We place athletes at the center of their development. |
We know that we can elevate the potential of every athlete in our Academy by placing them at the center of their development, their potential, and their performance. |
YSC Academy’s innovative, sports-science driven soccer training program is managed by our soccer partners, the Philadelphia Union. The program is designed and led by Union Academy staff who enable our student-athletes to maximize their development as elite players, approximating the experience of their international peers which includes remarkable resources in injury prevention, strength training, nutrition counseling, and sports psychology.
The Union Academy coaches strive to combine the seriousness of competition with the sheer fun of play to create an environment that fosters integrity, growth, and respect for our players, coaches, staff and the game of soccer. They are dedicated to igniting a passion for the sport while cultivating a ‘team player’ mentality and modeling skills that extend beyond the soccer field.
At YSC, athletes have ownership of their development. Every student-athlete has an extensive Individualized Development Plan (IDP) that the coaching staff helps develop, but most importantly, that the player takes ownership of and refines their plan based on his motivation and goals. Players seek out additional help from the Technical Staff in areas they feel are needed to improve their game, whether that is Sports Psychology, Nutrition, Athletic Development, or any related topic. This type of proactive and self-directed mindset aligns completely with the culture on the academic side at YSC, where self-directed learning is the ultimate goal.
Training at the stadium, working with professional coaches has helped me become a better soccer player. It has taught me to play and think quicker and strive for excellence.
Danny Flores
Our Results
YSC Academy graduated 95 students in its first six years; as of May 2020, there were:
25 YSC Academy alumni and underclassmen who had signed professional contracts, either with the Philadelphia Union or other professional teams domestically and internationally.
13 YSC Academy alumni and underclassmen currently under contract with the Philadelphia Union’s 1st team or 2nd team (known as ‘Union II’), representing 1/3rd of the combined roster, most notably US National Team players Brendan Aaronson (2019 graduate) and Mark McKenzie (2017 graduate), along with Matt Real (2017 graduate) and Anthony Fontana (2018 graduate).
