D.C. United Press Release: Academy Update

D.C. United Academy Update

U-18’s and U-16’s to compete in Academy Carolina Cup, Collin Martin called into U-20 MNT camp

Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2012) – D.C. United’s U-18 and U-16 Academy teams are set to compete in the Development Academy Carolina Challenge Cup from February 24 – 27. The tournament will take place in Charleston, South Carolina in conjunction with the Carolina Challenge Cup, featuring youth teams from Columbus Crew, Indiana United Fire, Chicago Fire, New York Red Bulls and the South Carolina United Battery.

D.C. United will kickoff against Indiana United Fire on Friday, February 24, with the U-18’s playing at 6:00 p.m. and the U-16’s at 8:15 p.m. The Development Academy teams will have a rest day on Saturday, February 25 allowing them to attend match day one of the Carolina Challenge Cup.

On Sunday, February 26, United’s U-18’s will face their Chicago Fire counterparts at 9:00 a.m., while the U-16’s will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. United will conclude the tournament against the Columbus Crew, with the U-18’s playing at 9:00 a.m. and the U-16’s at 11:00 a.m.

D.C. United midfielder Collin Martin has been named to the 26-player roster for the U.S. U-20 MNT training camp in Clermont, Fla. The camp began Monday, February 20 and will run until March 1. As part of the camp, the U.S. U-20 MNT will face the reserve teams from FC Dallas on Sunday, February 26 at 4:00 p.m. ET and Montreal Impact on Wednesday, February 29 at 10:30 a.m. ET. Both games will take place at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex.

United U-14 and U-15 teams played in the Northeast Pre-Academy League Spring Scouting Showcase last weekend at the Germantown Soccerplex. The tournament was designed for academy players to showcase their skills in front of U.S. Soccer scouts.

The U-14’s faced NJSA, McLean and FC Westchester, compiling a record of 1-1-1, respectively. United’s U-15 squad played against NJSA, Matchfit FC and FC Boston, finishing the weekend with a record of 2-1-0.   

About the USSF Development Academy
U.S. Soccer created the Development Academy in 2007 to improve the everyday environment for the elite youth player.

The Development Academy is a partnership between U.S. Soccer and the top youth clubs around the United States to provide the best youth players in the U.S. with an every day environment designed to produce the next generation of National Team players. The Academy’s programming philosophy of increased training, less total games and more competitive games is based on U.S. Soccer’s Best Practices utilized by the U-17 U.S. National Team Residency program.

Carolina Challenge Cup
The Carolina Challenge Cup is the premier pre-season tournament in the U.S. Each year the Battery is joined by three teams from Major League Soccer for the round-robin competition. The 2012 edition includes the Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United and the Charleston Battery with match days on February 25, 29 and March 3.

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