While the Columbus Crew First Team’s 2024 came to a close last month, the reigning MLS Academy of the Year is still hard at work representing Central Ohio.
Here’s a guide to get you up to speed with all things Crew Academy!
Crew Academy fall season and new age groups
Fittingly, the Crew Academy seasons mirror a typical school calendar rather than the MLS’ February to October regular season. So, the Crew Academy teams kicked off their 2024-25 campaigns earlier this fall on Sept. 7.
There have been a few changes, though, as new team age groups were introduced. This season, the Crew Academy has Under-18, Under-16 and Under-15 teams competing in MLS NEXT. In the spring of 2024, the Crew had Under-17 and Under-15 exclusively, so there’s a new team for U-18 while U-16 was also introduced.
The U-18 squad set the tone to start the year by going unbeaten in the side’s first four matches in MLS NEXT Flex Mid-America play. They finished regular season play strong with the U18s putting up well-fought performances against MLS opponents such as ties against Minnesota United and St Louis City and a 1-0 victory away at Chicago Fire. They also took down our friends from the south with a 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati to wrap up the fall schedule.
As for the Under-16 Team, the Black & Gold have been electric, winning 14 of the 18 matches played this fall. That includes big wins against other MLS clubs such as Houston Dynamo FC, Chicago Fire FC and St. Louis CITY SC. The U16s were also named MLS Next Team of the Month earlier this fall in September.
As for the Under-15 Team, they rattled off 12-straight wins to start the new season, including wins over St. Louis CITY SC, Minnesota United FC and others. The young group compiled of mostly players who previously came through the Pre-Formation program amassed 67 goals this season – impressive!
But let’s not forget about Pre-Formation, which offers free-to-play developmental programming for players from the U-11 to U-14 age groups. There are two levels within Pre-Formation: U13/14 and U11/12. Both levels train in an MLS environment weekly, and the U11/12 group feeds into the U13/14 program in the same way as the Crew Academy player pathway through to the First Team.
And speaking of the younger age groups, this happened in preseason, but it’s worth sharing with all Crew supporters. How cool is it that the U-13 and U-15 teams both went on international preseason trips to England ahead of the season kickoff on Sept. 7?
The U15s competed in the Merseyside Cup in August in Liverpool, England, facing off with opponents such as Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Leicester City, and IF Gnistan. The athletes also got some time off the field to experience all of the wonders of a new country, taking a trip to London to see the sights, even attending a Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham City at Old Trafford.
The U13s followed suit shortly after, traveling to Burnley, England in early September for the Burnley FC x Dude Perfect International Youth Cup. They had the opportunity to compete with high level Academies such as Liverpool FC, Juventus FC, Wolverhampton, and Benfica. What an experience for these youngsters!
Updated coaching changes for 2024-25
Just as the Crew Academy established a new U-18 team, there’s a new U-18 head coach. Chris Rogers joined the organization this past July after serving as a U16/17 MLS NEXT Academy head coach for Barca Residency since 2021. Rogers has also served as a Coach Educator for U.S. Soccer since 2018 and has USSF A, UEFA A, and UEFA Elite Youth A Licenses. It’s worth noting he’ll be able to relate to players who represent their respective countries, as Rogers was a Welsh youth international himself.
Rogers isn’t the only new addition at the Academy level, the Crew is displaying their passion for development through serious investment in resources and support staff for their athletes. Sam Keener joins the staff as an Academy Goalkeeper Coach alongside MLS and Black & Gold alum David Winner. Dean Tetley became the Manager of Performance, Player Development, focusing on aligning the strength and performance aspects of the game and Alessandro Burlew also joined the staff, as an Academy Video Analyst. Other additions to the staff ahead of this season include Academy Assistant Coach DJ Ogunlade, U13-U15 Assistant Coach/Performance Coach Daniel Suarez, Academy Athletic Trainer Elissia Willis, and Education and Homestay Coordinator Bryce Phillips.
Crew School is now in session!
Crew School ensures players have a solid foundation of knowledge both on the field and off the field. The goal is for Academy players to be fully immersed in the club environment, while also being prepared for life away from the game.
Crew School focuses on three core areas:
1. Core Curriculum: Monitoring and management of the students’ Academic Platforms for their core subjects (Math, English, Science, History and Social Studies)
2. Electives: Teaching basic “Life Skills, Wellness Practices, and Electives” to ensure success in all walks of life
3. Technical and Tactical Training: Coupling their rigorous training schedule with an opportunity to focus on the crucial details of the game
Supporters have loved to see Crew School students dive into the elective curriculum on Academy social media, watching along as the students recently received basic car mechanics lessons from Club partners Performance Columbus and home repair lessons from the Club facility maintenance staff.
Programming thus far in 2024
In addition to Crew School, there’s plenty of programming for the Crew Academy – in a fun way.
Signing Day was celebrated in August at Lower.com Field, where the newest additions to the Crew Academy were honored ahead of their first matches in Black & Gold. Players and their families were able to celebrate the achievement by getting their pictures taken on the touchline where the MLS Cup champions play!
Additionally, players in the Crew Academy served as Ball Boys for the First Team all year long. That includes MLS regular season games, Concacaf Champions Cup clashes and the dramatic Leagues Cup title run this past summer.
Academy players have also had the opportunity to analyze First Team matches much in the same way as the Crew coaches and scouting department watch a game. Players watched Black & Gold players like Cucho Hernández, Darlington Nagbe and Diego Rossi at Lower.com Field. Oh, and don’t forget about Sean Zawadzki and other Crew players who featured in the Crew Academy.
Recently, the Academy hosted their semi-annual ‘Health and Wellness Week’. During this week, all age groups covered key topics around recovery, nutrition, and injury prevention, giving the young athletes even more mechanisms to prepare their bodies and ensure they are able to compete at a high level.
Throughout the fall season, each age group had the opportunity to connect more with the city of Columbus through community outreach. The U15s and U16s opted to visit the St. Stephen’s Mid-Ohio Market to help stock shelves and provide groceries to families who need them during the holidays. The U18s chose to help with nature conservation, going out to Frank’s Park in Hilliard to help remove invasive species so new plants can grow in the spring. Talk about well-rounded individuals!
Academy Integration into Crew 2, the Capybaras
The Crew organization is always thinking one step ahead and the integration of Crew Academy prospects into the Crew 2 environment this year was no exception. In early 2024, after the Crew Academy’s UPSL (U19) squad took third place at the UPSL National Finals in California from Feb. 2-4, The Club opted to not formalize a U19 squad for the spring alongside the U15 and U17 teams. Instead, the subset of players who played in UPSL in 2023 immediately rolled into the player pool of Crew 2 as the MLS NEXT Pro season began.
Joining the base of Crew 2 signed players on Amateur Agreements at the beginning of the season were now graduated U19s Nathan Salerno, Jackson Lindimore, Joshua Veycheck, Ty Nero, Mohamed Saad, and Phoenix Wooten. The group combined for 953 minutes before going on to college careers at destinations of the likes of Princeton, Harvard, Denver, Indiana, Charleston, and more. Pretty impressive!
A subset of the players who started the year on Amateur Agreements with the Capybaras eventually signed MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts, including Owen Presthus (son of Crew alum Tom Presthus), Chase Adams, Tristan Brown, and Anthony Alaouieh. These four joined the group of Academy products already signed to Crew 2, Gio De Libera, Chris Rogers, Stas Lapkes, and Brent Adu-Gyamfi.
As the end of the Crew 2 season coincides at the beginning of the Academy season, a new generation of future stars made an impact at the later end of the MLS NEXT Pro season. Incoming Academy U18s Cooper Flanary, Austin Su, and Dylan Randazzo all saw action as the regular season wound down.
All in all, 26 Crew Academy products made an impact with Columbus Crew 2 this season, combining for a total of 18,535 minutes, 32 goals, and 23 assists. Don’t sleep on these guys, they are truly the future!
This provided the Crew’s second team with a much younger average age than in previous years, where in 2023 the average age was 22.45, the average age in the 2024 season was 19.24. This makes their accomplishments over the years even more impressive when you consider the talent pool becoming increasingly younger!
The Capybaras became 1 of 2 teams in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference to earn playoff berths in all three years, as they kicked off their 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs journey on Oct. 20 against Inter Miami CF II in the Quarterfinals. They boasted a record setting six goals in the Conference Quarterfinals, scoring the most goals overall and on the road in a playoffs match. Chicago Fire FC II selected Crew 2 in the Semifinals and the Capybaras picked up a 2-3 win at SeatGeek Stadium. Crew 2’s playoff journey ended this year in their third consecutive Eastern Conference Final against Philadelphia Union II, but all in all, it was another season for the books for the Capybaras in MLS NEXT Pro.
MLS NEXT Fest Recap
The Crew Academy’s Fall schedule closed with a Massive week in California for MLS NEXT Fest.
The event took place Dec. 6-11 in Indio, California, where the Crew Academy sides matched up against the best teams around the country to help determine the best side.
Both teams faced competitive slates against MLS Academies, taking on Toronto FC, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, D.C. United, and Colorado Rapids. Highlights from the week were a high intensity comeback 3-2 win from the U18s over D.C. United and a dominant 3-2 win from the 16s over Toronto FC.
The Coaches are getting in on the festivities as well! Three staff members were selected to coach the East in the MLS NEXT Fest U17 ‘Best of Game’.
What’s Up NEXT
The Crew Academy’s 2025 spring season will kick off with each age group taking on Vardar Soccer Club on January 18, 2025 in the weather protective dome at Historic Crew Stadium.
The Crew Academy U15s are adding a couple more stamps to their passports with upcoming international trips to Dubai and Egypt.
The spring season brings a slew of showcase and tournament opportunities for the groups, with Generation adidas Cup set to take place in Bradenton, FL followed by MLS NEXT Flex in May in Boyds, MD.
For now, the players will get some time off to rest and spend time with family as we look to turn the page to 2025!
