By Mike Woitalla To gather further insight into American youth soccer pay-to-play, we speak to Eric Sippel, who has vast experience in youth soccer and the financial world. A Stanford law schoolgraduate and nationally recognized hedge-fund executive who is now a private investor, Sippel, during his eight-year tenure as a youth club president in Oakland, California, […]
development academy
Posted inStory
Richard Groff: 'We need to keep doing what we do well'
Longtime soccer executive and administrator Richard Groff, 71, grew up playing soccer in Pennsylvania and first became affiliated with soccer administration as an official with the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association in 1986. He began serving as U.S. Soccer Federation treasurer in 1990 and helped organize the U.S. Cup tournament that served a dry run […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Hugo Perez: It's time for the USA to embrace creative, entertaining, total soccer
When Hugo Perez led the U.S. U-14 and U-15 national teams, he coached what is starting to look like an exceptional generation of American players, including ChristianPulisic, Jonathan Gonzalez, Weston McKennie, Haji Wright, Nick Taitague, Tyler Adams and EdwinLara. Perez was let go as a youth national team coach in 2014 and shortly after as […]
Posted inStory
A coach's life: Benjamin Ziemer combines backyard brotherhood experience with worldwide lessons
By Mike Woitalla Benjamin Ziemer, one of four brothers of the renowned Northern California Ziemer soccer family, serves as the Sacramento Republic’s boys Development Academy U-19 head coach and U-17 assistant, and is a founder and the president of NorCal Premier Soccer. Ziemer, who served as assistant to Hugo Perez on the U-14 and U-15 […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Barron Trump joins D.C. United's Development Academy
Barron Trump, son of President Donald Trump and Melania Trump, is playing in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy. Barron moved to the White House from New York with his mother afterfinishing his school year in the spring, and he is playing for D.C. United’s U-12 team. Soccer journalist Pablo Maurer first tweetedthat D.C. United had rostered […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Combining Dutch, Spanish and American style, Dave van den Bergh leads U.S. U-15 boys
By Mike Woitalla U.S. U-15 boys national team coach Dave van den Bergh grew up playing in Ajax Amsterdam’s youth program, a teammate of future Dutchnational team stars Patrick Kluivert and Clarence Seedorf. After Ajax, Van den Bergh played for Spain’s Rayo Vallecano and Dutch club Utrecht beforemoving to the USA in 2007. He appeared in […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
A new era for girls soccer: Development Academy kicks off in competition with ECNL.
By Mike WoitallaThe U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy — with 69 clubs, 276 teams and more than 6,000 players — kicks off this weekend, a decadeafter U.S. Soccer launched the Boys Development Academy. The Boys DA kicks off its 11th season with 165 clubs, 614 teams and about 11,000 players. It launched in 2007 with […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
U.S. U-17 boys suffer rare loss, beaten 4-0 by Japan
By Mike Woitalla A 4-0 loss to Japan at 2017 Vaclav Jezek Tournament in the Czech Republic marked the U.S. U-17 boys national team’s worst loss since falling, 4-0, to Mexicoin a friendly in Panama in February of 2013. The USA, which opened the Jezek Tournament with wins over Hungary (4-1) and Russia (3-1), beat […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Girls DA adds three more Technical advisors
U.S. Soccer has added Marguerite Ferrell, Vicki Linton and Megan McCormick to complete its team of Technical Advisors for the U.S. Soccer Girls’Development Academy, whose inaugural season launches next weekend with 69 clubs. Girls’ Development Technical AdvisorsMorgan Church(Southeast)Katie Cole (Frontier)Diane Drake (Atlantic) Jen Lalor (Southwest) Marieke Laurens-van Tienhoven(Southwest) Zahra Lechak (Northwest)Megan McCormick (Northwest)Marguerite Ferrell (Northeast)Vicki Linton(Mid-America) […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Scouting network grows for U.S. Soccer Development Academy
By Mike Woitalla The Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy, which recently completed its 10th season, ended its inaugural season of 2007-08 with 25 scouts. It enters its 11th yearwith a network of 125 scouts, who report 12 regional Technical Advisors, the number of which has also increased. This week, U.S. Soccer announced the hiring of […]