Youth Development Program (YDP) | Minnesota United FC

Building Soccer in Minnesota

Building a soccer club extends far beyond the lights of any stadium. At Minnesota United, we recognize that the world of soccer is diverse and ever-growing, and we’re only a small part of this beautiful game. We also recognize that our platform as a professional club gives us a chance—and a responsibility—to elevate, connect, and lead the development of the sport we love in the community we love even more.

One way we seek to do that is through our Youth Development Program, which features a variety of avenues to bring the game to youth in our market. Through our Academy and Pre-Academy programs, regional camps and clinics, our Alliance Program, continued coaching development, and more, our club hopes to connect to lead the development of soccer’s future stars.

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Development Philosophy

A key piece in the success of any professional soccer club is the youth pipeline. Clubs all over the world continually search for the next superstar to add to their team, creating a race to identify and cultivate talent at a young age. Most clubs have established academy programs to aid in this endeavor. These programs provide a professional coaching and development environment for talented youth players, with the goal of producing the soccer stars of tomorrow.

Here at MNUFC, we have created an approach to developing young talent that is unique to our market. By collaborating with local clubs, we have found ways to ensure that the top players in Minnesota have development opportunities at their local club as well as with our academy staff in our Discovery ID camps.

This has allowed us to make the most of our local soccer community while giving us the flexibility to strategically allocate our own resources to maximize the potential growth of our programs, from our youth teams all the way up to our 1st team. The following is a basic breakdown of our program structure:

For ages 8-14, MNUFC has invested in what we call our Pre-Academy program. This system focuses on early development and talent recognition, giving young players the chance to play at their respective clubs year-round while earning a chance to represent MNUFC on a call-up basis.

Starting at the U15 level, MNUFC operates teams in MLS NEXT. These teams take the place of other club soccer participation, transitioning players into a year-round calendar and a more intensive professional environment as they get closer to the first team. This structure operates at the U16 and U18 levels as well, before moving into our MLS NEXT Pro team.

For players that climb the academy ladder all the way to the top, MNUFC2 serves as the final proving ground before athletes ascend to the first team. Since the 2022 season, MNUFC2 has competed in MLS NEXT Pro, a league explicitly designed to act as a bridge between MLS NEXT play and Major League Soccer.

MNUFC2 and MLS NEXT Pro will allow young players to experience a more competitive, professional environment to accelerate their final development before taking the last domestic step up to Major League Soccer.

YDP Programs

YDP Staff

With a growing staff of licensed, professional coaches, MNUFC’s Youth Development Program is not only full of talented soccer players, but exceptional instructors, mentors, and role-models as well.

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