Development Academy Preview

Development Academy Preview
by J.R. Eskilson
September 7, 2012

The USSF’s Development Academy, the elite league of boys club soccer, kicks off its sixth season this weekend with a couple of dozen teams in action.

One of those clubs is Development Academy debutante Portland Timbers, which open up their inaugural campaign with a road trip to Los Angeles for games against Chivas USA on Saturday and LA Galaxy on Sunday.

“We know that thanks to U.S. Soccer we got an easy weekend to start off,” Timbers Academy Director Mike Smith jokingly told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “It is the highest level of competition [playing Chivas USA and Galaxy]. After four weeks of preseason, we are excited to see where the boys are. It will be a good learning lesson for us.”

club soccer player FC Delco George TsirukisFC Delco's George Tsirukis

For the 2012-13 season, the Development Academy only has two age groups, U16 and U18. Next season, the Federation is expanding the league to incorporate a U14 age group as well.

Mike Smith is in charge of the U16s, while Adam Smith (no relation) is tasked with the U18s. The two Smiths have worked closely together in setting up the structure of the Timbers Academy, but it is still a work in progress at this point.

“The U16s and U18s play a slightly different style based on player personnel,” Mike Smith said about this year’s teams. “It is a transitional year for the first team [with the wait for Caleb Porter to control in January.] We are all very excited but this year is a bit of an anomaly. We would prefer to have the academy teams follow the first team for an easy vertical integration.”

Smith went on to reference the structure in place with the Timbers first team to the reserves to the U23 team, which plays in the USL’s Premier Development League. Now, the U18 and U16 teams are folding into that with the structure of the youth teams being barrowed from parts of various clubs around the globe.

Both Smiths traveled to various MLS clubs and to England to get ideas on how to set up the Timbers Academy.

“We had to do our research,” Mike Smith said. “We looked at a number of academy models - everybody in MLS utilizes a different system. We had to put in place a system that works best for our market.”

Included in that six is a setup with six local training centers in Oregon and Southwestern Washington for the Timbers to monitor players, but also keep them with the local clubs.

Smith has a friendship with a number of local clubs, so keeping those relationships was important to him. He is confident that the Timbers, thanks to the line of communication with the club coaches, found the best players in the region for these age groups, but was reluctant to put “pressure” on one or two players above the others before the season started.

One player that does stand out from the group is U.S. U17 Men’s National Team winger Rubio Rubin, who is #2 in the 2014 class. Rubin trained with the Timbers Academy during the preseason before he left for the U17 Residency Program in Florida.

While Rubin will only be available when the U17 MNT is on break, Smith is still upbeat about the U16 team and said there is a “good chemistry” with the group.

The Federation is equally as excited to have the Timbers in the mix.

“The Timbers have shown a commitment to doing this right and have put in place funding for their players which is what we want,” U.S. Soccer Director of Scouting Tony Lepore told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “It’s an important market where we didn’t have a club so this works out great in all ways.”

Beyond the Timbers clash with MLS foes Chivas USA and LA Galaxy, there are a number of other games worth keeping an eye on in the Development Academy this weekend.

East Conference:

Montreal Impact FC also makes it debut in the Development Academy with a matchup against Albertson SC on Saturday.

Philadelphia Union affiliate FC Delco opens up its season a road game against Potomac on Saturday. FC Delco U18 boasts a couple of players from the Philadelphia Union U17, which won the MLS Generation adidas Cup in August.

D.C. United takes on U.S. U20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos and his club NJSA 04 on Saturday. United’s U18 team is one of the favorites to win the championship this year with a number of youth national team players on the roster.

West Conference:

Pateadores (Southern California) host Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday in what should be a matchup of two very talented clubs. The Whitecaps U18 lost in the finals last year to FC Dallas.

Santa Cruz Breakers make a trip down the coast to take on San Diego Surf and Nomads this weekend. Both Southern California clubs will be shorthanded with players at U15 Boys National Team camp. 

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