U.S. Soccer Development Academy Teams To view the lastest Academy information, including schedules, standings, player rosters, and contact information please visit the team Academy pages below.

U-15/16 Boys U.S. Academy

U-17/18 Boys U.S. Academy

USSF ACADEMY NEWS LATEST NEWS FROM THE USSF DEVELOPMENTAL ACADEMY

 

Developing the Next Generation 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 is needed to achieve their optimal 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 Laws 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 grows in its success, it has already 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. Visitussoccer.comto view the top Academy teams in action.	Media Center Find out more about the Development Academy by watching these videos:   Development Academy: What 's it About?   Development Academy: What’s Next   Bob Bradley Speaks to Academy Member   Every Day Training; Individual Training Team Training   Off-Field Lifestyle   Games
	Resources   US Soccer Development Academy Official Web Site   USSF Academy Powerpoint Presentation   Sparq Training   Nutrition
	U.S. Soccer FAQ Further questions about the Development Academy can be answered in the U.S. Soccer FAQ link below.   USSF Development Academy FAQ
	Tryout Information If you would like to tryout for the Texans USSF Developmental Academy Teams, please contact the USSF Director Scott James.   scott@texanssoccer.com 281-355-9362

 

TEXANS SOCCER CLUB - HOUSTON

USSF ACADEMY ARTICLES

 

July 7, 2011

Congratulations to Texans SC - Houston player Tony Rocha, a member of the U18 Texans SC Houston USSF Academy, for being named to the Central Conference starting XI. Tony now moves on to the University of Tulsa to continue his soccer career.

Congratulations to Texans SC - Houston player Luis 'Jerry' Ramirez for making the Academy post season honors. Luis played up on the Texans U18 Academy team and was recognized for his stellar contributions on weekly basis.

Central Conference: U16 Starting XI
GOALKEEPER: Jacole Turner (Sporting Kansas City)
DEFENDERS: Luis Ramirez (Texas SC Houston), John Pothast (Sockers FC), Vernon Bailey (Dallas Texans), Mo Kaba (Vardar)
MIDFIELDERS: Ricardo Perez (Colorado Rapids), Zachary Mathers (Solar Chelsea SC), Alan Arellano (Houston Dynamo)
FORWARDS: Kekuta Manneh (Texas Rush AJ Auxerre), Nick Jones (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri), Bobby Edet (FC Dallas)

Central Conference: U18 Starting XI
GOALKEEPER: Jeff Gal (Sockers FC)
DEFENDERS: Jack Coleman (FC Dallas), AJ Cochran (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri), Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas), Peter Beasley (Chicago Fire)
MIDFIELDERS: Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire), Wil Trapp (Crew Soccer Academy), Tony Rocha (Texans SC Houston)
FORWARDS: Khiry Shelton (Lonestar SC Academy), Jon Top (FC Dallas), Amadou Dia (Real Colorado)

 

December 9, 2010

Phoenix, AZ - Michael King (U18), Christian Duarte (U18), and Louis Ramirez (U16) have been selected to attend the U17 MNT Residency Camp in Bradenton FL, from Dec 12th-17th. The purpose of the camp is to identify players for Spring residency spots. Duarte and King were also selected to participate in the USSF Academy Showcase All Star Game at the Winter Showcase in AZ. It was a great experience for all the players who attended.

Both U16 and U18 academy teams returned from this years Winter Showcase were they played three non-conference games against De Anza Force (CA) Concorde Fire (GA) and Real So Cal (CA). The U16 tied ,won and lost. The U18 tied , lost and tied there 3 games. There were more than 350 coaches representing the national teams, professional clubs and colleges in attendance. VIEW COACHES LIST

Both U16 Texans SC captains Ramirez, Lopez and U18 Texans SC captains Vasquez and Rocha met Claudio Reyna to listen to the Academy Respect Initiative that has been put in place. The Respect initiative is one of the most important themes of the 2010-11 Development Academy season. U.S. Soccer Youth Technical Director Claudio Reyna stressed the importance of respecting the game by meeting with captains and coaches of each Academy team. He also sat down with www.ussoccer.com to discuss the campaign. WATCH

 

March 12, 2010

TEXANS SC TO PLAY U17 MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM MAY 20th
THE U.S. U17 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM WILL FACE 10 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CLUBS FROM MARCH UNTIL MAY

In addition to playing MLS Academy clubs in professional stadiums, the U.S. U17s will also face off against five other Academy clubs that have demonstrated a strong commitment to player development. The U.S. will play Indiana United Academy on March 25, Chicago Magic on April 12, Dallas Texans on May 6 and Texas SC DTH on May 20.

 
U.S. U17 MNT Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera: “Whenever we have the chance to play against one of the older Development Academy teams, it helps our younger players a lot,” Cabrera said. “That is very positive for our players because the demands are greater, the speed of the game is faster, it makes the game harder and they have more responsibilities and can improve their level of play.

“It’s very positive, and it’s also very positive to be able to play against the Development Academy clubs because they are clubs that can give our players the best competition at a national level."

To read more follow:  http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Development-Academy/2010/03/US-U17-MNT-To-Face-10-Development-Academy-Clubs-From-March-Until-May.aspx

 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Written by ESNN (Elite Soccer News Network)

Texas SC DTH’s Mark Wagih Gendi provided the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Solar SC, and the SC DTH U16s used a similar clutch effort in their win over Solar.

After Solar’s Murphy Short tied the contest 1-1 in the 74th minute, Leobardo Vazquez came right back with the clincher in the 79th minute as his club broke a set of Texas Solar hearts in one weekend.

Other impressive individual efforts on the U16s side included Jesse Caron, whose two goals lifted the Clearwater Chargers to a 2-2 tie with the Atlanta Fire United.  Haakon Taylor scored a couple of goals in an easy Northwest Division win for Crossfire Premier against Santa Cruz County.

Two Texas squads anticipating a duel were Andromeda and the Dallas Texans, but the action was rained out and will likely be made up this weekend.

One disappointed party was U16 Texans coach Hassan Nazari, who was looking forward to getting the new campaign started. In a lot of ways Dallas feels like they’re ripe for success.  Both of the club’s teams made the Academy National Finals and came up short. But this year the Texans feel they’re better equipped to take the next step forward.

“Last year we were playing a little under-aged and both of our teams really got some great experience,” Nazari said. “This year we have everyone on the right level and I feel like we should do some things.”

At the top level for the Texans, it starts with midfielder Zach Barnes along with strikers Connor Doyle and Blake Wise.

Barnes is the perfect ball controller who moves forward well without ever compromising the defense, while Doyle and Wise bring firepower in distinctly different packages – Doyle as a tall versatile player and Wise as a strong and sturdy speedster with a dangerous right foot.

The U16s are headlined by defender Aaron Simmons, goalkeeper Kevin Wright, midfielder Andre Reyes.

Reyes is a good attacking midfield player, and a hard worker who can cover a lot of territory while Simmons and Wright can help to keep the defense grounded.

The Texans are known for being one of the top clubs in the country and this year will do little to refute that reputation.

 

SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

USSF Press Release

THIRD YEAR OF  U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY PROGRAM KICKS OFF ON SEPT. 5

• - 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

CHICAGO (Sept. 3, 2009) – U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program will kick off the third year of the program this weekend with an increased focus on improving the everyday environment of youth soccer in the United States and improving the overall development of the more than 4,000 players, 600 coaches and 900 referees participating in the program.

 

Since the launch of the  Development  Academy in the fall of 2007, the program has dramatically changed the elite youth soccer environment over the last two years. Providing more than just a competitive league for the nation’s top 77 clubs, the program is focused on improving the every day training environment for elite players, so they can fulfill their potential as international, professional or collegiate soccer players.

 

"We saw a lot of growth in the program the first two years, and on many levels it has exceeded our expectations,” said Development Academy Director of Scouting Tony Lepore. “Still, we are constantly evaluating our progress and identifying areas where we need to get better. We want to take the opportunity this year to implement more market training centers, build an increased focus on everyday training environments, strengthening our scouting network even more and increase its value and connection to our national teams programs."  

 

Lepore’s observations on the first two years of growth are supported by ProZone and SPARQ data from the first two years of the Academy program. ProZone video analysis has demonstrated that the level of play has improved since the first year of the program, as analysis of footage from the Winter Showcases in 2007-08 and 2008-09 has recorded improved passing efficiency, more one touch passes, more sophisticated passing tactics and improved shooting accuracy. Additionally, SPARQ analysis has demonstrated that player athleticism is improving over the course of an Academy season as average scores in all four of the soccer-specific athletic tests conducted by SPARQ increased from the Winter to the Spring Showcases in 2008-09.

 

The Academy program has also proven to be a successful platform to identify players for national team and collegiate teams. Each Academy team was observed at least 20 times by a National Team scout in 2008-09, resulting in more 250 players from 59 different Academy clubs being selected for a youth national team camp since the program’s launch in 2007. Additionally, Academy Showcases have attracted 200-300 college coaches and over 85% of graduates from the inaugural Academy class participated on college soccer teams in the following season.

 

The Academy program will provide increased resources in 2009-10 to improve the training environment at Academy clubs by providing more educational opportunities for Academy coaches and increasing the amount of Academy training evaluations performed by National Team coaches. Training sessions will be evaluated by National Team staff based on the quality of the training session, effectiveness of the coaching, mentality of the players, training facility and overall training environment.

 

While many Academy clubs have already begun training for the 2009-10 season, six Southeast Division clubs will begin their 2009-10 Academy seasons this weekend. Weston FC, one of the  Development  Academy ’s newest members, will play the first official game of the 2009-10 Academy season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at home against Birmingham United. Miami FC Kendall and Atlanta Fire United also open their seasons on Saturday afternoon, while AFC Lightning and Concorde Fire will play on Monday, Sept. 7.

 

Highlighting the third year of the  Development  Academy will be the Winter Showcase, Dec. 2-5 at the Reach 11 complex in  Phoenix, Ariz, and the Spring Showcase from May 28-June 1 at a location to be determined. Academy Playoffs will once again be held at Bryan Park in  Greensboro,  N.C., from June 25-29 and Finals Week at The Home Depot Center is set for July 10-18. U.S. Soccer will continue to provide extensive coverage of the 2009-10  Development  Academy season at ussoccer.com.    

 

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