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As far as homegrown players go, the New England Revolution’s Diego Fagundez and Scott Caldwell have set the bar quite high, though there’s an expectation that Zachary Herivaux will join them at the top.
Herivaux, who can play in both central midfield and defense, is a 19-year old, soon-to-be high school graduate who turned down a scholarship at Providence College to sign a contract with the Revolution and follow his dream of playing professional soccer.
Herivaux is just the third homegrown player in Revolution history. The club is in the bottom four of MLS for signing Academy players, though they’re perfectly satisfied with that distinction.
“It’s about quality, not quantity,” said Bryan Scales, the Revolution’s director of youth development, in a phone interview.
Fagundez has been cap-tied to Uruguay, a notoriously competitive international fold, and has led the Revolution in scoring. Caldwell has emerged as one of the most consistent midfielders in the league, pairing well with any partner and asserting himself as a smart passer and possession-keeper.
The expectation is that Herivaux will follow the same path and eventually work his way into the starting lineup. Now a member of the senior team, Herivaux is eligible for selection against Orlando City this Friday, though head coach Jay Heaps is content with having him develop more first.
“The most important thing is getting into this environment, getting him here five, six days a week, getting him on a program with our strength and conditioning coaches, and getting him set into a professional environment,” Heaps said.
“We have a crowded summer as well,” Heaps added. “We’ll have some absentee players with call-ups and injuries. It’s not out of the question that he can see some game time, but we want to make sure this early process is taken care of the right way and that he adapts well.”
Herivaux is ready to get going, even if it doesn’t mean playing time right away. He and his parents sat down to discuss the prospects of signing a professional contract and foregoing college, the Brookline, Mass. native eventually choosing to sign with his hometown team. He’s played at the youth level for Haiti, but is not cap-tied and was previously scouted by the U.S. The Revolution first saw Herivaux at one of their training centers, later tabbing him from former Revolution star Shalrie Joseph’s academy and including him in the senior team’s preseason camp for two consecutive years.
“I called Shalrie when I signed my contract and told him it would obviously be cool to have his number,” said Herivaux, who will wear Joseph’s old no. 21 for the Revolution. “It was awesome, he was happy that it all worked out.
“He’s been there since my first club days. I used to watch him play all the time, watching him on the weekends, and then he would come and watch me.”
Joseph was instrumental for the Revolution between 2003 and 2011, serving as a physical general in midfield and even filling in at center back and as a striker. Herivaux, listed at 6’1,” has the build to be the same dominant force, though he’ll need to further develop both physical and tactically.
The Revolution Academy, which got some investment from the transfer fee awarded to the Revolution for Clint Dempsey’s 2007 deal to the English Premier League, has been a key part of the club’s success in recent years. On Monday, General Manager Mike Burns called the Revolution “selective” in the way they sort out academy players. But that formula, despite its strictness, hasn’t limited the Revolution.
“You can never predict how a player will turn out when they’re really young,” added Scales. “You only see how they adapt and how they react.
“What separates the talented players from the great players is their mentality,” said Scales. “Zach is very competitive and very level-headed, which makes a big difference when you’re trying to be a professional soccer player.”
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
