FRISCO, Texas - The FC Dallas Academy teams are right back to action this weekend on the heels of their most successful season to date last year.
Many of last year’s Academy players have advanced to the next age group as the new U-13, -14, -15, -16 and -18 teams all open up their 2015-16 seasons this weekend against Solar Chelsea SC at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco.
Team |
Date |
Time |
Field |
|---|---|---|---|
U-18 |
Aug. 29 |
10 a.m. |
Field 4 |
U-16 |
Aug. 29 |
12:30 p.m. |
Field 4 |
U-15 |
Aug. 30 |
1 p.m. |
Field 6 |
U-14 |
Aug. 29 |
10 a.m. |
Field 8 |
U-13 |
Aug. 30 |
3 p.m. |
Field 6 |
“They did have a few weeks off, but this is their life,” said Luchi Gonzalez, head coach of the U-16 team. “This program is about not getting complacent. With those accomplishments it means even more responsibility – there are more teams gunning for us.”
“It’s tough because there aren’t breaks. It’s the physical side they can adapt to, but mentally being sharp year-round is a challenge,” VP of FC Dallas Youth Soccer Chris Hayden said. “The adversity and the difficulty make them more prepared for what’s to come... If these kids are ever going to play in MLS, we feel the program that is really year-round at the youth level helps them prepare for that.”
The adjustment to a new level might seem like a tall order in just a few weeks, but the setup of the FC Dallas Academy system is built to make it a seamless transition.
The teams advance together, teams are taught the same systems tactically and even though each head coach is in charge of his team’s age group, he also works with the younger age group in their development – U-18 head coach Francisco Molina is an assistant coach with the U-16 team, Gonzalez is an assistant coach with Jesse Suarez’s U-15 Pre-Academy team, Suarez is an assistant coach with the Hayden’s U-14 Academy team and so-on.
“It’s important that players are graduating from their current coach, who is an expert in their age group, and going to the next coach, who’s an expert in the next age group,” Gonzalez said. “There’s overlap and that helps the players have consistency in the concepts all the way up to the First Team and we take a lot of pride in that.”
And the ultimate focus for the Academy is to continue to develop players, all the way up to the First Team.
“[There are] some really interesting players throughout the groups,” Hayden said. “Obviously our goal always, regardless of the team, is results – to have kids playing for the first team, playing meaningful minutes for the first team, starting for the first team and hopefully someday helping the first team win a championship in MLS.”
“Individual development happens within team dynamics,” Gonzalez said. “You look at the [U-16] group last year, it was a group of individual talent, but they became a team with time – as well as our other teams, they become teams over time – and I think that emotional growth and competing and having pride for the shield and the jersey, it goes hand in hand with improving their first touch or technique or tactical understanding of the game.”
