258 Interconference Games in the Books from Development Academy Spring Showcase in Sarasota, Fla.
The 2010 Development Academy Spring Showcase has drawn to a close, with 258 games completed on the 20 fields at the Sarasota Polo Grounds. Nearly 4,000 players, 118 referees, hundreds of spectators and 300 college coaches descended upon Sarasota, Fla., for one of the premier youth events in the country.
June 2, 2010
• Educational Opportunities Abound for Coaches, Players and Referees Throughout Weekend
• 64 Teams Will Next Head to Academy Playoffs From June 22-26 in Greensboro, N.C.
SARASOTA, Fla. (June 2, 2010) – The 2010 Development Academy Spring Showcase has drawn to a close, with 258 games completed on the 20 fields at the Sarasota Polo Grounds. Nearly 4,000 players, 118 referees, hundreds of spectators and 300 college coaches descended upon Sarasota, Fla., for one of the premier youth events in the country.
In addition to the games on the field, educational opportunities were available to all coaches, referees and players during the five-day extended weekend.
Before and after games, players also took part in SPARQ testing, and with the heat index in Sarasota surpassing 100 degrees, Gatorade’s fluid loss testing became a key tool for making sure players stayed hydrated. The air conditioned athletes lounge was also at near capacity throughout the weekend, where players and spectators could take a break from the heat while playing EA Sports FIFA World Cup 2010 and watching U.S. MNT games and highlights on monitors.
The teams had the opportunity to watch the U.S. Men’s National Team game on Saturday, May 29, with insight provided by FIFA World Cup veteran Brian Maisonneuve and the U.S. head coach at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Bob Gansler.
Coaches took advantage of the presence of no fewer than eight FIFA World Cup veterans on site, many serving as U.S. Soccer scouts and Technical Advisors. In addition to the immediate feedback they were receiving after matches, coaches and teams could also purchase DVDs of their respective game, shot in high definition by HiPod, and pick them up 24 hours later for extended review and analysis.
Additionally, the gap between the national teams and the Development Academy continued to become smaller, as youth national team coaches spoke to a group of more than 100 Academy coaches in a panel format. U-14 BNT head coach Manny Schellscheidt, U-15 BNT head coach Jim Barlow, U-17 MNT head coach Wilmer Cabrera, U-18 MNT assistant coach Tim Regan and U-20 MNT assistant coach Dave Dir spoke to the group about the philosophies and challenges of their respective programs.
With more than 118 referees on hand to work the weekend’s games, U.S. Soccer took the opportunity to provide assessor clinics, as well as mentorship from full time professional referees Baldomero Toledo and Terry Vaughn, who worked games as part of crews during the weekend and held a question and answer session.
In the next few weeks, the 64 teams will be set for Development Academy Playoffs that will take place in Greensboro, N.C., from June 22-26. From there, eight teams in each age group will move on to compete in Finals Week at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Playoffs will be held at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. from June 25-29 and Finals Week will be held from July 9-18 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.