US SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY PRESS RELEASES

The field of 64 teams for the 2009-10 Development Academy Playoffs has been set, with games slated for the extended weekend of June 25-29 at in Greensboro, N.C.

• Games Slated for Extended Weekend of June 25-29 at Bryan Park
• 32 Teams in Each Age Group Drawn into Eight Groups, With Group Winners Advancing to Finals Week
• Finals Week Set for July 10-17 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.


CHICAGO (June 11, 2010) -- The field of 64 teams for the 2009-10 Development Academy Playoffs has been set, with 96 games slated for the extended weekend of June 25-29 at in Greensboro, N.C. It will be the second consecutive year that the event will be held at Bryan Park, where Academy teams will play on eight of the facility’s Bermuda grass fields.

 

•    As of May 11, Only Five of 40 Automatic Qualifiers Across Both Age Groups Have Been Decided
•    Fewer Automatic Qualifiers Allows More Teams to Stay Part of the Playoff Picture
•    More Meaningful Regular Season Games Improves Training Environment, Player Development

• Two Minnesota Clubs to Join Central Conference Next Season
• First Two Academy Clubs from the State of Minnesota Provide Development Platform for Players

CHICAGO (April 2, 2010) – After an extensive review process, the Minnesota Thunder Academy and Shattuck-St. Mary’s Soccer Academy have been selected to join the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The two Minnesota clubs will join the Academy at the conclusion of the current season and begin competing on the field during the 2010-11 season.

Additionally, the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders will field teams in the 2010-11 season, as both Major League Soccer clubs have merged with local youth clubs to further player development. The San Jose Earthquakes have joined Mustang SC in the Bay Area of California, while the Seattle Sounders have partnered with Washington Premier FC, providing a professional training environment to their respective areas.

The Minnesota Thunder Academy is based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, while Shattuck-St. Mary’s is located about 60 miles south. Due to the close proximity, the two clubs will immediately become travel partners while playing in the Central Conference. The Conference, and its divisions, will be modified at a later date to accommodate the addition of the clubs.

The Thunder Academy consists of 44 competitive boys teams and 49 competitive girls teams. Alumni of the club include 2002 FIFA World Cup veteran Tony Sanneh and three other players, Leo Cullen, Manny Lagos and Tom Presthus, who have made appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“We have always been pushing to try to find the best solution for players in Minnesota, and being part of the Academy will add to our program,” said Rob Zahl, Director of the Boy’s Elite Program at the Minnesota Thunder Academy. “We will have a lot of resources available to us from U.S. Soccer, and our players will play against the best club teams week in and week out. From our perspective, we can see that the Academy has been breeding success and we want to be a part of that.”

Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a college prep school, has three outdoor fields and one indoor turf field on its campus. Shattuck-St. Mary’s Soccer Academy players attend school and have access to strength and conditioning facilities and full locker rooms to compliment daily training in a set up similar to the U.S. Soccer U-17 Men’s National Team Residency Program and the IMG Academies.

Renowned for its hockey programs that have produced some of the world’s best players, Shattuck-St. Mary’s introduced its Soccer Academy in 2004 and has already taken steps to ensure that their program will fit into the Development Academy structure. Though there are just more than 150 boys and girls soccer players at the Academy, the staff includes 10 full-time coaches and four part-time coaches, many of whom hold USSF “A” Licenses.

“The structure of our program is certainly unique,” said Tim Carter, Director of Soccer at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and head coach of the U-17/18 team. “U.S. Soccer has created a better environment for player development and we have what we think is an excellent opportunity to use our resources and facilities to give our players every advantage to fulfill their potential.”

U.S. Soccer received a competitive pool of more than 200 applicants, all of which were evaluated to determine which clubs had the best potential to generate future national team players. The evaluation was based on a number of categories, including geographic location, history of player production, coaching staff and administrative capabilities.

The Academy program was created to enhance the player development environment for elite youth players in the United States in accordance with U.S. Soccer Best Practices, with specific focus on increasing the number of training sessions, decreasing the total number of games while increasing the number of quality games and maintaining the highest level of coaching, refereeing and competition available in an everyday environment.

Aside from providing clubs with a soccer-centric environment, the Academy program also provides a platform to systematically improve the player identification and development processes. Over half of the Academy matches are attended by a national team scout, resulting in a comprehensive system to evaluate player, coach and referee talent.

Launched in the fall of 2007 after a detailed review of player development systems in the U.S. and across the world, the Development Academy provides players, coaches and referees a nationally-coordinated program designed to enhance their development environment. The Academy has improved the training environment, provided relevant, high-level matches on a consistent basis, increased the level and efficiency of scouting for the national teams and provided players, coaches and referees with structured programming. For more information on the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, log on to ussoccer.com.

• Houston Dynamo Academy Star Signed with First Team on March 4
• Midfielder Joins Select Group of Academy Veterans Who Have Moved Directly to MLS

With the inception of Major League Soccer in 1996, a generation of soccer players has grown up idolizing local clubs and players. Elite young players have been able to dream about suiting up for their favorite team, the one they’ve grown up watching and cheering for.

Since incorporating the Home Grown Player rule on Nov. 11, 2006, MLS has made it possible for its teams to sign a player directly from its youth academy, and on March 4, Francisco Navas Cobo became the latest player to benefit.

U.S. Will Play Against Five MLS Development Academy Clubs Inside MLS Stadiums

• Clubs Must Adjust to Winter Months To Continue Elite Player Development
• Technical Training Becomes A Priority When Clubs Move Indoors

•    Local Mentor Program Utilizes Academy Games for Elite Referee Development
•    Academy Games are Used to Identify Referees Across the Country

Across the country, high level Development Academy games have marked a turning point in referee development. Prior to the inception of the program, referees often had to travel hours each way, every weekend, to obtain the number of games required to advance up the ladder.

 

With stints as an assistant coach during the 2002 FIFA World Cup and head coach of U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team, George Gelnovatch has been involved with soccer in the U.S. since his playing days at the University of Virginia under Bruce Arena.

Now with 14 seasons as the head coach of the Cavaliers under his belt, Gelnovatch has seen his player selection process undergo a major overhaul since the inception of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

 Still a few weeks shy of his 17th birthday, Miguel Lopez is one of the youngest players on his Lonestar Aztex U-17/18 Development Academy team, but you’d never know it. Lopez has been playing alongside older teammates for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve played up for as long as I’ve been playing,” he said. “I’ve always played with the 1992s so I know the guys pretty well and they tend to forget that I’m a little younger. We’re more physical than the U-15/16s are I think, and we play a little faster. That’s probably the biggest difference.”

Keeping in line with recent January tradition, the U.S. Men’s National Team rounded out a three-week training camp at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Centerwith a match against Honduras on Jan. 23 at The Home Depot Center. During the training camp, head coach Bob Bradley led 30 players through the rigors of the international level, and last week, he opened a training session to 26 Development Academy coaches from across the West Conference.

 

• Sarasota Polo Grounds Will Host the Spring Showcase for the Second Consecutive Year and Bryan Park in Greensboro Will Host Playoffs Once Again
• All 154 Development Academy Teams Will Play Three Games Over the Course of the Spring Showcase Weekend
• The Top 64 Teams in the Regular Season Will Face Off at Second Annual Playoffs

Academy Update from the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Staff – Friday, January 8, 2010

• Program Demonstrates Player Development Improvement in Short Two Year History
• Academy Increases Focus on Improving the Everyday Environment for Players, Coaches and Referees
• Six Southeast Division Clubs Begin Campaigns During Labor Day Weekend

• 32 Teams Set to Compete in Each Age Group for Eight Spots at Finals Week
• Derby County Wolves Earn Top Seed in Both Age Groups