TFC Academy players called up

[TFC07]

Academy players called up

Nine of Reds U-16s in Montreal for training

Nine players from the TFC Academy Under-16 team have been invited to Montreal for a training camp with Canada's U17 National team. The training camp runs from 23rd-25th of October and if players impress, they could earn a place in the squad for qualifying games being held in Mexico next year for a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009.

The TFC U-16 Academy members chosen to attend the camp are:

Casey D'Mello

Allando Matheson

Matt Stinson

Garret Cyprus

Brennan McNicoll

Jordan Kotsopolous

Josh Janniere

Jonathan Lao

Feras Semain

The call-ups are another great achievement for TFC Academy in its inaugural season. The Under-16 team made it to the semifinals of the SUM Under-17 Cup in Denver and finished second in the Canadian Soccer League Reserve Division, level on points with the league winners.

Link: http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20081023&content_id=198357&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

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Cool.

[VPjr]

I'm not sure calling this a training camp is the best choice of words but it surely is good news for these young men to get some added exposure.

here is the story from the CSA website that touches on the callup of these TFCA players:

Coach Fleming visits NTC Québec</u>

Canada’s staff coach Sean Fleming is in Laval, QC this week scouting players for the national-team program. His visit is part of the regularly-scheduled scouting trips to Canada’s five National Training Centres.

“It is always great to come and watch the players in the Centres to monitor their progress and see how hard they have been training,' said coach Fleming. 'It will be beneficial to see the players from different locations compete. It also adds some more incentive for the players to do well.”

Fleming will be stationed at the NTC Québec from 22-26 October. He is evaluating both male and female players born 1991 to 1994. Along with the NTC Québec players that are taking part in daily sessions, coach Fleming has invited several Ontario male players and a pair of U.S. academy players for sessions on Thursday and Friday.

The Association’s coaching staff makes visits to each of the National Training Centres to evaluate the player pool across the country. There are three or four visits to each centre, running from September 2008 to May 2009. Players are evaluated throughout the season for future selection to Canada’s youth and development teams. The five National Training Centres are British Columbia (Vancouver, BC), Prairies (Edmonton, AB), Ontario (Vaughan, ON), Québec (Laval, QC), and Atlantic (Nova Scotia, NS).

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=3399

[Gian-Luca]

Interesting that there's a couple of Canadian players somewhere at a US academy.

[Richard]

If parents are willing to pay and the kid has a smidgeon of talent he/she can probably go to any number of private academies pretty much anywhere in the world. This is for profit soccer.

[Guest Ed]

Talk about a non-event.

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by Ed

Talk about a non-event.

Maybe for you but I think it’s in the best interest of TFC to advertise that kind of news to promote their academy.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by loyola

Maybe for you but I think it’s in the best interest of TFC to advertise that kind of news to promote their academy.

Plus it is encouraging to finally see academies run by professional clubs and staffed with pro coaches finally arrive on the scene in Canada. And the fact that a significant a number of their talent is already on the national team radar, is very encouraging.

Granted, there are assinine " american centric" rules by MLS that prevent them from reaching their full potential. But still, these academies ( like the Whitcaps academy) are the only way Canada will turn the corner as soccer nation. Other factors & BS ( eg.; National team coaches, National team player selections, the CSA, a national league , having players in Europe.... ) are all very secondary and pale in importance.

Heres why they are so critical and what we were missing before:

1) $$$ and support from private sector entities is expoenitailly greater than what would previously been available.

2) A long term objective in regards to the devlopment process.

3) Professional facilities.

4) pro coaches with better playing experience.

5) a competitive environment

6) International competition from tournament such as he Colorado cup.

7) Training resources & reducing the burden on the national associations as well as resources needed. Allowing the national asociations to reinvest elsewhere.

[VPjr]

^ Free Kick, I agree with many of your comments.

However, you should keep in mind that most of the players from the TFC U16 academy team were previously part of the OSA All star program. If TFC Academy did not exist, these players would still be training with the community clubs and the OSA. Furthermore, many of them would likely have been part of these U17 evaluation camps because if they were still with the OSA, many of them would likely have been part of the NTC-Ontario program as well.

what will be interesting is to see if this group of boys from TFC-A have become significantly better than their competition from the other province's NTC programs by being involved in a professional academy program. That is the real measure of success of the TFC program. I'm quite confident that they must have improved significantly. How could they not get better training almost every day, playing in a pretty tough CSL Reserve league against older players and getting to play in the MLS Academy tournament?

[Richard]

I think when referencing 'academy programs' it is important to differentiate between those that are part of a professional club arrangement such as TFC or the Whitecaps, and the independent academies.

[jpg75]

quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca

Interesting that there's a couple of Canadian players somewhere at a US academy.

I think they're likely Drew Beckie from the Real Colorado academy and Zach Schafflenberg at the Brad Friedel academy (PDA).

[ag futbol]

quote:Originally posted by jpg75

I think they're likely Drew Beckie from the Real Colorado academy and Zach Schafflenberg at the Brad Friedel academy (PDA).

I was thinking that was a typo for a second there but then i remembered RSL has two youth academies. I believe LA has something similar set up.

TFC should follow suit and setup shop next to an existing NTC somewhere. There's definately enough volume of players out there to skim the best off the top and try to turn them into professionals.

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by ag futbol

I was thinking that was a typo for a second there but then i remembered RSL has two youth academies. I believe LA has something similar set up.

TFC should follow suit and setup shop next to an existing NTC somewhere. There's definately enough volume of players out there to skim the best off the top and try to turn them into professionals.

TFC doesn't even need to leave the province of Ontario, quite honestly, to be able to field a 2nd academy program. Just set up shop in Ottawa and recruit all the best young players from Eastern Ontario (and maybe a small number from Quebec). Make it a residency program. have them play in CSL as well. There is more than enough talent in Ontario to have 2 TFC academies.

[ag futbol]

quote:Originally posted by VPjr

TFC doesn't even need to leave the province of Ontario, quite honestly, to be able to field a 2nd academy program. Just set up shop in Ottawa and recruit all the best young players from Eastern Ontario (and maybe a small number from Quebec). Make it a residency program. have them play in CSL as well. There is more than enough talent in Ontario to have 2 TFC academies.

I agree they could easily set up a second one in ontario. However, going out of province might work well and serve a second purpose: drawing attention to the main club and gathering support outside of Ontario. Which, as we've heard from the TV ratings, is severly lacking.