PORTLAND, Oregon — The first MLS Homegrown Game in history wasn’t perfect. There were no goals. The game took more than a half to find a more open, crowd-pleasing rhythm. Some players were held out due to conflicting club duties, and the 0-0 scoreline perfectly encapsulated the match between a selection of MLS Homegrown talent and an 18-man roster of Timbers U23s sprinkled with a few others. It lacked pizzazz.

So while the game itself hit a few snags, it’s hard to argue that it represented an important moment in the league’s history. For the first time, a collection of 36 Homegrown players filtered from the league’s academy systems joined together to showcase the league’s developmental growth since the institution of the Development Academy in 2007. And they did it at the Timbers’ Providence Park, where reigning European champion Bayern Munich will face the MLS All-Stars in the showcase event on Wednesday.

It was a warts-and-all kind of night considering the game’s tenor, but it also signaled something greater.

“This is a very positive moment for the growth of player development in Major League Soccer, something that we probably could not conceive of doing five or six years ago,” said Alfonso Mondelo, who coached the Homegrown team. “To see the quality of some of the players we have here, it bodes well for the future of MLS, the U.S. and the Canadian national teams.”

MORE: Top players from the 2014 MLS Homegrown Game | Thierry Henry speaks out on U.S. development

The Homegrown team was a collection of players who’ve signed Homegrown deals with their respective clubs, and Mondelo opted to leave a significant chunk of his MLS experience on the bench for the first half. That included Dillon Serna, Wil Trapp and Harrison Shipp, all of whom have featured prominently for their club teams this season. At least initially, the game mirrored the inexperience on offer, as neither team did much in the way of grabbing the initiative.

Indeed, it perhaps said everything about this game that Sporting Kansas City keeper Jon Kempin, who played the second half, was given the MVP trophy for making a few choice second-half saves. Otherwise, he simply held the line.

While the Homegrown side had the better of the territorial exchanges in the first half, the Timbers U23s did more to create opportunities. The relatively surprising inclusion of University of Washington trio Andy Thoma, Cristian Roldan and James Moberg - none of whom are tied to the Timbers organization - provided the foundation for the Timbers all evening. With Thoma screaming off the left flank, Roldan holding in front of the back and Moberg operating as the No. 10, the Timbers pushed the Homegrown side the brink several times.

Perhaps the best chance of the entire game fell to Moberg’s feet in the ninth minute when Thoma slipped him a cross across the grain, but Moberg’s close-range effort slammed off the post and out. Center back Fatai Alashe, who enjoyed a steady evening, snapped down a header that came close in the 38th minute, but otherwise the teams went into half looking relatively out of rhythm. No surprise since the Timbers were playing with several unfamiliar players and the Homegrown team had assembled for the first time just 24 hours prior to the game. 

“Soccer is a universal language, so you’ve just got to go out there and play the way the game’s supposed to be played, and hopefully the guys will naturally combine and connect on passes,” said San Jose midfielder Tommy Thompson, who came on at halftime. “It’s definitely easier if you get a couple practices under your belt, but you’ve just got to go with it and seize the moment.”

Mondelo brought out the corked bat for the second half by unchaining Shipp, Serna and Trapp from the bench, and he also pushed on Sean Okoli, Thompson, Zach Pfeffer and Kempin. The addition of so much speed and skill in the midfield punched up the game’s intensity significantly for the final 45 minutes, and chances began to fall more quickly. Roldan had a beastly effort in the final 25 minutes from 25 yards that forced Kempin into a diving save to his right, and the Homegrowns had several occasions where they forced Timbers keeper Justin Luthy to perk up.

Overall, though, the game was more about its significance than its product, which was solid without being overly entertaining. 

“I’ve been with a couple of these guys with national teams and stuff like that,” Serna said. “But here I got to meet a couple more of the guys, and I think it’s really cool that it’s getting a lot of media attention. It was pretty cool what Chipotle did with this Homegrown game, so I look forward to it next year.”

As far as improvements going forward, the idea of an East vs. West Homegrown game or a Generation adidas vs. Homegrown battle next year was bandied about in the postgame locker room. As far as the latter, it may already have some traction among the players.

“I wouldn’t mind it,” said New York Red Bulls center back Matt Miaza, who played all 90 at the back along with Erik Palmer-Brown, Carlos Salcedo and Ashtone Morgan. “It would obviously be a good experience, a good level of soccer, and to see what those guys are capable of as well as what we’re capable of.”

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