COMMERCE CITY — The Rapids already have two prominent players on the roster who grew up in Colorado, Conor Casey and Colin Clark.
But club officials considered it a historic development Monday when Rangeview High School grad Davy Armstrong signed a pro contract with the team, becoming the first player to come through the Rapids Academy youth program and join the senior roster.
The academy, inaugurated in 2007, is patterned after the feeder programs associated with European clubs. Armstrong joined the academy when it was created three years ago.
“We know that, for our country to be as successful as it can be in this sport, you have to develop your own players,” Rapids managing director Jeff Plush said. “We can’t be in the situation where we’re going out and acquiring players from around the world to build our rosters. You have to have a development system. So it’s a very exciting day.”
Armstrong, 18, graduated from Rangeview this past spring and signed a letter of intent with the University of Washington. Then the Rapids made him a better offer — to turn pro.
“I always dreamed about it, but I never thought the day would come this early,” said Armstrong, a midfielder. “I thought some day after college, but I never thought it’d be straight out of high school.”
Rapids coach Gary Smith likes Armstrong’s physical attributes and his “mentality,” lauding his poise and work ethic.
“He shows great technical attributes, and for a young man shows some calm and collected emotions,” Smith said. “There’s no doubt the potential he has. If we can harness that and develop that, he is certainly going to be a great product for the future.”
Armstrong has been training with the Rapids’ senior team the past month.
“The first time I stepped on the field, I was so nervous,” Armstrong said. “It was a totally different game. Everything was going 100 mph, it was hard to keep up. Probably the second week in, I was able to settle down, just play my game.”
The mission of the Rapids Academy is to identify promising local youth players, develop them and help them progress to the highest level their talent will allow. Approximately 200 children are involved.
To the Rapids, Armstrong’s development shows the academy is working.
“This legitimizes what we’re doing at the youth level,” said Rapids technical director Paul Bravo, who played for the team from 1996-2001. “This shows this is a true pathway from the youth side all the way up into the first team.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
