What's going to happen to our academy in 2020 when operations move to Loudoun? Its not like you'll be asking player to switch from SE DC to Arlington, Springfield or Bethesda. Its a 45 mile difference in DC traffic conditions. Even without traffic, thats a hell of a commute. Is it daily for the younger teens?
And as DCU is one of only two teams in MLS to charge its academy players, won't this just add to the economic stress of becoming a member? For that matter, what other MLS team trains 45 minutes away from its stadium/front office?
I like it, it actually is not "plain" it has some pattern to it - luckily not all horizontal striping, some vertical as well, little squares as it were. I plan on getting the black one; the red one is nice tho, I just prefer black. lol, HEY! Our age of consent is 16 (I hear ). Though, it being controlled by a GOP majority, I am sure you can sign your kid over some perfectly legal way to skirt that overly restrictive age limit. Seriously, 12 seems like a very small roster size to make your team legit. I'm not sure if that's a "every team in USL" rule or it's a lower # for MLS affiliates since they can add 4 academy players to game-day rosters (with limits).
Its a plain old Adidas Team jersey with Loudoun's crest and sponsor on it ... that would have been good enough for our away shirt. Not next to the stuff Pablo Mauer posted, but infinitely better than what we got.
I assume that they're kind of forsaking most the current generation of academy grads. My guess is the guys who have a bonafide shot of making it, will either somehow gut it out or go to one of the other elite programs like US Dev Academy. There is no way its feasible to commute our to Leesburg several times a week or everyday, even if the team subsidizes it with a comfy bus.
There are already a bunch of buses that run between that parking lot in Leesburg and the Weihle metro station every day, just have to get the kids to the train with some sort of Metro SmartCard By the time the place is ready for Academy kids, the train will run even closer to Leesburg.
D.C. United rookies Akeem Ward, Donovan Pines and Antonio Bustamante will join @LoudounUnitedFC for USL club's inaugural match Saturday at @NashvilleSC #dcu— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) March 7, 2019
I think that number is driven by many MLS teams having USL sides. The requirement is that 12 players have to be under contract to the USL side and the remainder of the squad can consist of Academy players (5 max I think) and players on the parent club roster who are "sent down" in a manner similar to baseball and the minor leagues. Put another way, I would be surprised if LUFC didn't have 18 players on the active roster for any match.
I'm wondering the same for plays and coaches with DC United (when the training facility opens out there). Ben, for one, is a longtime homeowner in the Shaw neighborhood of DC and really loves the community. Numerous players live in DC, too. Getting to Leesburg daily would be brutal.
1. Maybe they'll offer a team shuttle from Ashburn Station on the Silver Line when it is completed. 2. Not the first time someone had to commute for their job in the DMV due to "office" relocations 3. If it is good enough for Richie Williams, it is good enough for the rest
What a strange handful of years for that area of VA. * One Loudoun was to host Edelman Field with an expansion NASL team...but team or stadium never materialize. * Evergreen facility in Leesburg apparently host a NPSL (4th div) team in Northern VA United FC and a FC Barcelona training school (Stadium seats about 1,300) * DCU plants USL affiliate at Bolen Park in Leesburg (Stadium seats about 5,000)
Alternatively, the complex will be adjacent to a small airport Or, for those players needing a little extra conditioning, one can ride a bike on the Georgetown, Custis and W&OD trails.
Thank you for posting this. This reminds me that I might actually be able to bicycle from my house to the Loudoun Stadium. The county has just completed a bike trail that runs along Belmont Ridge Road that provides easy access to W&OD Trail.
It looks like you would still have to ride on a road. But, Cochran Mill I would assume would have less traffic than route 123 in Vienna (and I've seen cyclists on there during rush hour).
That would be an interesting annual charity event: a communal bike ride from Audi Field to Loudoun Stadium. Everyone who rides for fun would sign up sponsors, have a competitive-race option to attract riders outside the DCU family. Make it a family day-out, all for charity. Hire trucks to return all the bikes back to DC and buses to take participants to a rendezvous at a Loudoun-based winery/brewery for an all-you-can-eat-and-hurl blow-out. Non-riders could pay $50 (to charity) to attend the eat-and-hurl, too. It could become an important day on the DCU social calendar. Not a bad idea, considering I thought it up in about 30 seconds, tops. Hmmm, maybe I should work for the DCU FO . . .
I thought LU acquitted themselves rather well, considering. The second goal was due to keeper error, and the first goal, the keeper got a hand on it and just couldn't keep it out of the net. We weren't pinned back. We didn't control possession, but that wasn't the game plan. We gave them maybe 4 dangerous opportunities. Nashville is the team that's supposed to win it all this year. No shame in going there with a cobbled together roster and losing by two in the way we did.