CARSON, Calif. - The U.S. Soccer Development Academy is hosting the first Academy Fall Showcase this weekend from October 6-8 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Thirty-six teams from 18 elite clubs will join two U.S. Youth Men's National Teams to play 38 matches during the three-day event. In addition to U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley and other U.S. National Team coaches, the event will draw scores of college coaches from around the country.
"I am very much looking forward to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Fall Showcase. It should be a weekend of great competition," Bradley said. "The Fall Showcase launches what we feel is a very important initiative to provide the best possible opportunity for young players to reach the elite levels of our sport. It will very beneficial to these players, and we believe for our national teams as well."
The games kick off on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m., with a full slate of matches being played Saturday and Sunday. The event concludes Monday morning as the U.S. Men's Youth National Team 90s/91s and U.S. Men's Youth National Team 92s face the Richmond Kickers U-18s and U-16s, respectively. The weekend's premier match features the U.S. Men's Youth National Team 90s/91s facing the Chivas USA U-18s at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday night on the Mooch Myernick Field.
In addition to the slate of high-quality games, U.S. Soccer has also added some unique events and features to the showcase weekend to benefit the participants. On Saturday, the festivities kick off with Minnesota-based Indie rock trio "Seymore Saves the World" performing at 3 p.m. in the athlete's lounge, and continues with a dinner for all participants at 5 p.m. on The Home Depot Center concourse overlooking the stadium field. Following dinner, Bradley and U.S. U-17 head coach John Hackworth will address all of the participants prior to the 7:15 p.m. featured match between the U.S. Men's Youth National Team 90s/91s and Chivas.
U.S. Soccer will be providing a players' lounge that will include TVs, video games, snacks, drinks and computers to access the internet. Gatorade will be on site providing teams with information and product on remaining hydrated, and each team will be supplied with game balls from Nike. All participants will be able to connect to an exclusive wi-fi network via Songwhale to download special video content from U.S. Soccer, enter digital raffles for autographed U.S. Soccer jerseys and more. U.S. Soccer will also be providing each team with a DVD of its matches.
Back from the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, Studio 90 will headline ussoccer.com's coverage of the weekend's event as host Neil Buethe will be on site to cover all the news and highlights from the showcase.
The showcase will also feature the top referees in Southern California as selected by U.S. Soccer's Professional Referee Assignors. The referees at the weekend's matches will be trained and evaluated by the top members of the U.S. Soccer referee department.
The U-18 competition for players born after Jan. 1, 1989, will play 90 minute games with seven substitutions and no re-entry, while the U-16 competition for players born after Jan. 1, 1991, will play 80 minute games with seven substitutions and no re-entry.
In a broad move designed to improve the development environment for players throughout the country, the U.S. Soccer Federation has taken the initiative in formalizing the nationwide development academy. Created to provide players with the best possible opportunity to develop, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy is being initiated after a comprehensive review of player development systems in the United States and around the world.
The showcase matches are the second weekend of a nine-month campaign in which 122 teams will compete in over 1,800 matches in conference play. With 2,440 players, 244 coaches and more than 200 referees participating in individual conference games, travel partner weekends and showcase weekends, the Academy boasts the most comprehensive platform for youth competition in U.S. Soccer history.
