Objective: The focus of the Academy is player development. Academies provide players with the best possible opportunity to achieve their utmost potential as elite soccer players.
Standards: Academy teams are required to train at least three days per week and rest one day perweek during the Academy Season. Academy teams play 30 games per year.
Teams: 78 of the top youth soccer clubs in the U.S.
Selection: Academy Clubs were selected by U.S. Soccer National Team based on a number of criteria, including a club’s history of elite
youth player development and past success in elite competitions.
Age Groups: Academies field one team in each of the two Academy Age Groups: Under-16 and Under-18. Each team has a minimum roster of 18 players. The age cutoff is based on a January 1 birthday. The Academy program is for boys only.
Competition Format: Divided into ten divisions with each team playing 30 matches during an eleven-month season (August - June with a partial break for high school soccer). Each division is comprised of 6 to 9 teams based on geographic proximity.
Showcase Tournaments: 6 of the 30 league games will be played in two Showcase tournaments to be held in Phoenix, AZ and Sarasota, FL.
Minimum Playing Time: Each player on the Academy roster must start a minimum of 25% of the games played.
Substitutions: Maximum of seven per game; no re-entry
Game Length: U18 – 90 minutes
U16 – 80 minutes
Training/Game Ratios: Minimum of three training sessions and one rest day per week. On most non-competition weeks, Miami FC Kendall teams will have a four-day training regimen, with an additional optional training session.
Competition Limits: Academy teams are not allowed to play more than one match per day or more than two matches over a three-day period. Most competition weeks will feature one game each on a Saturday and Sunday.
Participation in Outside Activity: Permitted for high school play and in designated windows during Christmas and Easter holidays as long as the events are limited to one match per day. Miami FC Kendall teams have no matches scheduled from mid-November until early March other than Showcase tournaments.
