Some things in life offer instant gratification. Others take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
In sports, player development is the latter.
The San Jose Earthquakes signed Tommy Thompson as their first-ever Homegrown Player ahead of the 2014 season. Since then, the team has made scouting and developing youth players from the talent-rich Bay Area a major priority.
Players are routinely pulled into the Quakes Academy from all over Northern California, including the East Bay, South Bay, San Francisco, Peninsula and even Central Valley. From there, players are funneled up the ranks while being consistently challenged to progress.