San Jose Earthquakes technical director Chris Leitch has served in a variety of capacities for the club over the past few years, including interim general manager, head coach and director of the youth academy. Regardless of his title, Leitch has always put an emphasis on player development and has been integral in the growth of the Quakes Academy.
We sat down with Leitch to discuss the team’s recent accomplishment of having four Homegrown Players make an appearance in a single MLS match, the team’s affiliation with Reno 1868 FC, and more.
sjearthquakes.com: Sunday’s match marked the first time the Earthquakes had four Homegrown Players take the field. How does that make you feel?
Chris Leitch: “I’d say anytime I see an academy player move up the system, it excites me because I know it’s a culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of different people to help get a player to the highest level of soccer in this country. I think it’s really important to understand that there’s a lot of people that share in the success of seeing a young player represent the Quakes on game day.
“Not every player in the academy is going to be a professional. It’s really hard to do. But because these players are in our ecosystem, we know what we’re getting with them and how to challenge them individually. Some players may only take a year or two, others maybe a lot longer, but the whole idea is to have a platform in place that can be beneficial for all to reach their potential.”
SJEQ: Gilbert Fuentes’ debut on Sunday was unique in that he was the youngest player to ever appear for San Jose during an MLS match. Does it excite you to know that we’re able to produce talent at a younger and younger age?
CL: “I think that’s really good. Every time he steps on the field, he gains experience and that’s what it’s all about. All of this experience he’s getting at a young age is only going to help him. The earlier you’re in that ecosystem, the earlier you get pushed, in a good way, and the more prepared you are to handle that.”
SJEQ: Four Homegrown Players have now made their first team debut. Three of the four, Thompson, Marcinkowski and Fuentes, have previously cut their teeth in USL with Reno 1868 FC. How important has this affiliation been for player development?
CL: “I think the structure we have is really important because it’s a vertically integrated pathway that allows us to present players with different challenges depending on their development trajectory. We can give each individual a different challenge based on feedback from that player. If first team minutes aren’t the right choice, we have another area in Reno and USL to present, and that’s no walk in the park either. They have to go there and prove that they’re worthy and good enough to earn playing time.
“In JT’s case, there’s three [first team] goalies. Training is one thing, but when you get into a game and there’s three points on the line, that heightens your senses and expectations on the field. Reno allowed him to get in those real-game situations, with wins and losses at stake, and provides meaningful competition and learning experience.”
SJEQ: How important is the youth system to the future of this club?
CL: “I think it’s really, really important. It allows the technical staff to keep a certain level of sustainability. That sustainability isn’t an absolute. You’re not guaranteed to see kids make it, but what it does is create a pool of players that you know very intimately that you can imprint for years and years so that you can prepare them and answer questions about each player even before presenting a contract. Our job is to put each player in a position to succeed based on what you know about them and the academy makes that easier for us.
“Homegrown contracts incentivize us to challenge our academy players differently than other players in Major League Soccer because of the salary cap and the roster structure. It’s beneficial for the club and obviously for those players. That’s why I’m very bullish on the academy, because it allows you to have that sustainability.”
SJEQ: Our academy players all attend Quakes home games free of charge. How important is it for them to see someone they’ve played with take the field with the first team?
CL: “It 1000% encourages and motivates them. It also creates a realistic aspiration that they can do it, too. There’s a reaction like, ‘This player is only a little older than me and he’s out there playing on Saturdays? He was in my shoes not too long ago. I can do that, too.’ The difference between an amateur and a professional is very small. Now to overcome that margin is really tough to do, but it’s not unattainable.
“Every player in the Bay Area that sees JT Marcinkowski should know he grew up right here. There’s nothing special in the water that he drank that they’re not drinking. He came up through the Earthquakes Academy, which every one of our current academy players can relate to.
“Specifically looking at this last game on Sunday, we had a number of our academy players as ball boys. It helps, and I know this. You see players go through that process that are maybe just a little older than you, or even the same age, and it motivates you to make that dream a reality.”
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