ORLANDO, Fla. (March 31, 2022) - The Orlando City Academy continues its pursuit in becoming one of the premier MLS academies in the nation, announcing the addition of a fully-funded U-12 Academy age group to its current development pathway, set to begin play in the coming Academy year.
The U-12 group will join the Orlando City U15 and U17s, as the Club works to continue to expand its developmental pathway all the way from the Academy to the First Team in Major League Soccer.
“We are very excited to add the U-12 age group to the Orlando City Academy,” Orlando City Academy Director Marcelo Neveleff said. “We firmly believe that this addition will enhance the way we develop our players in being able to identify talent at a much younger age. This is a great step for our Club and we look forward to welcoming a number of new Lions into our family.”
The Club’s newest age group will be housed out of the Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park located in Kissimmee, which also serves as the headquarters of Orlando City SC of MLS, Orlando City B of MLS NEXT Pro and the Club’s Academy and MLS NEXT sides.
The focus will be on the development of the player in improving their skills, knowledge, and confidence. A holistic approach will focus not only on athletic performance, but social and cognitive development, set to offer a multi-environment approach in adding futsal and street soccer to Orlando City’s methodology.
Players born in 2011 and 2012 are eligible to compete in the inaugural year of the program, with a match schedule set to be released at the end of May.
