USL Academy
#PATH2PRO
USL Pathway - What does it mean for us?
It basically provides us an opportunity to develop players right from Adventure Soccer for 3-year-olds through to the collegiate and now the professional game. The USL provides a professional pathway for players who want to really push on with their game post-college soccer. This allows us to differentiate from Other academies and teams who don’t have that true pathway from infancy to adulthood.
It turns Inter CT into a club where a soccer player can spend their entire youth playing career and pursue every dream imaginable whilst availing of an elite and consistent model of development.
This system closely mimics the successful pathways from many of the soccer powerhouses across the globe.
This collaboration elevates both Inter CT and AC Connecticut to the highest tier in our region with the platform to compete against what has historically been considered more “advanced” teams in the state by those outside of our club.
This should not only help us retain players who might feel the urge to look for a “higher tier” but will also attract players who want to excel and are pursuing big soccer dreams of college and beyond.
We now have a structure from introductory soccer to professional soccer and we can add a new “LOVE” to our philosophies
Academy vs High School
Finally, saving the great news until the end. The USL Academy is the only system that combines both High School and Academy play. Players who make the USL Academy will also be able to represent their High School teams therefore getting the best of both worlds.
We value the High School game and understand that some of soccers best memories are made representing your school with your friends. With the USL Academy our players will not be forced to choose one over the other.
If you have any questions about the USL Academy please feel free to reach out to Marty Walker at marty@interctfc.com
Talent ID:
We are collaborating on the talent ID process for future academy teams and of the many ideas on the table, creating a pre USL team at each level is being considered. For example 2008 pre USL, 2007 Pre USL, 2006 Pre USL and so on.
These Pre USL squads will meet once per month and play in an extra local tournament once per year.
Pre 11 v 11 talent ID is also still being discussed in terms of best forms of talent detection and talent development.
This collaboration allows us to provide further tiers to our performance potential and we, in collaboration with AC CT will form the basis of the USL Academy in CT.
What does this mean?
The Boys USL Academy competes only at the U19 level and this USL Academy team will be made up of AC and Inter CT players selected at a tryout. So this December we will hold tryouts for our 2002/2003 team players and our 2004 team players to put a squad together for this academy.
The mantra is
“if you are good enough you are old enough”
Those who make the academy team will get an extra training session per week and extra games throughout the season whilst still playing for their National League teams. The Academy season runs February through August therefore in June / July / August the team will practice twice per week and play in games.
LOVE THE GAME - LOVE TO LEARN - LOVE TO COMPETE - LOVE THE DREAM
We are now in a position to build the environment we coaches grew up in at home. We can service the needs of any aspiring soccer player who wants to play at Inter CT FC. Whether our young boys and girls dreams are to play at the collegiate level, or whether they have aspirations to go into the pro game, we are perfectly placed to assist in the pursuit of these dreams.
Inter CT Coaches discuss the exciting prospect of the USL Y League!
Listen to our latest podcast about the USL Y League!
