The Development Academy unceremoniously ended earlier this month with a terse letter sent to clubs from the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league, as a whole, enjoyed many highs over the last decade on the boys side and some trips over the last few years on the girls side. 

The benefit of USSF’s financial backing to the league is that some of the best games in the history of the league are still available on U.S. Soccer YouTube page including a few favorites that showcased the top talent that the league helped develop. 

 

Texans SC Houston U17/18 vs. LA Galaxy U17/18; July 16, 2017

Game Report | TDS Recap

This game featured Christian Cappis and Christopher Richards on one side against Ulysses Llanez, Alex Mendez, and Efrain Alvarez on the other side. Tab Ramos almost built a whole U20 Men’s National Team just on this game. That handful of players on their own makes this a must-watch game in the Development Academy Hall of Fame. Added to that group is the Galaxy stable of professionals like Eric Lopez, Ethan Zubak, Zico Bailey, and Jorge Hernandez among the starters. That’s seven of the 11 Galaxy starters on professional contracts within three years and perhaps a few others to join in the future. 

Cappis and Richards led a plunky Texans side that shocked many on the run to the Development Academy Championship. Cappis was brilliant throughout the playoffs and Richards showed the potential that eventually propelled him to Bayern Munich. 

On top of the talent on the field, LA Galaxy also served as hosts for the game, which made it one of the best atmospheres in a Development Academy final. 

Honorable mention goes to the New York City FC - LA Galaxy U18/19 championship in 2018. Galaxy brought back most of the stars, plus NYCFC featured the emerging Giovanni Reyna. Texans-Galaxy gets the nod though because there is an actual crowd at the first game. The second game was played at Swope Soccer Park. Also, penalty kicks are overrated. 

 

 

Solar SC U18/19 vs. LAFC Slammers, June 29, 2018

For some reason, this game report has been scrubbed from the DA site. The U.S. Soccer recap of the action will have to suffice. This was the first National Championship in the Girls Development Academy. The first DA season had some highs and lows, but this was clearly a matchup of the two best teams in the oldest age group. Solar was dominant throughout the season with only one loss and rolled into the final without much of a challenge in the playoffs. Young stars Trinity Byars and Alexis Missimo looked unstoppable for most of the defenses. Missimo talked about playing with her older sister on that team after originally being the cheerleader for that group in an article on TopDrawerSoccer earlier this month. LAFC Slammers, one of the best clubs in girls club soccer, featured a roster with a number of top recruits. They were the older of the two sides on the day, but they still featured top prospect Kate Wiesner. 

The game completely changed when Wiesner, the top player from the 2019 class, was injured within the first six minutes of the game. She was replaced in the lineup and Slammers did not miss a beat. It was one of the most impressive defensive performances against a dynamic Solar attack. 

LAFC Slammers rallied around Wiesner’s injury and held off Solar in a 1-0 result. Slammers claimed the first championship in DA history, but it also spurred on Solar to destroy the competition over the next two years. Missimo and Byars’ Solar U17 team in 2019 went 31-1-1 and won the DA National Championship. The redemption story was almost worth the heartbreak in 2018. 

Honorable mention goes to the 2018/2019 San Jose Earthquakes U15 squad, which won the National Championship without losing a game all season.