When he arrived from Sporting Kansas City in mid-summer this year, new OKC Energy FC Technical Director Scott Rezendes had a clear objective to unify the competitive elements within the club, from its USL side to its youth partnerships, and help OKC remain on its upward trajectory.

Now a few months into the project, Rezendes is already pleased with the manner in which things have progressed.

“I’m really excited about where we’re headed in that direction, and the benefits it’s going to have in our community and in soccer in Oklahoma in general,” Rezendes said. “The key has been to unify and link [Energy FC’s USL team, PDL team and youth partnerships] together, to get the flow of information and the relationship and the players moving up and down through each of those components of our system unified and on the same page.”

A former General Manager in the USL with Wilmington Hammerheads FC back in 2012, when the side reached the USL Cup Final, Rezendes’ experience within U.S. soccer circles has given him great insight into what leads to success within an organization, and a league as a whole. Having been part of SKC while the club first established partnerships with a pair of USL sides, and then introduced the Swope Park Rangers ahead of the 2016 season, the approach by the league and its clubs has been one that Rezendes believes makes sense in the current climate.

“I think in where we are in soccer in this country right now, and the great distances that we travel to compete in our league, it’s really important we’re smart about how we keep costs manageable, so that we can have a slow growth where everything is sustainable,” Rezendes said. “I think my background really lends to that strength in addition to the soccer knowledge I bring to the club and the experiences I’ve had. Combining those two will hopefully make us successful over the long-term as we develop multiple properties under one entity.”