The Boys Development Academy has been the main scouting avenue for college soccer for the past decade, but the league also serves as a recruiting avenue for MLS academies. Cade Cowell and Julian Araujo, two recent MLS signings, were both playing in the Boys DA last season for non-MLS clubs, Ballistic United and Barca Academy respectively. U.S. U20 Men’s National Team members Christopher Richards and Christian Cappis were recruited by FC Dallas to join their academy after successful spells with Texans SC Houston in the Boys Development Academy. Richards (Bayern Munich) and Cappis (Hobro/DEN) are now plying their trade in Europe.
This season, there has already been some movement with Nathan Harriel moving from Chargers to Philadelphia Union, Jack Drabenstott moving from Cincinnati United Premier to Crew SC, and a few others.
There are countless other examples of top U.S. youth prospects getting a start in the DA with a non-MLS academy. TopDrawerSoccer takes a look at a few of the best players in the Boys DA from non-MLS academy teams in 2019.
