Nineteen local clubs join the New York Cosmos Academy Affiliate Program

The New York Cosmos have been working toward developing their academy for the past several years, and on Tuesday, the club took a major step forward in ensuring that the academy is stocked with some of the most promising talent in the area. The club announced affiliations with 19 different local clubs, in which some of the most promising youth will be able to play for the Cosmos academy, and all 19 affiliates will have access to the Cosmos coaching staff, as well as support from the club.

Cosmos head coach Gio Savarese is excited about the announcement, and had the following to say:

"This is a very exciting time for us as we lay the groundwork for our Academy. The Academy Affiliate Program represents a strong partnership between ourselves and local clubs that have devoted time to developing young players. This partnership aims to give young players, at all levels, the chance to grow in a sport they love. Not only will we be able to identify local talent and share our training philosophy with local coaches, but we will be able to offer these young players a real pathway to professional soccer."

Raul echoed his comments to some extent, reinforcing the idea that the club is looking to help youngsters continue to develop:

"Soccer continues to grow every day in the U.S. During my time in New York I have seen a lot of talented young players. Soccer academies are about finding these players in local communities and developing them to their full potential."

The 19 founding AAP members are as follows:

• Auburndale SC
• Brentwood SC
• Brooklyn Italians SC
• Central Brooklyn SC
• Dix Hills SC
• East Islip SC
• East Meadow SC
• Eastern FC
• FC Sesa
• HBC Soccer
• Hicksville American SC
• Massapequa SC
• Mineola Portuguese SC
• NY Hota Bavarian SC
• Port Washington SC
• Silver Lake Soccer Academy
• Smithtown Kickers SC
• Southampton SC
• Uniondale SC

Two of the founding affiliates have some special meaning to Cosmos captain Carlos Mendes, as he played for them as a youth:

"I grew up on Long Island and I developed as a young player thanks to the local soccer clubs such as Mineola Portuguese and Dix Hills. Our Academy will be great for kids in New York to develop as players and learn to play our style of soccer. As soccer grows here, it’s important that professional teams look to find and develop talent locally."

It's hard not to be excited as the academy continues to get closer, as there is plenty of room for improvement in US soccer development.