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 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 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.
California Odyssey Soccer Club is a proud member of the US Soccer Federation National Development Academy since November 2007.
Each USSF Development “Academy” club fields a team in the U15/16 and U17/18 boys age groups (based on calendar year). Each team is comprised of “Full” roster and “Developmental” rostered players.
The “Academy” season runs from September through June with Finals week taking place in July.
“Academy” competitions consist of Academy Conference Matches, Academy Showcases and the Academy Play-Offs and Finals. Each team is expected to play between 30-38 matches per year and is required to train at least 3 days per week. “Academy” competitions provide ideal opportunities for coaches to scout players in their natural environment. Academy players will have an increased connection to U.S. National Team programs through enhanced scouting by U.S. Soccer National Team Coaches. College and professional coaches routinely take advantage of the improved recruiting environment provided by “Academy” Competitions.
