From L.A. to Philly, David Vazquez’s Union Academy life could have gone a different direction

If not for a misplaced bag, the dual-national talent might be playing for Chivas and the U-17 team of Mexico, but instead, he traveled even further from home to join the Union.

David Vazquez is a member of the Union Academy and the U-17 boys U.S. national team.Read morePhiladelphia Union

by Andrea Canales and Jonathan Tannenwald

Published March 30, 2023, 8:00 p.m. ET

An assist from American Airlines helped get David Vazquez to Philadelphia, the Union’s youth academy and the U.S. under-17 men’s national team — where the forward prospect had five assists in their games this February to help the team qualify for this year’s under-17 World Cup.

Like many Mexican-American families in the Los Angeles area, the Vazquez family members are loyal and longtime Chivas supporters. The famed Liga MX club had invited David, now 17, to train at their facilities in Mexico and potentially sign a youth contract. This happened last year, right after the Union made a similar offer with an onsite visit.

“Everything was set up, and then I lost my bag with my passport and David’s passport, so we weren’t able to go to Guadalajara,” Manny Vazquez, David’s father, said.

Union academy director Tommy Wilson explained how an MLS team in Philly was even competing against the most beloved soccer club in Mexico over a young player from L.A.’s Total Futbol Academy, a youth club unaffiliated with either of the pro clubs in the city, Los Angeles FC and the Galaxy.

“We have got a national scouting network that has identified a number of top players,” Wilson said. “What crystallized it with me was [the Union Academy squad] played against [TFA] in one of the tournaments and even though we won the game, he stuck out as one of their best players.”

For David, the offer to train in a professional environment and experience firsthand the development system that helped launch the European careers of Brenden and Paxten Aaronson, among others, was tempting.

“I got the chance, went to Philadelphia,” said David. “Once I got there, I immediately fell in love with their facility and just their culture and the brotherhood that was just there.”

His mother, Denise, was reassured by how the educational component of the YSC Academy integrated soccer training with lodging overseen by a friendly ‘house mom’ who she immediately felt comfortable with.

“They have everything there,” Denise Vazquez said. “I thought it was the best thing for him.”

Even though Philadelphia was 1,139 miles further away from Los Angeles than Guadalajara, the father who had nurtured his son’s love for the game since he was young sensed it was the right environment for David.

“I wanted him to kind of be immersed in soccer and [the Union Academy] was the place that I felt like he’d be able to eat, breathe, sleep it the whole time,” Manny said.

Deciding on accepting the Union’s offer turned out to be the easiest part of the transition. The hard part? Getting clearance to officially play for the Union Academy team due to difficult MLS territory rules over young players — even those not in MLS academies.

“We had to negotiate with both L.A. clubs before we could bring him into our academy,” Wilson said.

Meanwhile, over a period of weeks from February to April 2022, David was unable to play with the Union Academy team in any official matches. Though his parents were frustrated on his behalf, David assured them he was willing to wait, which confirmed their instincts that they’d chosen the right place for him.

That feeling of making the correct choice was compounded when David was finally cleared to play and helped the U-17 Union squad win the MLS Next tournament in July, scoring the tying goal in the final.

This season, David is an official member of Union II, the reserve squad.

Union manager Jim Curtin didn’t hold back from criticizing the territory issues, which can restrict the options of young players to go wherever they believe they’ll develop best. It’s evolving, but some clubs can still choose to not allow players to move to academies out of the area.

“Homegrown restrictions are changing,” said Curtin. “There’s more of an openness to not block kids from reaching their dreams, which is to be a pro soccer player.”

Curtin started his tenure with the Union as an academy coach and has kept up with the emerging talents in the ranks even as he now guides the senior team.

“In the instance of Vazquez, you see a really talented player who did great for the U.S. national team,” Curtin said.

David himself, while proud of his five-assist performance during the Concacaf qualifying tournament, felt he could improve.

“I did well, but I think during the next couple of camps I think I should start shooting for the goal more,” he said.

Eager to prove himself in the next camp, David is out to secure a spot in the United States U-17 World Cup roster. When he analyzes where he’s improved most since he arrived in Philadelphia last year, David mentions better stamina, toughness and versatility. He’s now confident playing in different positions on the field, because he’s been moved around in training and games. His parents note their son has become more articulate and independent since moving from L.A.

“He’s got more to his game than a typical center-forward,” said Wilson of Vazquez. “He’ll run back and defend; he can play as a [No.] 7, 11, a 9, a 10.”

(Those are, in order, the two winger spots, striker, and attacking midfielder.)

“He could even play as a midfield player,” Wilson continued. “He’s just got so many strengths.”

Those missing passports helped push the Vazquez family away from what was once their dream destination and instead set David’s destiny on the Union and perhaps one day, the senior U.S. men’s national team. That wouldn’t be possible in Guadalajara. Chivas has long had a strict policy of not allowing any of their club players, even at the academy level, to play for a non-Mexican national team.

“We kind of took it as a sign,” Manny Vazquez said of the documents being unavailable. “Things sometimes happen for a reason. It was funny, a few days after we made the decision [for David] to go to Philadelphia, American Airlines returned my bag — they found my bag and returned it with the passports.”