Coaches

Following a comprehensive review of elite player development in the United States and around the world, U.S. Soccer created the Development Academy in 2007 to improve the everyday environment for the elite youth player.

The Development Academy is a partnership between U.S. Soccer and the top youth clubs around the country to provide the best youth players in the U.S. with an every day environment designed to produce the next generation of National Team players. The Academy’s programming philosophy of increased training, less total games and more competitive games is based on U.S. Soccer’s Best Practices utilized by the U-17 U.S. National Team Residency program.

The Academy also connects National Team coaches directly with the Academy clubs to develop and identify players and coaches for future Youth National Teams. Each Academy team is evaluated by a National Team coach at least ten times each year and each Academy club receives two formal evaluations in over 100 categories each year from National Team staff.

For more information on the Development Academy program visit the Academy Overview section.

The Development Academy program directly connects the top youth coaches from Academy clubs to U.S. Soccer National Team coaches to provide theory and evaluate application in a competitive training and game environment.

In addition to regular feedback, Academy coaches gain access to National Team training camps and National Team games, work directly with National Team staff at Academy Market Training Centers and receive invitations to attend U.S. Soccer Best Practices Seminars designed specifically for elite player development in the Academy.

Please contact Scott Flood to learn more about Coaching Education opportunities at U.S. Soccer and the Development Academy.

The Development Academy has grown into the premier scouting environment for elite youth players in the United States. Academy events held across the country provide opportunities to evaluate players in their every day environment.

Since the program was launched in 2007, over 250 players from 59 Academy clubs have been called into Youth National Teams. Another 650 players from the first Academy class played college soccer after graduating from the Academy program in May 2008.

For more information on Academy events, please visit the Academy Event page.