Who knows what will come from this .... this came from DCU website .... Bill Moravek was my son's trainer - long ago ..... now he and his family have gone to Fulham .... http://www.dcunited.com/youth-soccer/2011/03/local-family-moves-to-london-for-fulham-opportunity " Local family moves to London for Fulham opportunity William and Michael Moravek are set to join Fulham youth system Potomac Soccer Wire potomacsoccerwire.com Friday, March 4, 2011 - 3:23pm How far would you go to fulfill your child’s soccer dreams? Millions of parents across the United States spend large sums of money, and drive thousands of miles, in order for their kids to take part in elite club leagues, Olympic Development Program and the like. Bill Moravek was once one of them, driving his young sons William (age eight) and Michael (age seven) from Winchester, Va. to Bethesda, Md. several times a week for practices and games with Bethesda Soccer Club, where Moravek also coached. But he always wanted to give his boys, whose mother, Cheryl, is English, the best possible chance to develop their natural abilities. So Moravek began traveling across the United Kingdom in search of a professional club that would offer his sons the right opportunity. That long process finally paid off in January when English Premier League side Fulham FC accepted William and Michael into their youth system and hired Bill, an A-licensed coach who has led clubs and national teams in England and the Caribbean, as a trainer and international scout. “The boys are very fortunate to have such an opportunity as this,” said Moravek in a trans-Atlantic interview with Potomac Soccer Wire on Friday. “Getting into an academy is not easy and we have been back and forth now for the last three years, exploring potential clubs. “They have been to Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham, Bolton and Southampton during that time frame. We narrowed our choices to Arsenal and Fulham in the end, and for me Fulham was the better choice overall, as their kids were fantastic but also the schools in the area were good and south London is quite nice.” Eyeing the extended winter break that is the norm for youth players in the mid-Atlantic, Bill and Cheryl decided to make the move to London as quickly as possible to integrate the boys into England’s almost-year-round training environment. They have settled into a quiet neighborhood that is a 20-minute walk from Fulham’s Motspur Park headquarters. The club’s youth program is overseen by Huw Jennings, the man who helped build the Southampton FC academy into one of the best in England, churning out young stars like Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale. “Huw was one of the bigs reason why we came to Fulham,” said Moravek, who spent part of his own coaching career at Southampton under former manager Gordan Strachan several years ago, when the Saints played in the Premier League. “He has only been at the club for two years but the changes he has made have been massive. Also, Malcom Elias, who was head scout at Liverpool, is here. Between the two of them and the quality players they have recognized and developed, they have a great track record.” Michael is a bit too young to sign with the Cottagers academy proper, but has joined the club’s Under-7/Under-8 development program and looks on course to follow his brother in the months ahead. And while the long road to a successful career has only just begun, the elder Moravek sibling looks well-placed to make waves in the Fulham system. Blessed with speed and endurance as well as strong technique, William has so far held his own against bigger, older boys at the U-10 level, where ruthless competition is the norm just as it is at the senior level. “When they tested him at Fulham last year with the age group above him in the 30 meters, 30 meters agility and vertical leap, he [placed] 2-4 out of 15 boys in all of it,” noted his father, “and he is giving away nearly two years to these boys. “All these boys are tough, inner-city kids,” he added. “When William came in January, the players were constantly trying to fight him – literally. Very physical, trying to intimidate him.” Perhaps most importantly, William also appears to possess a focus and drive that is rare at his age. “The first day we got here, after signing his contract, William said, ‘I am so happy to be here, now I can start living my dream. If I work real hard I can make it,’” recalled Moravek. The ultra-professional environment of a Premier League club’s youth academy would seem to offer his sons the ideal chance to grow into elite players. But Moravek knows how tenuous such situations can be, and he hopes to keep them grounded and out of the limelight as much as possible. “They are both on cloud nine,” he said, “but as in life, there are no guarantees, and especially with this high end of football, things can change quite dramatically very quickly. So they need to just have fun, have a good attitude, stay humble, listen and work very hard. That is all they can really do – the rest will happen the way it should.” "
this is a cool story before the people start freaking out and think you have a radar gun pointed at them and ask why are you tracking player x and y.
there are two parts to this story ..... one is that the kids are being given a shot in their youth system ... the second is that an A licensed US coach - who actually knows where to scout for talent in the northeastern US - is on the staff supporting Fulham. Perhaps Fulham will come looking for other US youth talent.
They could look all the want but they can only sign the kids with the EU passports. And no one seems to be interested in my old idea (borrowed in part from Arsenal, to be sure) of using the Belgian league as a Euro proxy.
Yes and that's one of the reasons they were signed. As were Kenny Cooper, Jonathan Spector, Stuart Holden, Erich Lichaj, Mike Grella, Anton Peterlin, et al. But that's a minute portion of the US soccer playing base.
For the record -- I'm going to keep an eye on these fellas, but won't add them to the Yanks Abroad list until they are YNT eligible, which means about U14.
is there a spot where we track Yank coaches and trainers and scouts abroad? if I were the worrying type and DC United I would worry about Moravek getting the next Andy Najar (from a DCU youth academy slot) over to south London for training .....
As a side note, Andy Nahar might be able to get there as a "special talent". But he isn't a 8-year old kid.
different topic altogether but Najar might fit in well at Arsenal - speed, skills, attacking ability .... he loves to get up and down the wing ....
He doesn't have the technical and the tactical polish required for Arsenal's first team but he is so talented, a team like that should be interested.
We kinda started doing this here. But it focus's on coaches, players, owners and trainers in the top 5 Euro leagues. I am guessing Moravek is a youth trainer and scout? ... I am not sure if he will make this list (we decided to make the cut-off at the reserves.)
reading the article .. he will be a international scout and trainer for the first team (while his kids are also in the Academy) ... that is why he might be looking stateside for players to go to South London ....
Both Moravek boys will be back at Fulham this season. They are still years from their teens, and thus years from making the list of YAs I assemble. That said, best of luck to them!
More good info from USAprospects: '02 William Moravek & '04 Michael Moravek both scored this weekend for Fulham U11 & U9 resp.
Still there: And the Moravek brothers, 12-year-old William and 10-year-old Michael, who moved with their parents from Northern Virginia in early 2011, commute via bicycle from their home in Worcester Park. Among them is midfielder William Moravek II, who used to commute with his brother, Michael, nearly two hours from Winchester, Virginia, to Bethesda, Maryland, to play. His football foundation, however, was laid by his father, Bill, whose soccer story is as intriguing as his sons’. After failing to make the grade as a player, Moravek, a former Clemson Tiger, threw himself into coaching. In addition to running a camp in his native Virginia, Moravek leveraged connections established in the Caribbean to land jobs with the national teams of Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands (where he was the head coach), Jamaican club Montego Bay United and Southampton, where he met Jennings. Moravek married Cheryl, an English woman, and his two sons were raised with a ball at their feet. In January 2011, after seven years in the U.S., the Moraveks returned to England so the boys could pursue their dream. “It’s kind of cool, because you’re like one of the only ones here who’s from a different country and it’s distinguished. You’re the odd one out. It’s special,” William said, adding that occasionally his English teammates will tease him about Americans’ weight and addiction to fast food. http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2014/11/12/fulham-academy-usmnt-usa-emerson-hyndman-fulhamerica @Friedel'sAccent @bungadiri Definitely YA Academy material.
This the very model of a thread for the Academy a forum that I know has caused no shortage of acrimony. I'm very well acquainted with that BigSoccer controversy, though sometimes I suppose that it's of minimal interest to me. But while, deep down, I find this place a den of deep absurdity I nevertheless admit that I, as part of this community despite the fear that that posts like this will haunt me for posterity spend countless hours obsessing o'er each Yanks Abroad obscurity.
Looks Like Bethesda Olney Has Added The Moravek Brothers To The U14 Academy Side! They Spent The Last Couple Years At Fulham In England!— DMV Soccer (@DMVSoccer96) August 9, 2015
William arriving at the airport after training with Fulham FC's U16s and U15s since July. pic.twitter.com/mXgRgWHRlq— WM (@MoravekSoccer) August 26, 2016 @bungadiri @Friedel'sAccent -- Let's move them to the YA Academy
Old tweet, but this is the most recent info I could find: William Moravek after the Norwich match today playing for Fulham's U15s. Happy days 👊🏆🔥🇬🇧@BethesdaOlney @DMVsoccer96 @ussoccer_ynt pic.twitter.com/OxUiymNRrC— WM (@MoravekSoccer) April 9, 2017
Good luck to William this year in England as he takes his A levels and rejoins Fulham FC’s Academy. Proud of his high academic achievements accompanied by his football journey. Balance is always the key🏴🔥. @DMVSoccerDotCom @DMVsoccer96 @BethesdaAcademy pic.twitter.com/fTY3aTK1C1— WM (@MoravekSoccer) August 3, 2018 @TheFalseNine Let's move to the Academy. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.