05/23/2020 12:23 PM Article By: Staff
It's a brand new era for the development of soccer in the United States.
A total of 65 elite academy clubs will join the ranks of MLS's youth academies as part of a new elite player development platform that is set to advance youth player development in the United States. The new platform will include an elite year-round competition, player identification initiatives, coaching education opportunities, and additional programming to produce the most favorable conditions for player development.
Executive Director and Head Coach, J. Hector Diaz, said, "It’s an honor to be recognized among the top clubs in the country. It reflects the incredible talent within our community. One of our core values is "attitude" and it is specific to having an approach in overcoming obstacles. When we set our goal to provide the South Bay community with an elite program, people were initially skeptical. Despite of the public’s lack of trust, we pushed forward and now offer an elite training environment that will only improve with time. Next year, all of our Elite Academy teams will have two or more coaches per side, and the environment will be second to none in all of San Diego County."
When we asked Director Diaz if it was upsetting that at times they did not receive the recognition as other clubs in San Diego County, he replied the following:
"It is not upsetting at all. We went through a name change in 2015 and it’s understandable. Most importantly, we do have the recognition from our families, US Soccer, and now the MLS, so I do not understand what other recognition we should seek. We do not see any club as a rival, but we see our competitors outside of the South Bay."
Over the past decade, Chula Vista FC has been by far the most successful club for boys and men in San Diego County. Its men's teams have captured two regional championships and won the prestigious State Cup. It is also the only San Diego team to represent the county in the Open Cup twice, with a magical run in 2015 that reached the third round playing the Sacramento Republic, which is now in the MLS. Its youth side started the decade with a trip to Hawaii after crowning themselves National Cup champions in 2010. The 2004's won Albion Cup's 2016 top bracket by playing itself in an all Chula Vista FC final, which demonstrated their talent in all its glory. The age group also finished the US Soccer's Development Academy season ahead of all clubs in San Diego County in the standings, even above traditional clubs like Surf, Albion, and Nomads. The 2008s have reached the State Cup final in its highest level of play in the past two seasons and will compete in the new MLS platform.
How do you improve on an already successful program? Hector Diaz had this to say: "I understand we have to reach out to the South Bay community and be welcoming to everyone. We want to represent our City of Chula Vista and the South Bay community in the best representation possible. And we need everyone's support to make it possible. If you need a hobby, we need you. If coaches seek to move forward in a professional environment, we want them. We hinder our ability to compete with costly registration fees by depleting the player pool that is available to us. We need people who are passionate about improving rather than being excited about making money. We don't care if you coach for someone else. If you have time to spare and want to assist, we will welcome the help."
Sign up today if you want to join the #1 elite program in the South Bay.
Clubs involved in San Diego County highlighted in yellow:
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Albion SC
Chula Vista FC
City SC
LA United Futbol Academy
LA Galaxy
LA Surf Soccer Club
Los Angeles Football Club
Murrieta Surf Soccer Club
Nomads
Santa Barbara Soccer Club
Total Futbol Academy
Ventura County Fusion
U11 - U17 Youth Players Request a tryout below
At this time the MLS Academy is only for boys
Interested in being part of the staff? Sign up below
