from alone in having a partnership with an established European club nor are they the only club to look into improving their developmental system, but they are taking some bold steps and I think that should be commended.
The Rapids roster is not without young talent. Dillon Powers, 23 years-old, is a definite rising star in MLS and 20-year-old Dillon Serna is almost a lock to break out in a big way soon. Aside from Powers and Serna, 25-year-old goalkeeper Clint Irwin heads up a handful of other players that could develop into anywhere from serviceable to solid quality MLS players. It will be a big part of Smith’s job to determine just who on the roster will be the most impactful and valuable.
In the recent Chivas USA Dispersal Draft, the Rapids selected 18-year-old Caleb Calvert reinforcing the youth movement. For Colorado to understand the value of addressing the shortcomings of this past season from a developmental standpoint, marks a real step forward in addressing a major concern for many detractors of US soccer.
This process is in its early stages but it is far more similar to the approach taken by their Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake than it is to the method of Toronto FC. RSL has built been a model of consistency for nearly a decade by promoting the idea of development based on a system. Toronto FC, on the other hand, fell victim to desperation and overspent on star power but failed to address either the core or the supporting players. Seemingly without a plan, TFC is facing the same predicament this offseason as they were last but with a much, much higher payroll.
The Rapids understand the need to add another DP for the present but have clearly emphasized the importance of preparing the future. The Colorado Rapids have now become the latest club to embrace a new vision for success in MLS and will hopefully be rewarded for it.
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