Minnesota United FC's move toward a youth soccer academy system is generating both excitement and criticism from local high school coaches.
Some are enthused about having a development system, expected to come online next year, directly tied to Minnesota's first Major League Soccer team. Providing more youth players better coaching and resources makes for a better player pool, they said, and not all players wind up on the academy's elite teams. Some likely will head back to their high school teams.
"It's important to get as many people behind it as possible, to make people excited to have an opportunity to play in that academy vs. having people say, 'They stole our best players,' " Prior Lake coach Mike Shebuski said.
Others remain philosophically opposed to academy soccer in any form, particularly after seeing a player exodus the past five seasons for the Minnesota Thunder Academy. Not all of those who left got to play and develop. Many never earned the college scholarship they believed would be more likely attainable.
United, which begins MLS play next season, is required by the league to establish a youth program that will give talented players with professional aspirations the best opportunity to pursue their dreams, stay close to home and continue their education.
Blaine coach Berry Arrowsmith knows two families, one from Blaine and one from St. Francis, that recently moved to the Kansas City area to put their 12-year-old sons in Sporting Kansas City's academy system.
All but one MLS club funds its youth academy, including travel and uniforms, 100 percent. Individual clubs, not the MLS, provide funding. The league's 20 clubs collectively spend about $40 million annually on youth academies and player development. And few have recouped 100 percent of their investments.
Minnesota United FC announced the hiring of Tim Carter last week as academy system director but gave few details on what happens next. Manny Lagos, the club's sporting director, said this week: "All we've done is hire an academy director. For us to be successful, we need to engage the community, which includes high school coaches. I look at the high school landscape in a fond way."