Washington, D.C. - D.C. United announced today the 2008 U-16 and U-18 Development Academy game schedule. In its inaugural season, the Academy will play year-round, with Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter showcases. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy will kick off its Winter Showcase at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas Feb. 17-18, where the D.C. United Academy will play the Chicago Magic and Greensboro.
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"This will be an exciting weekend for our D.C. United Academy program," said Director of Youth Development John Maessner. "We have worked very hard in putting together and preparing an extremely talented pool of players. This will be a great opportunity for our players to showcase their talents in front of a host of college coaches and members of the U.S. National Team staff. We are delighted to be a part of this program and look forward to being a leader on the youth development front."
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Each Academy team will play a 30-game season with eight of the games played in three Showcase events. In addition to the games, the showcases will feature activities including an Athletes' Lounge, Sunday Night Dinner, Gatorade Hydrating testing, Nike Product testing and Pizza Hut Park tours.
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U.S. Soccer, based on a number of criteria, including a club's history of elite youth player development and past success in elite competitions, selected academy Clubs. Academies field one team in each of the two Academy Age Groups: U-16 and U-18. Maessner, who serves as both the U-18 head coach and Director of Youth Development for D.C. United, has considerable experience with the Black-and-Red, having helped the team to the 1996 U.S. Open Cup Championship, as well as the 1996, 1997 and 1999 MLS Cup championships.
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D.C. United's Youth Development program strives to identify and develop the areas top players while providing them with a professional training environment that will give them every opportunity to succeed at the highest level. D.C. United will use its experience and resources as the most successful Soccer Club in US History to provide unmatched exposure to college, professional and international scouting networks, give players the ability to be selected into trainings sessions with our professional team and eventually the potential to sign a professional contract with D.C. United. As part of D.C. United's commitment to the Washington D.C. community, the club continues to offer one of the strongest youth programs in the country.
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The Academy will play its home games at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD, while the Spring (May 24-27) and Summer showcases (June 27-30) will both be played in Rockford, Ill. The top teams from each of the eight conferences will compete in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals the week of July 12, with the Championship Final being played on July 19 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
