12 Jun 2016
MLS legend Landon Donovan was announced by the Major League Soccer as the coach for the Homegrown team against Mexico Under-20 National Team in the third annual Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game on July 27 at 6 p.m. PT at Avaya Stadium as part of the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Week.
For the first time in its history, the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game will be broadcast live on national television on UDN. One of the most highly anticipated events of the year, the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game provides an annual platform in which to showcase MLS’ burgeoning young talent and demonstrate the growth of the league’s youth development system.
MLS academies continue to attract and cultivate topflight prospects and have now produced over 150 Homegrown Players who have signed professional contracts with MLS clubs. Vital to the long-term success of their clubs, Homegrown Players now serve more important and visible roles than ever, with academy products logging a record 54,000 minutes played in 2015, more than quadruple the minutes played in 2011.
Homegrown Players have also become significant contributors at the international level with the U.S. and Canadian youth and senior national teams relying on some of the league’s most exciting and promising young players. In 2016, four Homegrown standouts: Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas) and Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC), combined for a total of nine caps for the senior U.S. Men’s National Team, while Morris, Acosta and Trapp also proved indispensable for the U.S. U-23s in recent Olympic qualifiers.
Five Homegrown Players have been tapped for the Canadian Men’s National Team so far this year, with Maxime Crepeau (Montreal Impact), Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) Wandrille Lefevre (Montreal Impact), Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Marco Bustos (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) all suiting up for The Reds.