Former national team player Jen Lalor, who is completing her seventh season as the head coach of the WPSL’s San Diego Sea Lions, will serve as U.S. Soccer Girls DevelopmentAcademy Technical Advisor for the Southwest Division. Technical Advisors, who serve under Academy Director MiriamHickey, develop scouting networks comprised of U.S. Soccer scouts and collegiate coaches […]
development academy
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Development Academy: Only FC Dallas has a chance to return to final four
By Mike Woitalla Only one team that reached the semifinals of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship in 2016 has a chance to return 2017 semifinals. FCDallas, which is aiming for a third straight U-15/16 U.S. national title, will host the Colorado Rapids in a July 6 quarterfinal. No other 2016 semifinalist reached the […]
Posted inOff The Post, Story
Secrets to the French soccer revolution, seven years after Knysna
Tuesday marked the seventh anniversary of the French player revolt at Knysna, the South African training camp where players refused to leave their bus and train in protest to the expulsion of teammateNicolas Anelka for swearing at head coach Raymond Domenech at halftime of the World Cup match against Mexico. From the national shame of […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Ghana Connection continues: Osman is national boys player of the year
By Mike Woitalla For the third time in six years, the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year is a Ghana product who came to the USA via the Right to Dream Academy, which seeks opportunities abroad for promising young talent from West Africa. U-18 men’s nationalteam GOALKEEPERS (2): Trey Muse (Seattle Sounders; Tukwila, […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS: Three Atlanta United youth players sign HG deals
Atlanta United signed Lagos Kunga, who represented the USA at the 2017 Under-20 World Cup, Patrick Okonkwo, another forward on its U-18 team, and 15-year George Bello to Homegrowncontracts effective Jan. 1, 2018. “Since our club’s inception, we have been dedicated to identifying and developing the best local youth talent and today, George, Lagos andPatrick […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Schalke's U.S. teens eye first-team promotion
By Mike Woitalla@MikeWoitalla Missing from the U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 U-20 WorldCup were three American teens who were playing for Schalke 04 in its run to the U-19 Bundesliga semifinals: 19-year-old Haji Wright, and Weston McKennie, who turns 19in August, and Nick Taitague, who turned 18 last February. Weston McKennie […]
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The Development Academies: The saga ends
Well, actually, the Development Academies (DA) saga does not end here, but my story ends. I had been writing about the DAs for the past couple of weeks so this will be my conclusive article. We had earlier talked about the fact that Bruce Arena’s long list of 32 USMNT candidates include 10 DA products. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Development Academy Playoffs: 23 clubs qualify in both age groups
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-15/16 and U-17/18 playoffs take place June 22-26 at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana. In each age group, 32 of 74 DA clubs qualified. Twenty-three clubsqualified teams in both age groups. The clubs that reached the playoffs in both age groups are: Atlanta United**, Bethesda SC, Baltimore Armour, Capital Area […]
Posted inOff The Post, Story
Development academies: the saga continues
After my last article, some of the readers correctly stated that I did notinclude the U-12, U-13 and U-14 categories in the analysis. I knew I did not and I did it on a purpose. I wanted to see the distribution of the full pledged (U-12 through U-18) and U-15/16 and U-17/18academies in the country. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
NWSL: Waldrum is out as Houston head coach
Randy Waldrum, who left his job as head coach at Notre Dame, one of the most successful women’s programs in the country, to take over as the Houston Dash head coach for its launch in 2014, isout. The Dash and Waldrum agreed to part ways just seven games into the 2017 season. Assistant coach Omar […]