Real and National Team ID Camp

Gage has been practicing a bit with Real Colorado as their keeper training is the best in the state.  This has been an amazing experience and at this particular practice we were informed that several of the scouts for the US Men's National Team were in town for an ID camp later in the week.  I think their general process is to go to both of the MLS Next Teams' practices (Real Colorado & Colorado Rapids) and take the top 10 or so players from each team to pull into a special ID camp.

This is a picture towards the end of practice with Gage in goal.  I think he is still getting to know lots of the team members but is working hard to get better and raise his level of play.

After completing the practice earlier in the week, Clint game me a call the next day and said that they had an opening at the ID camp and he wanted to know if Gage could make it out to Dick's Sporting Good field in about three hours!!  This was a bit crazy as Gage was currently sitting at school in class and had no knowledge that this was coming.  So, I quickly texted him and actually Gage was a bit caught off guard and hesitant.  After some discussion we decided it was a pretty unique opportunity, so I jumped over and pulled him out of class and we headed down to a three-hour ID camp for the Men's National Team at Dicks Sporting Good field.  It was all MLS Next players and Gage and you can't go in and watch so this is the best picture I got of the goalies warming up.  In the end, it was a pretty amazing opportunity and experience for Gage.  I think part of this is so weird for us because we have played competitive soccer for a while, but this new ultra-competitive level is just new and different for us.  Gage is also still just trying to figure out how much he is into it.  He has all the natural ability and physicality to be successful at that level, it is just a decision more about what he wants to do.