The Youth Academy resumed practice on January 5th in preparation for the first development academy season set to kick off on February 16th in Dallas, Texas at the Winter Academy Showcase. The season is 30 games long, and all D.C. United Academy home games will be played at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown, MD.
D.C. United's U-16 Academy center back, Shaquille Phillips, has been invited into the U-17 Residency program in Bradenton, Florida. Shaq has been playing with the D.C. United Youth Academy since August, 2007. Previously, he was a member of the Bethesda Roadrunners.
"Shaq is a very talented player that we see as having huge potential as a central defender," said John Maessner, the club's Director of Youth Development. "We feel very fortunate to have a player with his qualities in our system. We know that the environment in Bradenton will be great for Shaq, and we will continue to monitor his progress over the next several months."
Midfielder Paul Torres and defender Nicky Yin of the D.C. United Academy are taking part in the U-18 National Team Camp taking place now in Bradenton, Florida. Before joining United's academy, Yin played with the Braddock Road 91's, while Torres played with the Bethesda Roadrunners.
"Both Paul and Nicky have been strong members of our academy teams, have worked very hard over the past several months, and have shown that they deserve the opportunity to show the U.S. National Team staff that they can compete with the most talented players in the country," Maessner said.
Another Academy standout, Ethan White, joined D.C. United in the summer of 2007 after showing himself to be one of the top players in the area with the Potomac Soccer Club. He will also be taking the trip to Bradenton to participate in the U-18 National Team camp. He has shown well for the Academy team in the PDA Showcase, D.C. United Academy Friendlies and the CASL Shootout.
"Ethan is a very physically gifted and explosive player that has huge potential," Maessner said. "This is another great example of how the Academy system is helping to identify the best players in the country by focusing the player identification process."
