Former CSA Player Giuseppe Gentile, now playing at UNC Charlotte, was named Men’s Soccer Freshman of the Year by Soccer America. SA also named Gentile to their National All-Freshman First Team. He was also selected by College Soccer News to their Freshman All-American first team. Giusse was also named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and was instrumental in the 49ers’ run in the NCAA Tournament culminating with the University’s first appearance in the NCAA national championship game.
"Congratulations to Giuseppe. While he was at the CSA Academy program he brought his best game to every single training session and game in which he participated," said Richard Butler, CSA’s Academy Director. "He joins an illustrious group of players on Soccer America Freshman of the Year list. This is a special award for him. We were fortunate to have Giusse in our program for three years after he moved here from Switzerland. He worked so hard during his career with us to get better each day. Through the recruiting process he was looked at by several schools but UNCC and Jeremy Gunn was the best fit. He has excelled this season through Jeremy’s guidance and I only expect greater things for him in the future.
CSA Director Brad Wylde commented, "This is truly a remarkable achievement for Giussi. He is a player of true talent, but more importantly, his willingness and desire to work hard while staying humble with his achievements is an example we want to instill in all of the players at CSA. On behalf of CSA, we want to congratulate him on a fantastic season!".
FORMER CSA DIRECTOR OF COACHING NAMED US SOCCER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Imler proved a successful collegiate player, earning two NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992 at the University of Virginia while earning second team All American 1992. As a national team player, Imler represented the United States at the U-23 level during the 1992 Summer Olympics and earned a Men’s National Team cap in 1993. During his professional career, he participated in the inaugural MLS seasons with D.C. United and the New England Revolution until officially retiring from professional soccer in 2007.
Erik Imler, new Technical Advisor to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Colorado, comes to the Development Academy after a year and a half as an Assistant Coach with the U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to working with U.S. Soccer, Imler was a Director of Coaching at Charlotte Soccer Academy.
From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center, December 20, 2011
(Dec 2, 2011) CSA Academy Teams Head to Florida Today for Winter Showcase...read more
Press releases from the US Development Academy about the 2011 Winter Showcase are linked below in the Academy Press Release listing. Click here to visit the US Development Academy's 2011 Winter Showcase home page for all US Soccer news about the Showcase and Nike International Friendlies.
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39 PLAYERS SELECTED TO
CHARLOTTE SOCCER ACADEMY’S
US DEVELOMPENT ACADEMY TEAMS
Season openers will be in
December in Sarasota, Florida
The Charlotte Soccer Academy (CSA) today announced the first 39 players to be named to their US Development Academy teams for the 2011-12 season. The group includes four goalkeepers and 35 field players.
U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program is driven by the game and its players, coaches and referees. This game-centric approach allows for long-term development to occur through a deep understanding of what makes players successful around the world. As the sport of soccer grows in the United States, young players in our country need the proper environment to compete against the world’s elite. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy program provides the optimum developmental environment for the nation’s top youth soccer players, coaches and referees by emphasizing development through quality training and limited, meaningful competition.
Meaningful Training
Academy teams spend a greater amount of time focused on training to improve as individuals and as a team. The teams and players receive direct feedback and evaluations from National Team Staff and ProZone video analysis. To round out the complete training environment, Academy teams are tested in their physical capabilities using the SPARQ testing methodology and their hydration levels by Gatorade. They also receive a SPARQ training curriculum for soccer-specific athletic training and Nutrition and Hydration recommendations from Gatorade’s Sports Science Institute. Each athlete then gains a greater understanding of how they compare physically against their peers and what they need to do to achieve their optimum performance levels.
Competitive Environment
The Academy program features teams from the top youth clubs from around the country. Each Academy team plays approximately 30 regular season games to ensure all games are meaningful. Games are also played according to FIFA’s Law of the Game and officiated by a pool of the nation’s top young referees in order to prepare players for the next level of competition. National Team Scouts regularly attend Academy games, so players are evaluated over the course of the season and in their natural positions allowing for better player assessment.
Early Success
As the program enters its second year, it has already dramatically impacted the player development process in the United States. In 2008, more than 100 players from Academy clubs were included in U.S. Youth National Teams and almost 800 graduates from the inaugural Academy class participated in college soccer the following fall. Virtually all college programs use the Academy program as a scouting vehicle and the program has received increased attention from professional scouts representing domestic and international clubs, visit ussoccer.com to view the top Academy teams in action.
To view the latest informationon the Development Academy,
