{"id":810055,"date":"2026-07-18T12:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810055\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T12:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:23:17","slug":"concord-soccer-phenom-16-starting-off-on-the-right-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/810055\/","title":{"rendered":"Concord soccer phenom, 16, starting off on the right foot"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Stephen Tobey \u2014 Correspondent<\/p>\n

\"Co-captainCo-captain Brandon Velez assisted on both Revolution goals for the win over the Colorado Rapids junior squad in Mesa, Arizona, last December. Photo by Janel Apuna <\/p>\n

The New England Revolution Academy demands a lot.<\/p>\n

In evaluating prospective players, its scouts look for the talent and potential to compete at soccer\u2019s highest level and the maturity to handle challenges that many athletes don\u2019t experience until they\u2019re in the college or professional ranks.<\/p>\n

Brandon Velez, a 16-year-old from Concord, had those qualities. He also had something else that made an impression.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played with a smile,\u201d said Rob Becerra, who coaches Velez on the U-16 team and is the Revolution\u2019s director of youth development. \u201cOur scout said, \u2018He\u2019s just so happy out there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the first time Velez kicked a soccer ball, that\u2019s the way it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soccer environment and the kids who play it are so special to me,\u201d Velez said. \u201cGoing to the field gives me so much pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velez is in his third year with the Revolution Academy. Twice he was called up to the U-16 U.S. national team, playing in Spain against teams from Spain, Sweden, and Qatar.<\/p>\n

\"BrandonBrandon Velez at age 7, playing for club team NEFC under Coach Kieran Laverty in Lancaster in October 2017. Photo by Michele Martin<\/p>\n

Early days<\/p>\n

Velez is the third of four brothers. His oldest brother, Jamo, plays for Bentley University and was All-New England and the Dual County League MVP for Concord-Carlisle while playing for a state championship team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After getting his start in the Concord-Carlisle Youth Soccer program, Velez moved on to play for club programs, first NEFC, then the Boston Bolts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI started playing seven-on-seven,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was very enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velez was playing for the Bolts when he received the opportunity to join the Revolution Academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon has super skills and is really athletic,\u201d said Kieran Laverty, who coached Velez at NEFC and now coaches with the Boston Bolts. \u201cIt\u2019s probably his high work rate and attitude that stood out to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velez recently finished 10th grade at the Center of Excellence in Lawrence, receiving a combination of online and in-person instruction. The daily routine starts with an on-field training session from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and a strength and conditioning session from 9:30 to 10:15. From 10:30 to 2:30 he\u2019s in the classroom. There are also mandatory film sessions. Next year, Velez will continue his schooling at Patriot Place in Foxborough.<\/p>\n

\"BrandonBrandon Velez trains on a snowy field at Concord-Carlisle High School in January 2024. Photo by Janel Apuna<\/p>\n

\"InIn a November 2025 victory over Beachside in Foxborough, Brandon Velez scored two goals and had two assists. Photo by Janel Apuna<\/p>\n

\u2018Iron sharpens iron\u2019<\/p>\n

In a 10-month season that aligns with the school year, Velez\u2019s team plays about 40 games in two leagues, MLS Next and MLS Next Flex. In Flex, the team plays nearby clubs\u2019 teams in the next-highest age group. (Revolution\u2019s U-16 plays against U-17s, for example.) In the other league they play teams from other MLS teams\u2019 academies, such as Philadelphia United, Red Bull (New York\/New Jersey), Philadelphia United, LA Galaxy, and LAFC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play against the best,\u201d Velez said. \u201cIron sharpens iron.\u201d<\/p>\n

The academy model is similar to one that many European Clubs use.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a professional environment,\u201d Becerra said, \u201cbut we want the players to have serious fun. There still has to be balance between soccer and life, family, faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BrandonBrandon Velez tallied a goal and an assist in this New England Revolution junior match against New York City FC in Queens this past March. Photo by Janel Apuna <\/p>\n

Velez is recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus in his knee. He expects to be ready to go by the end of July, when the Revolution begins practice for the next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first month was kind of tough, but it\u2019s getting better and better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Velez\u2019s future beyond the Academy includes multiple possibilities: a pro pathway and the chance to play in college. According to Becerra, in the last four years, with one exception, every player who has been through the program has had one of those two opportunities.<\/p>\n

Right now, Velez is open to either one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want [to] push myself to higher levels,\u201d he said. \u201cI have several options. I look forward to seeing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Donate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Stephen Tobey \u2014 Correspondent Co-captain Brandon Velez assisted on both Revolution goals for the win over the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":810056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-810055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}