A Revolution academy success story

World Cup

Bajraktarevic, whose professional career began with the revolution, is now a regular in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Izmir Bajraktarevic sparked a frenzy when Score the game winner in a penalty shootout against Italy in March to send Bosnia and Herzegovina to their second World Cup ever. It was another crowning moment for the 21-year-old, whose meteoric rise began with the New England Revolution.

Bajraktarevic, whose parents moved to the United States after the Bosnian War, left Wisconsin in August 2021 to join the Revolution Residential Academy program. He immediately began training with Revolution II, and became Homegrown a contract In less than a year. His first appearance for the team came in a US Open Cup match in May 2022. By 2024, he was a full-time starter.

At the end of that season, he was sold to the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth up to $6 million. It was a huge achievement for a revolution that values ​​the development of young players.

“When we meet certain players that we’re bringing into our academy or if we’re looking at a player that we’re trying to sign, it’s a proof of concept,” sporting director Curt Onalvo told Boston.com. “Also, agents end up bringing you more players because of that. So there’s definitely a lot to it. Proof of concept is important.”

Bajraktarevic’s talent was evident from the start.

Rob Becerra, Revolution’s director of youth development, remembers watching a film from a boarding facility. While he claims the tape wasn’t high quality, the play was. It took only 15 minutes during the in-person trial for Onalvo and Becerra to assert their need to bring Bajraktarevic to New England.

“He always had a tendency to compete with players, and a courage in his style of play,” Becerra explained.

Bajraktarevic was quickly turning heads while collecting wins.

Onalfo remembers the 2023 game when the 18-year-old scored the first hat-trick in Revs II history to record a 4-3 win over Philadelphia Union II. Becerra reflected on a postseason win against Union II, when he moved Bajraktarevic to the right, leading to two goals in 20 minutes.

“I spoke to the team and told them to isolate him,” Becerra said. “When we play him the ball, don’t go immediately and interfere with him. Don’t give him immediate support. Leave him alone. Let him do what he wants. Let him play in a 1-on-1 match.

“I look like a great coach. All I did was take him to the other side and say, ‘Guys, get out of his way, let him do his thing.’

His success in these situations earned him the nickname “Milwaukee Messi.”

He completed the nutmeg in his first MLS game, and made the same move with his first touch in his only appearance for the U.S. men’s national team before playing. He decided to play for Bosnia and HerzegovinaHis parents’ hometown.

Moments like these, the match-winning penalty against Italy, and Bajraktarevic’s start in a World Cup match that also included teammate Tajon Buchanan, fill the Revolution with pride.

“What’s really great about someone like Esmer is that pride is not an individual thing,” Becerra said. “It’s not just the academy. It’s not just the second team. It’s not just the first team. It’s all of us.”

Although Bajraktarević’s story is unique, the Revs have several talented players currently on the rise through their professional path. The last window saw six players from the first and second teams called up to the youth national teams.

“It’s a sign that we’re getting better in this area and we just have to keep pushing,” Onalvo said.

This was not always the case, as the Revolution Academy was ranked as one of the weakest academies in MLS when Onalfo arrived in 2019. Changes, including more time on training pitches and increased resources, have seen the academy improve to second place in the 2025 US Soccer Collective report.

Becerra noted that establishing a culture of growth and respect contributed to this transformation. This starts off the pitch, where academy players are trained to clean the bus and make their beds while on the road. Phones and jewelry are not allowed at the training, which always ends with a handshake or knuckles.

“Our mission is to teach you how to be a professional. Our mission is to teach you how to be a better human being,” Becerra said.

The academy is an important part of the organization. Onalfo, as athletic director, is usually involved in recruiting, which is unusual in the league. The head coach of the first team will sometimes also be involved.

“I think what really sells us is the people,” Onalvo said. “We have really good people involved in every aspect, whether that’s a teacher helping with the education or the partnership we have with the Center of Excellence, or just the quality of people who spend a lot of time with these young people.”

Bajraktarevic’s story – an underappreciated talent who quickly rises through the ranks to be sold abroad – is so unprecedented that it may not be repeated anytime soon, but the Revolution is confident that it will continue to develop top-tier talent.

“There won’t be another Esmer in the Hall in a year or two,” Becerra said. “And that’s the beautiful thing about Izmir. You get these special ones, and you have to accept that the player is special. We were lucky to be part of his path.

“But we will produce more professional footballers. We will produce players who will play an important role for our second team, our first team, and some players who have the opportunity to go abroad.”

One of those players could be 18-year-old Peyton Miller, a Connecticut native who was part of the Revolution’s residential academy program, just like Bajraktarevic. He has excelled at every stage of his professional career and is already attracting European interest.

Time will tell what happens, but being part of the journeys of Bajraktarević, Miller and others is a joy for the revolution.

“When I watched Peyton play his first game with the second team, he scored and I cried,” Becerra said. “You’re not supposed to cry like a man and everything else, but I cried because I was like, ‘Look at this kid. We had this kid when he was 14. He’s 15 now, and he’s scoring goals. I get emotional about this stuff.’

“I love my job, man.”