If you are wondering how Sounders FC will 'discover' the next hot local talent, then you need look no further than their USSDA Academy teams. The Development Academy is a partnership between U.S. Soccer and the top MLS and youth clubs around the country to provide the best youth players in the U.S. with an every day environment designed to produce the next generation of National Team players. The Academy’s programming philosophy of increased training, less total games and more competitive games is based on U.S. Soccer’s Best Practices utilized by the U-17 U.S. National Team Residency program.
Season Schedules: Sounders FC Academy U-16 Sounders FC Academy U-18
Seattle Sounders FC's Academy clubs kick off their first-ever USSDA seasons this weekend with matches at Starfire Sports Complex on both Saturday and Sunday. The U-18's kick off at 11:30 AM on Saturday and 10:30 AM on Sunday. The U-16's follow at 2:00 PM on Saturday and 1:00 PM on Sunday. Matches are open to the public.
On the roster for the U-18's will be Decatur High School senior and Washington Premier FC's Dominique Dismuke. Dismuke scored nine goals in the USSDA last year.
The Federal Way Mirror had this to say about Dismuke back in June of 2009: Dismuke was the Gators’ go-to player during the entire season. He led Decatur to an 8-5-3 record in the SPSL South, which was two points away from qualifying for the postseason. Dismuke tallied 14 goals and five assists and had four mulit-goal games. He tallied both of the Gators’ goals during a 2-0 win over the SPSL South champion Rogers Rams April 1. It was Rogers’ only loss during the regular season. Dismuke was a first-team, All-SPSL South selection by the league’s coaches.
Dismuke was part of the SUM U-17 Cup Sounders Academy team that competed well over the summer. The Houston Dynamo site said this at the time: First and foremost is Dominique Dismuke, a 5-foot-11 forward who scored nine goals in league play last season. Dismuke will rely on former WPFC teammate Troy Peterson to find him in space and create chances. Peterson will also be relied upon to find the back of the net after scoring six goals of his own last season. Look for Seattle to remain competitive in its first tournament against other MLS academies, but in this strong a group, they appear unlikely to advance.
I spoke with Dominique this week as the Academy prepares for its first-ever league matches, against Nomads SC (Saturday) and San Diego Surf (Sunday).
Dismuke played club ball with Washington Premier FC last year. WPFC merged its best talent into the Sounders Academy, but players still had to go through a tryout process. "Trying out for the Sounders Academy was a great experience," Dominique says. "We got a chance to play at Qwest Field and it was amazing just being able to step on that field. We also got a chance to play in front of Sigi Schmidt, which was nice too."
Dismuke took a confident but realistic apporach to the tryouts. "I think in order to do great things you have to go into something being confident but not over confident. So I had to have some belief in myself that I could make the team."
Now the U-18's are practicing several times a week in advance of the USSDA (US Soccer Development Academy) season. "Practices are very intense," reveals Dismuke. "We are learning new things each and every day at Starfire (Tukwila). We just go in with the right attitude and work as hard as we can."
Dismuke says the Academy coaches are preaching work, work, work going into the weekend. "Our coaches are Dick McCormick, Sean Henderson, Billy Crook and Mark Bose. Really they are just telling us that all we have to do is work hard and apply the things that they have taught us into this weekend's matches and we will come out on top."
Playing the first-ever league matches will actually be a relief for the team, Dismuke confides. "The thing I'm looking forward to most about starting the season is getting some really good competition outside of our team."
Dismuke is a goalscorer, but I had to ask if his coaches are trying him out elsewhere, too. "I am currently playing forward still and a little bit of outside mid." He's left to only guess if he'll be picked as a starter on Saturday. "We have a lot of competition for spots in our squad so we will have to wait and see if i will be a starter this weekend."
The learning and scrimmaging and competing never ends at this level, at any level really. Dismuke seems to get this, and he looks to have his head on straight.
"The biggest thing I am learning from the Sounders Academy is hard work pays off. You might not be have the best game or practice but if you work hard then everything else will eventually fall in place for you."
Comments
This is great stuff . Cannot wait to see these teams play this weekend . I hear some have gotten to train with the first team so expecting to see some talent
WPFC is a good club. Homefully Dominique will be good.
Bro U suck.lol
I see you black man.lol
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