This. It's an excellent, much needed program, but it's new and will take a few more years for us to really reap the rewards from it. As for that "pay to try-out" accusation, I have yet to find proof of it, and I've looked everywhere. I run a youth club and happen to be friends with several DOC's in town. No one does this and I highly doubt Galaxy does either.
See below for the announcement from last year, when they charged $30 and this year when they are charging $65. In theory, the fee is for participation in a game rather than a real tryout. This is not all that different from the various club "academies" for young AYSO players where they charge a per session fee, but use the sessions to identify talent. When the players get plucked out of the games for "real" tryouts, there is not a fee for the multiple practice sessions that constitute the tryout. My read on this is that this is not the exclusive or perhaps even the primary means of identifying talent. It's sort of an open casting call, which is why they charge a little bit to cut down the numbers, and very few kids get in through the open casting call approach. 2010 tryouts: http://www.lagalaxy.com/academytryouts About the LA Galaxy Youth Academy: Our objective for the Galaxy Youth Academy is to identify and recruit young players of outstanding ability within our local community, to coach and educate them to reach their maximum potential, giving them the best prospects for a career in professional soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy. This will be accomplished by providing a unique environment that is both friendly and demanding with the highest standards of training, coaching, facilities, fitness, injury treatment and prevention. Program Highlights: The LA Galaxy Youth Academy is a member of the US Soccer Development Academy League. The Galaxy Youth Academy is fully funded by the Los Angeles Galaxy; all training costs; travel, accommodation and player equipment is provided by the LA Galaxy. Players are required to train a minimum of 3 times per week. For more information on the youth academy please visit thegalaxyacademy.com Tryout Location: Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 Tryout Date: May 16th, 2010 (registrants will be notified of game times on May 14th)U14 ACADEMY (Players born in 1996 – 1997) Who can tryout: Male soccer players born between 1990 and 1997, players must live in Southern California. U16 ACADEMY (Players born 1994 – 1995) U18 ACADEMY (Players born 1992– 1993, 1992 birth year players may not be participating in college soccer) U20 Academy (Players born in 1990 – 1991) Tryout cost: $30 per player (Registration deadline is May 12th) Spaces are limited so register early. Tryout Format: Players will be scheduled to play one small-sided game (50 minutes). If you are selected you will be invited to participate in a training session at the Home Depot Center for further evaluation by the Galaxy coaching staff. What to bring: Signed waiver form Appropriate footwear (playing on grass) Shin pads Please wear dark (navy or black preferred) shorts and shirt. All registrants will be contacted with a registration confirmation and match assignments via e-mail on or before Friday May 14th. Register only one player per form. To submit an application for the tryout, download the registration form (right click, "save link as") and either fax to 800-470-1397 or email to academy@lagalaxy.com BEFORE MAY 12. 2011 Tryouts: http://www.caribpress.com/2011/06/1...host-under-16-and-under-18-tryouts-on-july-9/ 06/14/11 CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy announced today that club will hold tryouts for their Under-16 and Under-18 Academy teams on Saturday, July 9 at The Home Depot Center. All players born between 1993 and 1997 are eligible to attend this tryout, though space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. [...] CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy announced today that club will hold tryouts for their Under-16 and Under-18 Academy teams on Saturday, July 9 at The Home Depot Center. All players born between 1993 and 1997 are eligible to attend this tryout, though space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Players can begin registering online at www.lagalaxy.com starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15. The cost for the registration is $65 and the deadline to register is Monday, July 4. The LA Galaxy Academy is the official youth development program of the LA Galaxy. Launched in April 2007 with the goal of identifying and training the best young talent in the region, the Academy features U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-18 teams under the tutelage of former Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein, who was named the Senior Director of the Galaxy Academy in December 2010. In its short history, the Galaxy Academy has already produced two players for the first team, Tristan Bowen in 2008 (now with Chivas USA) and Jack McBean. McBean, 16, who signed in January of this year, was recently named to the U.S. Under-17 National Team that will be competing in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, June 19-July 10. For more information about the Galaxy, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Galaxy by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299) or by visiting www.lagalaxy.com.
Update from lagalaxy.com http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2011/0...championship-us-soccer-development-academy-fi
Update from the USSF DA Finals: Galaxy up 3-0 against Dallas Texans, with goals by McBean (2) and Dhillon in the 59th minute: http://twitter.com/#!/ussoccer_ynt/status/90933188976836608
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGj50qSFi0w&feature=channel_video_title"]YouTube - Development Academy Finals Week: LA Galaxy Team Profile‏[/ame] Video posted by USSoccer profiling the Galaxy Academy team. Very cool to see some of the faces of our up and coming talent! If we beat Seattle tonight in the USOC, then the Academy kids will have a chance to do the same against Seattle's kids later this week. Go Galaxy!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdpS55msbr4"]2010-2011 Development Academy Finals Week: U-15/16 Goals Day Four‏ - YouTube[/ame] Here are the goals from the second day of the USSDA finals week. Start around 1:25. Can't believe they still scored 2 goals after going down men. Also glad we finally received some information about where the youth programs are going.
Not to mention we played down two men for the last twenty minutes. Also a quick correction. McBean got only one goal, Sean Dhillon got two and Justin Dhillon got one as well.
FYI, another youth tournament to look forward to: http://www.mlssoccer.com/GACup The Galaxy are participating in both the U-15 and U-17 divisions.
Too bad we couldn't beat Seattle last night, but right now the Academy team is whupping Seattle 3-0!! http://twitter.com/#!/ussoccer_ynt/status/91616679565602816
And the U15/16 team completes their great season by beating the PA Classics in the final 4-1. Lots of good players on this team. Hopefully most move up the the U17/18 team next year and a few standouts make it to the first team in the future. Good job boys!!!
The important thing is that the kids got some payback against Seattle. All's fair in love, war and football.
Both of those Dhillon kids look like they could be pretty good ballers. Hopefully they continue to develop and sign 1st team contracts.
We drove 800 miles because the Galaxy invited my son to play with them, no doubt to see if he was worth picking up someday. He did well and played the first day with the older 97's. He is a 99 and enjoyed playing for the English fellow and hung in there even gaining the trust of the backs in a small sided games by recieving a couple of passed. All of the parents were extremely welcoming and had nothing to say but good things about him. He was invited to come back and play with the u13 and that was a different story. Obviously the u13 coach was not happy having to field him. He was barking the whole time and it reminded me of US football. His drills were so confusing, even his regular boys were getting very confused. During one small sided game my son was in, he included two neutral players and cited only three touches. As soon as they seemed to catch pace and Sam scored a goal coming in over top he switched it to only passing forward and backward. Making it more difficult, which was fine. But then he sent them off to the other drill and brough over his obvious "A" team and let them play 3 on 3, no neutral players and no touch rules. He then started cooing them and stated that "the other team was fired". I was a little bummed on the last day when they had a full field scrimmage and he left my Son out. He put in a hard week for him and huslted ever step of the way. US football all the way. Very contrasting from the English coach. It was ok. My Son did well, not great, not bad...just well, in a cold foriegn environment with only a few drills per practice to show what he could do. I still believe it was a good experience because in life we always get thrown to the wolves and have to realize it will be ok if we just stick with it. I wrote to the academy director and youth coaching director telling them I appreciated them asking us to practice. I never got a word back about how he did good or bad...nothing. I think the academies are just looking for the biggest, maturist players they can find at this age not realizing that some kids have not hit puberty yet. There was a young English kid on the team that made my Son feel very welcome and gave high fives and was a real class act. Other than that it was a cold environment and I did not see much fun happening. I wish them the best.
Regardless, it's no doubt going to be good for your son to get this kind of experience, so if he does it again, he'll know what to expect. Many kids are late bloomers, so perhaps this isn't the only time your son will wear the Galaxy strip--best of luck to him and to your family.
The generation adidas cup started today and the u17 gals started off with a 5-1 win vs. new york. This u17 team is stacked. To read more about the rosters check out this page. http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2011/07/weekly-galaxy-academy-update-july-25 I hope the galaxy can find a way to bring a couple of these guest players into the fold for next year with an eye on homegrown contracts in the future. The u15 also start tomorrow.
Matt Tilley, Jack McBean, Justin Dhillon, Grady Howe have all featured for the reserves this year. They are pushing the players they think can actually manage at that level. These kid's were all central to winning the U16 National Championships. The first time we have been to the finals and the first time winners - Coincidence?. By the way only one of the U18 age group has played a reserve game.
But the other result had Red Bulls winning so Galaxy are still top. Win today and they are through to the next stage.