In Las Vegas on June 16, the Sacramento Republic FC Academy’s U13 team wins the international Copa Rayados tournament without conceding a goal. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Republic FC Academy

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento Republic FC Academy’s U13 team won the international Copa Rayados tournament in Las Vegas on June 16 without conceding a goal, ranking first in the Northwest Division for quality of play, rated at 86.2.

Quality of play is a recently-developed ranking metric for Major League Soccer NEXT age groups U13 and U14 as of April 2, according to a Major League Soccer news release. The program was piloted for the first time in contrast to a traditional win-draw-loss standing. The quality of play metrics is calculated using artificial intelligence, run by the platform Taka, providing coaches and players with hyper-focused data.

Sacramento Republic FC Academy Director Eder Quintanilla said that the U13 team is a special group, taking home the championship silverware in 2024 and now this year. The U13 team recruited more defensive players, Quintanilla said, which helps reduce the chances of getting scored on and the new quality of play metrics are a great new tool for development.

“Everybody is still learning what they consider quality of play and which metrics you can measure but I think it’s a pretty good initiative, looking at how we can pay attention more to how we’re playing, how we’re developing our players,” Quintanilla said. “More than just winning.”

Coaches are still asking the league questions to clarify what constitutes as a good or high-quality play and comparing metrics but he sad its difficulty in the style of play will be better for player development in the long run, Quintanilla said.

According to Taka’s website at taka.io, its platform uses raw game footage and analyzes the game play by identifying jersey numbers and corresponding value to their actions depicted in the footage. Highlight reels and statistics are automatically populated for coaches and players to analyze their performance, applying the results to their next practice or match.

“The ‘win or lose’ is like a tool for development,” Quintanilla said. “We obviously use the competition to get better because you need to evaluate yourself, you need to evaluate your opponents, you need to come up with the strategies to win the game, to score goals, to create census but that’s only a tool.”

Quintanilla said the wins might help attract some recruits but their process is to scout the best players in all age groups every year.

“We’re trying to bring the most talented players in the area and that’s not going to change, winning or losing,” Quintanilla said.

Competition is sparked not only within the league but also within the academy teams, Quintanilla said, determining team leaders, minutes and starters.

Major League Soccer NEXT Technical Director Luis Robles said in a news release that individual development is prioritized over competition for the younger age groups.

After the winning season, Quintanilla said, many get-togethers take place in the off-season, discussing new ideas and improvements to make the team better.

“We celebrate but we quickly put our head down again and work for next season,” Quintanilla said.