D.C. United has announced its rosters for the 2014-2015 Academy teams. 123 players from the greater Washington, D.C. region were selected for the Black-and-Red’s Academy squads: 16 on the U-12 team, 22 on the U-13, 19 on the U-14, 21 on the U-15, 21 on the U-16 and 24 on the U-18 team roster.
Following a 2013-14 campaign that saw all three Academy teams make post-season appearances, this year’s squads, will have 38 familiar faces that played with the Black-and-Red last year. Leading the way are the U18 team with 19 players who have played at the Academy level for United, followed by U16 and U15 which return nine players each and U14 which will return one.
Now in its third season, the U-14 team, considered Pre-Academy in 2012-13, joined the newly launched U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) U-14 division last fall. Last season, the U14s ended the USSDA Showcase undefeated, with one win and two ties, providing an excellent ending to a successful campaign (17-6-4).
Since the Academy’s inception in 2007, United has signed seven Homegrown players to its First Team roster: Bill Hamid, Collin Martin, Andy Najar, Michael Seaton, Conor Shanosky, Ethan White and Jalen Robinson. Robinson, a former Wake Forest player, became the club’s seventh acquisition, joining United on Jan. 6. Currently, the Black-and-Red has three Homegrown players on its roster who have all seen playing time during the 2014 season. All-Star goalkeeper Bill Hamid has featured and started in 18 games, while Martin has featured in four (one start) and Seaton, most recently came on as a substitute for Lewis Neal against the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 3.
About D.C. United Academy
D.C. United's Academy teams and training programs are designed to find and develop the top players in the Washington region. The club’s coaches and staff emphasize playing attractive, possession-oriented soccer. The ultimate goal is to prepare players for the club's First Team or the nation's top university teams. Since the Academy’s inaugural season in 2007 it has seen nine players called up to their respective National Teams (U14-U18), 20 players called up to play in MLS Reserve League matches for United and in 2012, 10 players announced their intention to attend eight NCAA Division-I programs to play college soccer.
Below is the complete list of D.C. United Academy Rosters:
D.C. United Pre-Academy
Amir Acree, David Akinsanya, Foday Bai-Lama Bangura, Tafari Campbell, Carlos Cardona, Sebastian Conlon, Omre Etienne, Rameses Gaines, Jacob Greene, Ryan Johnson, Axel Keppler, Jahci Knick, Mehdi Mdarhri-Alaoui, Max Ruiz, Luca Smith, Cameron Viator
U-13 Pre-Academy
Madad Abdulrahmane, Justus Akinlosotu, Sulahmana Bah, Iker Bustamante, Tywan Campbell, Christopher Craciun, Max De Bodene, Eric Eichler, Brandon Franklin, Elijah Gross, Josh Kappes, Juneau Kim, Coby Meyer, Dennis Miljkovic, Max Morris, Teymour Peters, Ben Pigg, "RJ" Ronald Ray, Jaden Robinson, Asparuh Slavov, Jair Sosa, Dale Walker
D.C. United U-14 Academy
Dan Benavides, Graham Bright, Alexis Cerritos, Aiden Darlington, Kyle Davis, Michael Edwards, Micahel Gaines, Nicholas Gerlach, Jonathan Godette, Ryan Jones, Brayan Lopez, Jordan Matamoro-Mejias, Aldo Moreno, Daniel Nugent, Stephen Orsini, Bryce Orsini, Damian Polinski, Chandler Vaughn, Steven Zeballos
D.C. United U-15 Pre-Academy
Jameel Barrie, Andes Cabrera, Luke Campbell, Gio Diaz, Jordan Durst, Jason Ferrufino, Conor Gill, Luke Hanno, Max Hernandez, Derin Kokuuslu, Bryce McKenzie, Andrew Nicholas, Kamso Onwumechili, Najja Price, Cameron Robinson, Thomas Roder, Luis Rodriguez-Luna, SahrFelix Sandy, Gregory Torcaso, Jacob Velvel, Andres Vilanueva
D.C. United U-16 Academy
Fola Adetola, Idrissa Barrie, Josa Carranza, Lance Da Silva, Jack Daunt, Maxwell Edwards, Mark Elmore, Micah Fitz, Jairo Funez, Christophe Gerlach, Griffin Godsick, Carson Jeffris, Collin Jouan, Raheem Lawal, Zachary McMurrer, Chase Parish, Donovan Pines, Miles Robinson, Ronaldo Sotelo, Thomas Walker, Brandon Williamson
D.C. United U-18 Academy
Tyler Beaudoin, Jonathan Bell, Antonio Bustamente, Jorge Calix, Alonzo Clarke, Paul Darmstadter, Jimmy Filerman, Brennan Ireland, Patrick Jean-Gilles, James Knoebel, Jean-Christophe Koffi, Stephane Kouame, Owen Marshall, Lucas Mendes, Timothy Oberg, Austin Pelto, Daniel Rissler, Scott Rissler, Ibrahim Seye, Jonathan Sousa, Gerson Umana, Ronald Ventura, Trey Vinson, Eryk Williamson
Coaching Staff
Academy Director- Nolan Sheldon
Academy Manager- Steve Olivarez
U12 Head Coach- Dave Sanford
U13 Head Coach- John Bello
U14 Head Coach- Jeff Carroll
U15 Head Coach- Nolan Sheldon
U16 Head Coach- Jonathan "Johny" Frias
U18 Head Coach- Tom Torres
Assistant Coaches- Ronald Cerritos, Nenad Babic, Dan Walsh
Head Youth Scout - Tom Torres
Academy Athletic Trainer- Maren Fletcher
Academy Athletic Development Coach- Narciso Valencia
Academy Goalkeeper Coach- Joe Willis
Academy Equipment Manager- Dan Deming
