U.S. Soccer Development Academy

U.S. Soccer Development Academy
Country	United States
Other club(s) from	Canada
Confederation	USSF
Founded	2007
Conferences	3
Number of teams	96
Current champions	FC Dallas (U17/18) FC Dallas (U15/16)
Website	U.S. Soccer Development Academy

The United States Soccer Development Academy (DA) is an American soccer league, considered the top tier of youth soccer in the United States. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer, the North American Soccer League and the United Soccer Leagues. It succeeded the Super Y-League as the premier youth soccer league in the U.S. Its mission is to provide education, resources, and support to impact everyday club environments in order to develop world-class players.

As of the 2015-16 season, the Academy has 96 total clubs, in three age groups: U-13/14, U-15/16, and U-17/18. The Academy is currently in the process of expanding its programming to include 56 new clubs at the U-12 age group and to develop a Girls' Development Academy that will begin in Fall 2017.

Joining an Academy Club

For players to join the Academy, they must first join one of the member clubs. The Academy suggests any interested player should contact the club directly for specific information regarding the tryout process. Clubs can be found based on age group within the three regional conferences.

Clubs must apply directly to the Academy through the ussoccerda.org website. Applications for the Girls' Development Academy are now open. Applications for the Boys' clubs are available in early fall on the Development Academy website. Accepted clubs join the Academy the following fall season.

History

The U.S. Soccer Development Academy was founded in 2007, after a comprehensive review of elite player development conducted by the USSF, to serve as the top tier for youth soccer in the United States and provide an elite everyday environment for player development. The organization was created as a partnership between U.S. Soccer and top level clubs across the country, emphasizing increased training with more competitive games versus more games in general, with the ultimate goal of producing top level players for the US men's national team.^[1]

In addition, the league serves to connect national team coaches at all age levels directly with elite youth players, while also serving as a venue for advanced coaching and referee development.^[2]

The league is unique from other professional soccer leagues domestically, as it runs on a winter-based schedule. The season generally begins in September and ends in June or July. There is usually a hiatus in January and February while players have the summer off. Most of the clubs are associated with professional teams, either in North America through MLS, the NASL or the USL, or with European clubs. The professional teams cover most, if not all of the fees, while the academies offer a pipeline of talent to the professional club.

The league also welcomed two Canadian teams, the respective academy sides for the professional clubs of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Montreal Impact of MLS. The only MLS club whose youth teams do not participate in the league is Toronto FC.

Champions

**USSDA Champions**
Season	U17/18	U15/16
2007-2008	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Carmel United SC
2008-2009	Carmel United SC	Derby County Wolves
2009-2010	Vardar SC Freiburg	Chicago Fire Academy
2010-2011	Pateadores Academy	Los Angeles Galaxy Academy
2011-2012	FC Dallas Development Academy	New York Red Bulls Academy
2012-2013	New York Red Bulls Academy	Real Salt Lake-Arizona Academy
2013-2014	Players Development Academy	Los Angeles Galaxy Academy
2014-2015	Chicago Fire Academy	FC Dallas Development Academy
2015-2016	FC Dallas Development Academy	FC Dallas Development Academy

Original USSDA logo

Growth and Development

Player Development Initiatives

U.S. Soccer's new Player Development Initiatives (PDIs) are geared towards giving players the right tools to succeed and develop to the best of their abilities in age appropriate environments. For more information about best practices, the Birth Year Mandate, and further resources, please visit the U.S. Soccer Player Development Initiatives homepage.

Coaching Education

The Academy offers a pathway to U.S. Soccer coaching education resources and licenses through the Digital Coaching Center.

U-12 Program

The Development Academy will expand to include the U-12 age group beginning in fall 2016. The U-12 Academy program will improve the training environment for players at younger ages by providing more and higher quality training, more meaningful yet less total games, and age-appropriate learning environments.

U-13 and U-14 Single Age Groups

The Development Academy will split the U-13/14 age group into single age groups to create foundation of the pathway at U-13, and U-14 to focus on individual player development. This will provide the base for a long-term streamlined pathway with flexibility to move players between rosters within the club, a better transition period for players from 9v9 to 11v11, and include late developers.

The U-13 Academy Program will follow the same schedule as the current U-13/14 program, consisting of divisional play, futsal training, and a reigonal showcase event.

Girls' Development Academy

The Development Academy is pleased to announce the launch of the Girls' Development Academy in fall 2017. The Girls' Development Academy is part of U.S. Soccer's global leadership position in women's soccer and connects with its long-term plan to improve player and coach development. The girls program is designed similar to the boys program which includes 152 teams throughout five age groups. Initially the girls program will include three age groups of U-14/15, U-16/17 and U-18/19. Just like the boys program, the girls clubs will only play other academy teams and have training at least four times a week. However, girls participating in the academy won't be able to play on their high school soccer teams or Olympic development teams. The mission of the program is to provide education, resources and support to directly impact the everyday environment for clubs to develop world-class female players. ^[3]

Academy Structure

The schedule of the Development Academy consists of a ten month season which begins in September and finishes with championships in July. Throughout the season, mostly winter, clubs will take a break from league play due to the weather conditions, but will still continue to train. During the season each academy team will expect to play between 25 and 30 games which includes six to nine games at the winter and summer showcases. Additionally, teams that continue to succeed in the playoffs have the opportunity to play an additional three games. For the duration of the season each academy team will expect 15 to 20 games on the road which may require overnight stays depending on the location of the games. The Development Academy designs the structure of the schedule for all clubs and it is the cubs responsibility to organize a time and location for each game. However, each age group has their own designed structure.

The U-12 program will have players practice more often, but play in less games.^[4] The U-13/14 program will attend several showcases throughout the year and play in several games. These showcases include the fall regional showcase, winter futsal showcase, and summer national showcase. Along with the U-12 program, the U-13/14 program will not participate in the playoffs. The U-15/16 and U-17/18 age groups will compete in two national showcases and regular season games. These showcases include the winter showcase and the summer national showcase. Additionally, 32 teams qualify for the playoffs and the top 8 will go on to compete in the academy championships.^[5]

Age Groups

The Academy has 135 total clubs, in four age groups: U-12, U-13/14, U-15/16, and U-17/18. These 135 clubs are all located within seventeen (17) geographically-based divisions at the U-12 age group, nine (9) geographically-based divisions at the U-13/14 age group, and seven (7) geographically-based divisions at both the U-15/16 and U-17/18 levels.

The U-12 league is divided into seventeen divisions in three conferences:

	East Conference	Central Conference	West Conference
1.	New York Metro	Chicagoland	Washington
2.	New England	Great Lakes	Oregon
3.	North Atlantic	Colorado	Bay Area
4.	Mid-Atlantic	Texas	LA
5.	Carolina		San Diego
6.	Georgia
7.	Florida North
8.	Florida South

The U-13/14 league is divided into nine divisions in three conferences:

	East Conference	Central Conference	West Conference
1.	Northeast	Mid-America	Northwest
2.	Metro	Frontier	Southwest
3.	North Atlantic
4.	South Atlantic
5.	Sunshine

The U-15/16 and U-17/18 leagues are divided into seven divisions in three conferences:

	East Conference	Central Conference	West Conference
1.	Northeast	Mid-America	Northwest
2.	Atlantic	Frontier	Southwest
3.	Southeast

2016-17 Clubs

West Conference

Washington Division

Academy	City	State
Crossfire Premier I	Kirkland	Washington
Crossfire Premier II	Kirkland	Washington
Eastside FC	Preston	Washington
Greater Seattle Surf	Bothell	Washington
Pacific Northwest Soccer Club	Tukwila	Washington
Seattle United I	Seattle	Washington
Seattle United II	Seattle	Washington
Snohomish Youth Soccer Club	Snohomish	Washington
Washington Premier FC	Puyallup	Washington
Washington Rush	Everett	Washington

Oregon Division

Academy	City	State
BSC Oregon	Portland	Oregon
Capital FC Timbers	Salem	Oregon
Crossfire Oregon	Lake Oswego	Oregon
Eastside Timbers	Portland	Oregon
F.C. Portland Academy	Hillsboro	Oregon
Washington Timbers FC Academy	Vancouver	Washington
Westside Timbers Soccer Club	Beaverton	Oregon

Bay Area

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Ballistic United SC	Pleasanton	California
De Anza Force	Saratoga	California
EBU Bay Oaks	Oakland	California
Juventus Sport Club	Redwood City	California
Marin FC Alliance	Greenbrae	California
Placer United SC	Rocklin	California
Sacramento Republic FC	Sacramento	California
San Francisco Elite Academy	San Francisco	California
San Joaquin Valley Soccer Academy	Merced	California
San Jose Earthquakes	Santa Clara	California	San Jose Earthquakes
San Juan Soccer Club	Sacramento	California
Santa Cruz Breakers Academy	Aptos	California
Santa Rose United	Santa Rosa	California
Star Academy FC	Burlingame	California

LA Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Central California Aztecs	Bakersfield	California
FC Golden State	Pasadena	California
LA Galaxy	Carson	California	LA Galaxy
L.A. United Futbol Academy	Los Angeles	California
Los Angeles FC	Los Angeles	California	Los Angeles FC
Pateadores	Costa Mesa	California
Real So Cal	Woodland Hills	California
Santa Barbara Soccer Club	Santa Barbara	California
Total Futbol Academy	Los Angeles	California

San Diego Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Albion SC	San Diego	California
Arsenal FC	Temecula	California
Chula Vista FC	Chula Vista	California
LA Galaxy San Diego	Carlsbad	California	LA Galaxy
Nomads SC	La Jolla	California
San Diego Soccer Club	San Diego	California
San Diego Surf	San Diego	California
Strikers FC	Irvine	California
West Coast Futbol Club	Laguna Hills	California

Central Conference

Chicagoland Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Campton United SC	St. Charles	Illinois
Chicago Fire Juniors City	Chicago	Illinois	Chicago Fire Soccer Club
Chicago Fire Juniors South/West	Chicago	Illinois	Chicago Fire Soccer Club
FC United Soccer Club	Frankfort	Illinois
FC United South	Northfield	Illinois
Indiana Elite FC	Crown Point	Indiana
Sockers FC	Palatine	Illinois
Sockers FC Naperville	Naperville	Illinois

Great Lakes Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Crew SC Academy	Columbus	Ohio	Columbus Crew SC
Crew SC Academy Wolves	Wixom	Michigan
Fort Wayne United FC	Fort Wayne	Indiana
Indiana Fire Academy	Westfield	Indiana
Internationals	North Royalton	Ohio
Vardar	Rochester Hills	Michigan

Colorado Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Arsenal Colorado	Fort Collins	Colorado
Colorado Rapids	Commerce City	Colorado	Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rush	Littleton	Colorado
Colorado Storm	Centennial	Colorado
FC Boulder	Boulder	Colorado
Pride Soccer Club	Colorado Springs	Colorado
Real Colorado	Centennial	Colorado

Texas Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Dallas Texans	Plano	Texas
FC Dallas	Frisco	Texas	FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo	Houston	Texas	Houston Dynamo
Houston Express Soccer Club	Houston	Texas
Lonestar SC Academy	Austin	Texas
Solar Chelsea SC	Dallas	Texas
Texans SC Houston	Spring	Texas
Texas Rush	The Woodlands	Texas

East Conference

New York Metro Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Beachside SC	Norwalk	Connecticut
BW Gottschee Academy	Queens	New York
Everton FC Westchester	Scarsdale	New York
Met Oval	Queens	New York
New York Cosmos	New York City	New York
New York Red Bulls	Harrison	New Jersey	New York Red Bulls
New York Soccer Club	Chappaqua	New York
World Class FC	Orangeburg	New York

New England Division

Academy	City	State
Bayside FC	East Providence	Rhode Island
FC Boston Bolts	Waban	Massachusetts
Global Premier Soccer	Waltham	Massachusetts
NEFC	Holliston	Massachusetts
Oakwood SC	Glastonbury	Connecticut
Seacoast United	Hampton	New Hampshire
Valeo FC	Newton	Massachusetts

North Atlantic Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Cedar Stars Academy - Bergen	Carlstadt	New Jersey
Cedar Stars Academy - Monmouth	Aberdeen	New Jersey
Continental FC DELCO	West Chester	Pennsylvania
Lehigh Valley United	Whitehall	Pennsylvania
PA Classics	Manheim	Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Union	Wayne	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia Union
Players Development Academy	Somerset	New Jersey
TSF Academy	Wayne	New Jersey

Mid-Atlantic Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Arlington Soccer Association	Arlington	Virginia
Baltimore Armour	Ellicott City	Maryland
Bethesda SC	Bethesda	Maryland
D.C. United	Washington	District of Columbia	D.C. United
Loudoun Soccer	Leesburg	Virginia
McLean Youth Soccer	McLean	Virginia
Richmond United	Richmond	Virginia
Virginia Development Academy	Woodbridge	Virginia

Carolina Division

Academy	City	State
Carolina Area Railhawks - CASL	Raleigh	North Carolina
Carolina Area Railhawks - CASL Del Sol	Raleigh	North Carolina
Carolina Area Railhawks - CASL South	Raleigh	North Carolina
Carolina Rapids	Cornelius	North Carolina
Charlotte Soccer Academy	Matthews	North Carolina
ISL FC	Charlotte	North Carolina
North Carolina Fusion	Greensboro	North Carolina
Triangle Futbol Club Alliance	Raleigh	North Carolina

Georgia Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
AFC Lightning	Peachtree City	Georgia
Atlanta United FC	Marietta	Georgia	Atlanta United FC
Concorde Fire	Atlanta	Georgia
Lanier Soccer Association	Gainesville	Georgia
North Atlanta Soccer Association	Marietta	Georgia
Souther Soccer Academy	Marietta	Georgia
United Futbol Academy	Norcross	Georgia

Florida North Division

Academy	City	State	Professional Affiliate
Armada FC Pro Academy	Jacksonville	Florida
Chargers SC	Clearwater	Florida
Florida Rush Soccer Club	Orlando	Florida
IMG Academy	Bradenton	Florida
Orlando City SC	Orlando	Florida	Orlando City SC
Players Club of Tampa Bay	Brandon	Florida
Tampa Bay United	Tampa Bay	Florida

Florida South Division

Academy	City	State
Boca United Football	Boca Raton	Florida
FC Florida	Port St. Lucie	Florida
Kendall SC	Miami	Florida
Plantation FC	Plantation	Florida
Wellington Soccer Club	Wellington	Florida
Weston FC	Weston	Florida