Soccer Academy

US Soccer started the US developmental Academy in 2007. This was a result of an extensive review on soccer development in the US. The idea was to identify elite male athletes, put them to reach full potential.

Of course, it is not perfect system because of the size of the US. That means the national team is made up of players from academy system not the entire nation. And who are these scouts?

Now we have Sporting KC connected with the largest club, Blue Valley. Are the coaches going to do something different? Is it good for MLS teams to sign home grown players?

. I felt that for all of you whose children are are of age to try out for the Sporting KC Juniors Development Academy teams (U15/U16 and U17/U18) or their U13/14 team it will give you food for thought. FYI, going forward Sporting KC Juniors will only have 3 teams in the mentioned age groups, hence annually "graduating" players form the U13/14 to the U15/16 Development Academy team. I say "graduating" because if a player can not play in the Development Academy he will be replaced and send back to BV!

I will close by saying that development is personal choice whether in soccer, basketball, any other sport or academics. In my opinion, in the case of soccer it must be a fit that includes a review of the following:
• Financial commitment: nothing is free and no one plays for free anywhere including in our club.
• Development needs based on the four pillars of the game: psychological, physical, technical and tactical.
• Coaching style, philopsophy and methodology: is it clearly defined; is there planning; do you see teams/players developing.
• Balance of the team: administration, coaches, players and parents.
• Competitive environment: types of competition, location/travel demands.