The FC Cincinnati Academy had a banner year in 2023-2024. The young organization in just its fifth year of operation has begun to find its footing in the nationwide scene in terms of recruitment, and is continuing to promote youth soccer in the area at the highest levels.
The ultimate goal of the academy is to augment the first team and be a constant provider of talent to The Orange and Blue as the club continues to compete for trophies in MLS. In 2024 those pieces continued to contribute, and new names and faces were added to the talent pool as the academy – now in its fifth season after initially hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic – began to show just how formidable it can be. The continued effort for 2024-2025 continues with some changes to the organization, both in terms of structure and mindset.
The biggest structural change for the upcoming season isn’t all that big. FC Cincinnati, along with the rest of the MLS academy apparatus (called MLS NEXT) has reorganized its age groups to better align with player pathways through soccer. This year FCC will be having teams compete in the U13, U14, and U15 levels as well as U16 and U18 levels. The change comes from a U17 and U19 model. Last season the higher level sides also competed in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) to better align with the U19 age group, now all teams will compete under the MLS umbrella. The format more similarly aligns with academy systems abroad and makes for simpler integration.
The 2024-2025 season is just around the corner now. Two age groups recently traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a preseason competition where they competed against Academy sides from all over the nation, including games against NYCFC and Atlanta United FC. The resounding goal for the season is to continue to grow under new expectations and continue to perform at the highest levels.
Last season was the first statement season for the Academy as a whole. The U17 and U15 sides made deep runs in the Generation adidas Cup for the first time. The U14 side won the Patterson Cup in a massive step for the club.
Major steps were taken that shows the continued development of not only the organization, but the players who have been in it all this time. Now attention has been turned to them on the national stage, with several news and coverage outlets highlighting how they feel the academy is becoming one of the dominant players in the youth soccer space in the United States.
That’s a crown or credit the leadership in the FC Cincinnati Academy would never wear or read into. But they understand how those accolades may impact their players and how other organizations may view them. The goal now, according to FCC and FCC Academy leaders, is to continue to perform and grow while all eyes are on them.
“Every year you reevaluate and you raise your standards, and I think our standards have been raised and our expectations are higher this year,” FC Cincinnati Director of Player Development Larry Sunderland said ahead of the upcoming academy season. “Last year was a big step. I think this year we've taken another big step…from top to bottom, the quality of the players in the academy has taken another step forward. The teams are deeper, and the players on the teams are at a higher level as well.”
“Now we have to go out and perform. That remains to be seen, but we continue to be excited about the progression of our teams and continue to want to achieve more.”
The academy has done well at providing the first team with individual talent, which is, as the staff would say, the primary goal of the organization. Players like Malik Pinto, Paul Walters, Gerardo ‘Dado’ Valenezuela and Stiven Jimenez all contribute to the first team with others soon on their way. Stefan Chirila this season signed a MLS NEXT Pro contract in addition to a first team deal which will begin in 2025. The MLS NEXT Pro team, FC Cincinnati 2, has also had several academy recruits come up and augment the roster. At present count 13 active academy players (in addition to first teamers and contracted players with academy ties) have played for the second team or trained with the first team this season. Even more have been called in to train with the second team.
Developing young players is a challenge that takes many years of commitment and attention as these young people grow as players on the pitch, and as young men off the pitch. This can, at times, make development of individual talent non-linear. This reality, not new to anyone who works in the youth sports space at a high level like FCC does, helps inform coaches and trainers how to best move forward with players at certain ages. It also helps shape the overall vision of the organization as to how they want to best operate.
Simply put, the goal is to create a strong competitive environment with competitive and hard working teams that help foster the growth of not only players within those teams, but the culture of the teams (and organization) as a whole.
“Now we need to work harder and step up our game even more, because there's a little bit more expectation on the team, players, and organization,” Eric Lichaj, U16 Head Coach and former USMNT and Premier League player, said. “We came together last year and achieved some really great things, but now we need to continue on and grow and keep fighting.”
“I was really proud of my team's toughness last season. We fought our way to where we were and I’d like to see that same attitude emerge this year.”
“We want to strive towards continuous improvement. Last year was great and we want to build on that. We have a lot of continuity in our organization so the core of what we do remains to strive for more,” Cristiano Scapolo, Head Coach of the U18 squad, said. Scapolo's playing career lasted 15 years in Italy, playing for clubs like Inter Milan, AS Roma, Bologna, and Napoli before joining the player development system in the United States as a coach. “The expectations are very, very high, because you need to confirm the good season that you had last year with more results now that people expect things of you. You’re not surprising anyone anymore. Our players need to understand that and we need to help them through that.”
“I want to see how our players react now that there’s a little pressure on them. People are talking now, they see it on Instagram and all these things, now, how do they handle themselves?”
The best or most remembered academy classes include multiple contributors, not a singular star. A point of pride for those in the organization is that the recruiting and development to this point has not only yielded contributors to the first team (the constant overarching goal of Academy systems) but also created a far deeper pipeline at each position for the future.
The next step, and something those same academies do best, is integrating those young players into the system not only from a tactical perspective but also from a cultural one. Another point of effort and pride for the entire organization. For example, a player like Dado Valenzuela or Paul Walters can quickly insert themselves into the first team because they have been holding themselves to the same standards, styles, vocabularies and philosophies when they were youngsters as they do once they enter the professional ranks. A 13-15 year old just now starting their serious soccer journey will, ideally, have five or more years of learning before they make the leap.
2024-2025 is the next opportunity to continue to grow. It is the belief of some in the organization that last year was the easy part and, to their credit, goals were accomplished. No one shies away from successes but everyone makes their best effort to contextualize them within the scope of their long term goals. The easy part of 2024-2025 was that (externally) expectations were low. No one expected much from FCC, which makes the environment easier to shape for the youngsters to work hard and impress. But in an ever connected and digital world, more and more is being written about the teams and thus the expectations rise with them.
Players read those things. Everyone now looks to give FCC their best shot because they know a victory over them can make waves. But also the players in the FCC academy must continue to work hard despite the hype and promotion given to them. An important lesson to be learned early on for these young players but one that must be learned.
“We are trying to create an environment that is conducive to team success that allows individuals to reach their potential,” Sunderland said. “If you're developing good players, you gotta win more…how many great players do you know have come off losing teams? So winning and development go hand in hand.”
The growth of the organization, as a whole, starts with its roots. On the sporting side, the Academy is the bedrock of a winning, longterm, club in MLS. The roots have been watered and have started to grow. Now we are seeing the stems and flowers. There’s plenty to be excited about.
