Landon Donovan to coach MLS Homegrowns at the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game

MLS and U.S. Soccer legend Landon Donovan will coach the MLS Homegrown Team at the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game. The MLS Homegrowns will take on the Club América U-20s at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. MT. Tickets to the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game can be purchased at www.chipotlehomegrown.com.

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The Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game provides a yearly opportunity for MLS to showcase its top young talent and youth development system. MLS youth academies have produced some of league’s biggest stars including D.C. United’s Bill Hamid and LA Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes, both of whom are now U.S. Men’s National Team regulars. In that same company are Chicago Fire’s Harry Shipp, Columbus Crew’s Wil Trapp, New England Revolution’s Diego Fagundez and Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Russell Teibert – all players that have excelled for their hometown clubs and become critical first team players. MLS homegrown products have also become staples on the U.S. U-20 and U-23 national teams. This past June, seven Homegrown Players (Matt Miazga, NYRB; Erik Palmer-Brown, SKC; Kellyn Acosta, FCD; Marco Delgado, TOR; Jordan Allen, RSL; Bradford Jamieson IV, LA; Tommy Thompson, SJ) represented the U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, helping lead the Stars-and-Stripes to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Two of Colorado’s very own – Shane O’Neill and Dillon Serna – have become mainstays on the U-23 squad which begins qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics this fall. Overall, nearly 150 Homegrown Players have signed professional contracts with MLS clubs.

 

As the MLS Homegrown Team head coach, Donovan will select the MLS Homegrown Team gameday roster from the pool of Homegrown Players nominated by MLS clubs, taking into account player availability. The gameday roster will be announced the week leading up to the match. 

By: Editor