[YOUTH] Clubs from youth soccer hotbed Texas balked at joining the U.S. Soccer Development Academy league in its first year, but eight of them - including the Dallas Texans, ranked the No. 1 boys club in the nation by Soccer America - are coming aboard for the 2008-09 season. Also joining for Year 2 are three more MLS clubs and two Northern California clubs, bringing the membership to 74 clubs, plus the U-17 U.S. national team program.

The addition of the youth clubs of FC Dallas, New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy brings MLS membership up to nine. The Kansas City Wizards will join in 2009-10.

Besides the Dallas Texans and FC Dallas, the clubs from the Lone Star state are North Texas clubs Andromeda SC (Plano) and Solar SC (Dallas); the Houston area's Texas Soccer Club (Spring) and Texas RUSH (The Woodlands); San Antonio's Classics Elite and Lonestar Soccer Club of Austin.

The Santa Cruz County Breakers (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Danville Mustangs (Danville, Calif.) will complement the De Anza Force (Cupertino, Calif.) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In addition to the 12 new clubs, all 63 clubs who have been involved in the inaugural year of the Development Academy program will be returning in 2008-09.

Each club fields two teams, in the U-15/16 and U-17/18 competitions.

New 2008-09 Academy Clubs
Andromeda SC (Plano, Texas)
Classics Elite (San Antonio, Texas)
Dallas Texans (Dallas, Texas)
Danville Mustangs (Danville, Calif.)
FC Dallas (Frisco, Texas)
Los Angeles Galaxy (Carson, Calif.)
Lonestar SC (Austin, Texas)
New England Revolution (Foxborough, Mass.)
Santa Cruz County Breakers (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Solar SC (Dallas, Texas)
Texas SC (Spring, Texas)
Texas RUSH (The Woodlands, Texas)


Click HERE for complete list of 2007-08 Academy clubs.