On Sunday June 7th, 2009 both of the two LAFC Chelsea Academy Development teams secured spots this in the Academy Development playoffs in North Carolina with wins against the Surf in La Jolla, CA. This will be the second time in two years that both the U18 and U16 teams from LAFC Chelsea have made it to the playoffs, distinguishing the club from most of the other 72 clubs from across the country that participate in US Soccer’s Academy Development Program. Don Sheppard, LAFC Chelsea Club President says “Sending both teams to the playoffs in North Carolina from first and second place in the So Cal Division of the Academy, the toughest division in the country, is one more demonstration of LAFC Chelsea’s dominance in youth soccer.”

Academy Finals Week: U-18 LAFC vs. CASL, LAFC (5)  CASL (2)

Academy Finals Week: U-16 LAFC vs. Schulz Academy, LAFC (0)  Schulz Academy (1)

Academy Finals Week: U-18 LAFC vs. Columbus Crew, LAFC (1)  Columbus Crew (1)

To large and enthusiastic crowds, both LAFC Academy teams beat their opponents in the first games of this week’s US Soccer Development Academy Finals Week.

Under the coaching of Rafa Moran and Josh Henderson, the U17/18 team handily won their first match against Concorde, a team from Atlanta. Within the first four minutes of the game, LAFC had two spectacular and decisive goals setting the tone and the pace for the rest of the game. The score was 6-0.

Teddy Chronopoulos and Dan Calichman’s team, the U15/16’s had a tougher match up going back and forth with goals between LAFC and Albertson fairly evenly spaced throughout the game. In the final five minutes, with the score in favor of Albertson from Long Island, New York, LAFC scored to tie, then scored to win. The on-the-edge-of-the-bleachers excitement made the match a particularly exciting victory. Both games were boosted by healthy crowds of the extended LAFC family.

Please join LAFC at the Home Depot Center at 6pm on Monday for the next U17/18 game and 1pm on Tuesday for the next U15/16 game. All matches are played just outside the main stadium at the Home Depot Center in Carson. Click here for directions!

GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 27, 2008) – U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy kicked off the Summer Showcase on Friday in Greensboro, N.C., with all 126 teams together for the final round of games as they attempt to earn a spot at Finals Week next month.

With teams playing their final games of the inaugural season, the soccer has been action-packed – even despite a short torrential downpour that delayed games – as the majority of top spots in conferences are still up for grabs.

Almost every team in the Under-15/16 and Under-17/18 age group is scheduled to play their final three matches over the course of the four-day event at Bryan Park, meaning throughout the weekend Conference champions will be crowned.

The Conference champions, a total of 16 teams, will reunite at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., from July 12-19 for the Development Academy Finals Week. The top team from each conference will advance to the event to wrap-up the inaugural Academy season.

“The first day of games at the Summer Showcase have been as competitive as ever with spots at Finals Week on the line,” said Development Academy Technical Director John Hackworth. “We are extremely pleased with the improvement that has been made in the performances on the field throughout the first season of the Development Academy. It’s satisfying to how much these teams have progressed, and we’re excited to see how the conference championships will be decided this weekend.”

Heading into the Development Academy’s fourth showcase of the 2007-08 campaign, two teams had already clinched a berth in Finals Week. The U-18 Baltimore Bays (Baltimore, Md.) hold a lock on the Mid-Atlantic Conference with a 23-2-3 record, while North Carolina locals CASL (Raleigh, N.C.) captured the inaugural title in U-18 Division of the Atlantic Conference by entering the weekend with a record of 21-1-5.

Two more teams booked passage to Los Angeles on the opening day of the Summer Showcase, with LAFC (La Canada, Calif.) winning the West Conference following their 2-1 victory against Seacoast United (Hampton, N.H.) this morning. Prior to stepping on the field this afternoon, FC Westchester claimed the Northeast Conference crown when the Irvine Strikers (Irvine, Calif.) downed B/W Gottschee (Rego Park, N.Y.), thereby eliminating the second-place side from contention.

The eight placement matches will be broadcast live on ESPN networks. The U-17/18 championship match will be live on ESPN 2 on Friday, July 18, at 8 p.m. PT, while the remaining seven matches, including the U-15/16 championship match, will be broadcast on ESPNU.

The draw for Finals Week took place at noon, determining which conferences will be matched up for the first six days of quarterfinal matches at The Home Depot next month.

Along with the action on the field, there was a flood of activity inside the gigantic Athletes’ Lounge tent at the center of the field complex. A meeting, information and entertainment area all rolled into one, players could relax by snagging free 16 ounce bottles at the Gatorade bar, watching ussoccer.com’s all_access videos on the 30-foot screen or play EURO 2008 on video consoles. Players and coaches could also learn more about the benefits of SPARQ training and have a ProZone representative explain the video statistical breakdown of their very own team’s matches.