New York City FC announced their plans for their youth academy on Tuesday, highlighted by the MLS expansion club's entry into the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with a U-13/14 team starting in the 2015-16 season.
Last week the club unveiled a new Youth Development League focused on boys’ teams at ages U-9, U-10 and U-11 pulled from NYCFC's network of 11 youth affiliate clubs across the New York metro area, and NYCFC also plan to introduce teams in older age groups.
But sporting director Claudio Reyna – himself an architect of U.S. Soccer's youth development structures in his previous role as the federation's youth technical director – expressed excitement about guiding that first crop through a full cycle in the DA, widely acknowledged as the top youth competition in the United States and Canada.
“We believe that starting with one team at this age group, we can give those players the best pathway to the senior roster, giving them at least four years playing in the style which we want to establish,” said Reyna in a statement.
“We have a lot more to do, but there is no better starting point than creating the infrastructure through which we can develop excellent young players and help to equip them with the right personal and technical skills to succeed.”
NYCFC's academy will also utilize its links to the state-of-the-art City Football Academy at sister club Manchester City FC and across the City Football network, which also includes sister clubs in Australia and Japan.
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Pledging to emphasize local talent plucked in large part, but not exclusively, from their youth affiliate clubs as well as “talent centers” hosted by the club throughout the New York metro area, NYCFC plan to inculcate their youth players in the same style of play as that of the senior squad under head coach Jason Kreis.
“This is another critical step as we build New York City FC,” said Reyna. “This is a club, not just a team and we want to develop a long and sustainable future, rooted in our community. We want to show the world how much young talent there is in and around New York and make sure we are playing an active and enthusiastic role in nurturing it.”
