NEWEST U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY TEAMS BENEFIT
FROM FIRST SHOWCASE EXPERIENCE

All Academy Clubs Played Three Matches, and Had
Opportunity  to Experience SPARQ Testing,
Gatorade Hydration Testing and ProZone Analysis in Lancaster, Calif.

LANCASTER, Calif. (Dec. 8, 2008) – As U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy Winter Showcase comes to a close at Lancaster Soccer Center in Lancaster, Calif., all 74 clubs will leave with a better understanding of the Academy’s mission, especially the 12 new clubs that were involved in their first ever Showcase.

Building upon a successful inaugural season, the Winter Showcase demonstrated how the Development Academy is providing players with a superior environment to achieve their potential as elite soccer players. With competitive matches, individualized SPARQ training, Gatorade hydration testing and ProZone analysis, players had multiple experiences geared towards improving their development.

For the new Academy clubs, the Winter Showcase was their first clear glimpse into the program and how it serves as a platform to provide educational opportunities to players, as well as exposing them to competition against the elite youth teams from across the nation. The 12 new clubs include eight from Texas, two in the San Francisco area, one in Los Angeles and one in New England.

“The part that is been most beneficial is the fact that we're competing against the best,” said Under-17/18 New England Revolution head coach Mario Prata, who went up against teams from Washington, North Carolina and Texas. “That alone makes the players better. The level of the games is always good and the players are forced to become the best that they can be.”

The Dallas Texans, who have long been of the best clubs in their region, now has the opportunity to play some of the best clubs in the nation on a regular basis.

“The competition is outstanding,” said Dallas Texans U-17/18 assistant coach David Hudgell. “It's what we expected and it's why we came into [the academy], to have the opportunity to play those teams on a regular basis. Obviously, you get better by playing the best teams.” (Watch Video Here)

Along with playing competitive games, the new clubs are also finding that the structure of the matches – including the no re-entry rule and playing only one game a day – is also a key element to players’ development.

“Their preparation is something that I can see has improved tremendously,” said Texas SC U-17/18 head coach Scott Dymond. “I think they’re better players already because of it. This is a program that is for the players, to better the players. I think in other areas, it’s not necessarily geared towards what’s best for the players. Our kids now, they put so much effort into one game, they couldn’t turn around and play a second game like they normally would in these other tournaments. It’s great to be with the best clubs in the nation.”

For many clubs, even the travel has been a benefit for the players as they have to adjust to a different schedule and make sure they’re fully prepared to play competitive matches.

“(The Development Academy) has been so beneficial for the players and also for the coaches,” said Texas SC U-15/16 head coach Scott James. “We struggled a bit with the travel and playing this morning, so maybe it’s a learning process for us to get in a bit earlier. The experience of traveling, sleeping in a strange bed, playing in quality game after game, it’s new to them. Before, they would only do that if they made a national final or a regional final, and now we’re regularly getting the quality games. It’s only going to help the players in the long run.”

The players on the new clubs – along with every player at the Winter Showcase – were also observed by U.S. National Team Scouting Network and more than 250 college coaches who are in search of future talent. The U.S. staff utilizes specific evaluation criteria including technical ability, tactical knowledge and athleticism to classify players in the Academy. During the inaugural season, 105 Academy players were invited to National Team camps at the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 levels.

During the entire 2008-09 Academy 10-month season, more than 2,000 games are scheduled across the country, all building up towards a playoff weekend in June. The top three teams in each division, along with the top five fourth-place teams, will qualify for the 32-team Academy Playoffs at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. The top eight teams from each age group will then qualify to compete at the Academy Finals Week in July.

The next large Development Academy event will be the Spring Showcase on Memorial Day Weekend from May 22-26, 2009, at the Sarasota Polo Grounds in Clearwater, Fla. More details on the Spring Showcase will be coming in 2009.

- ussoccer.com -

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL TO TELEVISE NIKE INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES
AT 2008 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY WINTER SHOWCASE

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM DEFENDER JONATHAN BORNSTEIN SET TO APPEAR AT U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY WINTER SHOWCASE

CHICAGO (Nov. 26, 2008) – U.S. Men's National Team Defender Jonathan Bornstein is set to appear at the 2008 Development Academy Winter Showcase at the Lancaster National Soccer Center in Lancaster, Calif. Bornstein, who most recently appeared for the U.S. in last week's qualifying win over Guatemala, will come to Lancaster on Sunday, Dec. 7, in the midst of the event which extends over the course of four days from Dec. 5-8.

The Development Academy Winter Showcase will be the first Academy Showcase event of the 2008-09 Development Academy season, though the second campaign of U.S. Soccer's Development Academy kicked off in early September. All 148 teams representing 74 clubs, plus the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team will participate in 224 games over the extended weekend.

Dozens of professional scouts from around the world and hundreds of college scouts are anticipated to attend the event to view some of the nation’s top prospects from the Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 age groups. The head coaches from all of U.S. Soccer’s Youth National teams and additional members of the National Team scouting network will watch and evaluate all 224 games played over the long weekend.

A new component of this year’s Academy Winter Showcase will be the Nike International Friendlies, featuring Under-17 Men’s National Teams from the U.S., Australia and Brazil. The games will be played on a reserved field at the Lancaster National Soccer Center.

Bornstein, who has played professionally for Chivas USA in MLS since 2005, will watch the U.S. U-17's take on Brazil on Sunday. The UCLA graduate and former Irvine Strikers player is undoubtedly familiar with the rigors of the international game, having made 13 appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team since 2007. The California native debuted for the U.S. at The Home Depot Center in January of 2007, and scored against Denmark to mark a memorable first cap in front of friends and family.

The 24 year-old, also played a part in the U.S. MNT's march through the semifinal round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, playing 90 minutes during the team's 2-0 win against Guatemala at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Bornstein plans to tour the Athletes Lounge at Lancaster National Soccer Park, visit the Gatorade bar, and conduct SPARQ testing alongside Development Academy players.

The 2008 Winter Showcase will be the first of two Showcases held during the 2008/09 season followed by the Academy Playoffs and Academy Finals Week. The upcoming Academy Spring Showcase will be held in Sarasota, Fla. from May 22-26, the Academy Playoffs will be held in Greensboro, N.C. from June 26-29 and the Academy Finals Week will be held from July 11-18 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
 

Academy Update - 11-19-08

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CLUBS BENEFIT FROM STRONG COMMUNITY TIES

CHICAGO (Nov. 19, 2008) – By providing strong competition for their young athletes every week, certain Development Academy clubs have earned the opportunity to play matches in front of more than 1,000 fans to create a strong professional atmosphere based on the support from their communities.

Clubs such as Crossfire Premier (Seattle, Wash.), Met Oval (Brooklyn, NY) and Santa Cruz County Breakers (Santa Cruz, Calif.), have witnessed first-hand the intense atmosphere that their Development Academy matches can provide. Each team has hosted matches with crowds of 1,000 or more within the last two Development Academy seasons, and they attribute the large crowds to excellent soccer as well as strong community and club support.

"We try to get a lot of the coaches in our program involved in the Academy program and let them know what’s going on so the whole club takes ownership,” said Crossfire Premier president Brian Klein. “I think the kids get into the philosophy of this club, which is that we’re all part of one club and we build from there. We make it clear that it’s the most important program that we have in the club. It’s the program they aspire to. We encourage the coaches to bring their kids to the games. And, you know, we have a nice atmosphere."

For Crossfire, Klein said the club has around 7,000 players in their recreational system and around 900 more in their Premier system. They spread news of the upcoming matches through word of mouth with coaches and players, and use their website to make sure everyone knows when games are taking place and where. Also, the club creates a family atmosphere, encouraging athletes to bring family members and teammates to matches.

It also helps that professional teams have Development Academy teams, turning matches against Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy into rivalries. Santa Cruz County Breakers captured the attention of 1,500 fans last weekend as their Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 Development Academy teams went undefeated against their West Conference rivals Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA.

The rivalry aspect also works well to draw fans to Met Oval games, where long-standing competition against other local clubs such as Albertson (Albertson, NY) and B/W Gottschee (Queens, NY) draw large, passionate crowds. It also helps that well-known coaches, such as local legend Andreas Lindberg and 2007-08 Development Academy coach of the year Giovanni Savarese, are at the helm of the Academy squads. Met Oval also has longtime grass roots support in the community as the club was formed in 1925.

“The Met Oval-Gottschee game drew a lot of people, the Met Oval-Albertson game drew a lot of people,” said Jim Vogt, president of the Metropolitan Oval Foundation, when talking about big matches against local rivals. “Between the three organizations you have three good clubs that are going to be neck and neck throughout the whole season so you can get 1,000 people to come out and watch those games because the rivalries are that big between us.”

Another facet of community involvement that enhances the community atmosphere involves the use of local sponsors and support to help defray the costs of playing in the elite program. Occasionally, sponsors include parents of other players, who pitch in to help some players who otherwise would be excluded.

“Through sponsors, through hard work, through out-of-the-box thinking, as it is now, the players pay very little money based on what they get in return,” said Vogt. “Hopefully, within the next year it will be free and we'll provide scholarships for players.”

Met Oval’s U-15/16 squad will face off against FC Westchester (Westchester, NY) at the Metropolitan Oval at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 22, followed by the U-17/18 squads at 2 p.m. ET. On the West Coast, both Crossfire and Santa Cruz will rest during the weekend.
 

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

ACADEMY TECHNICAL STAFF UPDATE

We are pleased to announce that Tony Lepore has been promoted to Director of Scouting for U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy. Tony served as Development Academy Scout during the first year of the Development Academy program and will continue to cover the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Divisions.

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center: