The U.S. Soccer Development Academy season is still fresh and many teams are trying to start well off the gates. One of the major concerns for any team and coach is the chemistry on the field. It’s the variable that comes with the consistency of a group of players working together to create a cohesive unit that can overcome the opposition.

Every team has to deal with heavy turnover eventually, as has been the case for U16 South Carolina United FC. The team that last season won the Academy League’s Southeast Division and had the highest number of wins in the South Conference, will have to deal with a lot of new talent if it wants to repeat 2009 success.

“We graduated ten players to the U18 team and picked up nine players this year,” South Carolina United FC Head Coach Clark Brisson said. “We have been trying to work on chemistry and we have very good talent.”

Brisson used the offseason to integrate these nine new players into his system that plays with three up front. But turning a system that on paper revolves around quick and short passes into a solid and effective style of play on the field is difficult, and takes time.

“We like our players to be technical players, and if they are not, we help them to become technical,” Brisson explained. “In the preseason we worked on different formations to get to know each other. We tried to find the right and most effective combination.”

If the first weekend of action is any indication, it would seem like South Carolina United FC is in the right path to find that perfect combination.

Even though South Carolina let a lead slip away to the Richmond Kickers to settle for 1-1 draw, the team came back the next day and blanked Virginia Rush AJ Auxerre, 3-0.

“We are relying on a lot of players to perform,” Brisson said, “Individually we want to see improvement and help our players perform at a different level.

Two players that he will be relying on heavily are Nestor Jaramillo and Wesley Eads. Jaramillo’s 20-goal season led him to be named an All-Conference player last year (and a TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 selection), while Eads notched 12 goals last season.

Brisson mentioned Eli Dent and Andre Eskiazi as promising players who will strengthen South Carolina’s line-up with their pace, acceleration, and creativity on the ball.

The experience of Connor Shull, Luke Waechter, and Devin L'Amoreaux will also deepen this young and inexperience squad. L’Amoreaux has been part of the U.S. U17 YNT training camp and is ranked as one of our best players in the country.

There might be much left for his players to learn, but Brisson is optimistic about his team’s chances this season.

“As our players have better performances, we’ll become better as a team,” he said. “It will be harder than least year, but it’s a reasonable goal to want to make the playoffs.”