Nov 28-Dec 3, Sarasota FL, NC Fusion U17 and U19 Development Academy teams played in their annual Winter Showcase. Both teams performed well at the top showcase in the nation. Our U17 (2002/2003 birth years) and U19 (2000/2001 birth years) won three and lost three versus the nation’s top 75 soccer teams at the US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase. Wade Forte U19 Academy coach said, “You do not get this type of college exposure anywhere else in the nation. Our teams were able to compete against the top teams from California, New Jersey, Texas, New Hampshire/Maine and Ohio in front of over 100 college coaches over 3 days”. For players who want to compete at a high level and are looking to play in college the DA offers a great platform to showcase their skills.
Chris Hales, U17 Team Manager and parent had this to say, "every year I am amazed at how many college coaches attend the Showcase. It's easy for college coaches to be able to see many potential prospects in one location. Brilliant event that brings the top players from all over the country together for one exciting experience. It also allows players to invite any coach in the country to see them play as we had colleges from all over the USA watch our games!”
The coaching staff from the list of colleges below viewed the u17 & u19 games during the showcase:
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Air Force
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App State
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Artu
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Babson college
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Bates College
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Belmont
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Bowdoin College
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Brown
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Butler
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Cal state Fullerton
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Cal state Marcos
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California Baptist
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Campbell University
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Carnegie Mellon
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Chowan
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Colgate
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College of Charleston
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Colorado School of Mines
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Columbia
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Connecticut College
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Cornell
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Davidson
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Delaware university
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Denver
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DePaul
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Dickinson
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East Tennessee State University
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Elon
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Emerson
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FIU
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Florida Gulf Coast University
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George Washington University
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Georgia Military Academy
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Gordon College
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Grand Canyon
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Greensboro College
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Hartford
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Hobart soccer
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Holy cross
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Houston Baptist
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Iona
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Iowa Western
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Ithaca
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Jacksonville University
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John Hopkins
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Kenyon College
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Lehigh University
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Limestone
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Louisburg College
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Marist
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Marshall
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Mercer University
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Middlebury College
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Milligan College
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Muhmenberg university
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Navy
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NC State
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Nebraska Christian
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New York University
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Northeastern University
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Oglethorpe
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Oral Roberts
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Presbyterian
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Princeton
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Quinnipiac
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Saint Edwards University
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St. Johns
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South Carolina
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South Kent
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St Bonaventure
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St Josephs College of Maine
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St. Josephs University
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Stanford
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Swarthmore
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Temple university
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Tulsa University
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UC San Diego
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UNC-Asheville
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UNC-Chapel hill
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UNC-Charlotte
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UNCW
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University of California Monterrey Bay
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University of Central Arkansas
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University of Charleston
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University of Mary Hardin Baylor
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University of San Francisco
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University of Texas- Dallas
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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
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University of the Ozarks
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UPenn
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USC-Upstate
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Wesleyan College
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West Point
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West Virginia University
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Westminster
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Westminster college
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William and Mary
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Xavier
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Yale
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Development Academy Director & U17 head coach, Andy Butler- “Our players really enjoy this Showcase, as it gives them a great opportunity to showcase themselves in front of schools from all over the country. During a regular season league game we will see our local North Carolina programs, such as UNC, Duke and App State, out watching the games, but down here in Florida we get the likes of Stanford and Yale, for our players with top academics, and then also Penn State and UConn to mention just a few others. The college exposure is just one aspect of the event. Playing against teams from other regions is really good for our players as they get to play against different styles of play. It also gives us a good idea on what to expect in the playoffs in the summer, which we hope our U17's will be able to qualify for.