How the MLS run Academy league will impact youth soccer

Major League Soccer has announced its youth league as the Elite Youth Player Development Platform proclaiming a “new era for soccer development in North America.” It is founded on 95 Clubs including 30 MLS Academies, 5 USL academies and members from the former Development Academy. All in all, an estimated 8000 players will join the […]
SoCal Teenagers Living the Dream

It was a near perfect afternoon for Lynwood native, Ulysses Llanez. Imagine growing up in Southern California with the dream of playing soccer at the highest level possible. Add to that the opportunity to play for the US Mens National Team in your home town at just the age of 18. That is exactly what […]
Different Paths, Same Destination: NCAA Women’s Soccer Final 4

The NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Final 4 kicks off Friday at 4PM Pacific on ESPNU And then there were four. Stanford, UCLA, Washington State, and North Carolina make up the NCAA Division One Women’s Soccer Final Four. I spent some time looking through the rosters for all four teams, and what I found may […]
Why DMCV Sharks Joined ECNL. One word: Community

Established in 1970, Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks remain a mainstay in the Southern California soccer world. Five years ago, Warren Barton joined DMCV Sharks. Since then, he’s been helping the Sharks continue to grow and improve. Sharks have a thriving recreational youth program, and they have teams in various competitive SoCal leagues, including ECNL. […]
ECNL & DA. Is it just about high school soccer? (Spoiler alert: NO)

Fall League Soccer is in full swing. After a summer full of playoffs and tournaments, soccer leagues across the country are now in full-swing. Competitive youth soccer players will be spending their weekends on soccer fields nation-wide. They will be battling for wins, league titles, and the improvement that comes along with highly competitive matches. […]
Scouting for the US Youth National Teams | Must-Read advice for Any Player Who Wants to Improve

The US Soccer Development Academy showcase and playoffs are happening over the next two weeks in Oceanside, California. The top youth soccer teams, like LAFC, will be on the field battling for championships and seeing how they stack up against the best in the country. (If you want to know more about USSDA vs US […]
After years of Development, LAFC is Ready for Its First DA Playoffs

Back in 2016, LAFC didn’t have a stadium. Or a head coach. Or Carlos Vela. MLS had awarded a franchise to Los Angeles, but they wouldn’t play their first game in the league until 2018. They did, however, have an Under-12 US Soccer Development Academy team. From the ground up LAFC ownership had decided to […]
EPL & MLS Champs in San Diego, Youth Edition #ManCityCup

Manchester City are the reigning English Premier League champions.Atlanta United are the reigning Major League Soccer champions.Both teams, as well as a host of other top international clubs, are sending their 2005 boys’ teams to compete in the 2019 Nexen Man City Cup International Super Group in San Diego over Memorial Day weekend. Games to […]
College Recruiting: ScoutingZone at the Girls DA Showcase and Beyond

I’ll get straight to the point. If you want to play college soccer and your showcase works with ScoutingZone, you’d better have your FREE ScoutingZone profile up to date. ScoutingZone has been working for years on improving and refining their system. As a result, the top recruiting showcases are now working with SZ to get […]
Girls’ Recruiting: Adidas College Cup Plays It Smart

In the world of women’s college soccer recruiting, a general belief is that a family has to have their player on a DA or ECNL team in order to be recruited for college soccer. Those two soccer systems, without a doubt, produce college soccer players. However, there are impressive numbers of elite-level players and teams […]
“ECNL has more to offer our girls.” Why Crossfire Premier Is Leaving the Girls’ DA

The US Soccer Girls Development Academy recently announced the arrival of six new clubs into the Girls’ DA program. While clubs are joining the Girls’s DA, more than a few clubs have decided to leave and have all of their top girls’ teams compete in the ECNL (Elite Clubs National League). One of those clubs […]
How do they do it? Crossfire Premier Fully Funds Their Top DA Teams

Among the landscape of US Soccer Development Academy programs, non-MLS clubs are constantly struggling to compete with professional clubs that fully fund their DA programs. Most (not all) MLS Development Academy teams are fully funded by the parent club, meaning their DA players have no out-of-pocket costs. Travel. Club fees. Coaching fees. Food. Uniforms. Even […]
The DA debate continues: “It wasn’t the best fit.” -Slammers FC

Slammers FC was one of the most dominant girls’ clubs during the Girls Development Academy’s inaugural year. Surprisingly to many, Slammers FC then left the DA and returned to the ECNL (Elite Clubs National League). Why? I recently spoke with Christen Press’s Slammers FC coach, Ziad Khoury about Christen’s years of youth soccer. Neither ECNL nor the DA […]
Why does the Development Academy Bar Players from High School Soccer?

US Soccer Director of Talent Identification explains why DA players can not play for their high schools. The Boys’ Development Academy started in 2007, and the Girls’ Development Academy started in 2017. Since then, many families strongly disagree with US Soccer’s directive that DA players are not permitted to play for their high school teams […]
Jairo Guevara – Remember the Name

Jairo Guevara is no normal kid. Born in the United States to a Honduran mother and Salvadoran father, Guevara is on a path the becoming a professional soccer player via the Portland Timbers FC Development Academy program.
U.S. Soccer Releases Updated Information on Girls’ Development Academy

The United States Soccer Federation released an update regarding the Application Process for acceptance into the forthcoming Girls’ Development Academy. Originally announced in February, the Girls’ DA is due to begin play in Fall 2017. U.S. Soccer has revealed that there will initially be three combined age groups in the new Girls’ Academy: Under-14/15, Under-16/17 […]