Sarah Brady: Connecting talent with opportunities

"You can actually also drop senior players down - so if you have a men’s or women’s senior team, you can play some of those overage players in the academy to make sure we are accelerating those younger players. 

"That was my favorite thing about being a coach at USL academy level. I had a fantastic 17-year-old center back who was not being challenged at age-group football.

"So, we had her play with a 22-year-old - a very well-decorated college player - and it brought her on tremendously. We wouldn’t have been able to do that in any other platform currently in the US."

SCW: Can you give us an overview of the Academy Cup - why it exists and what it looks like...?

SB: "The Academy Cup is going to take place in Tampa [from March 30-April 2]. We have 128 teams flying in from all over the country to participate.

"It’s a tiered competition, so we have pro teams competing against amateur teams. [For] every level across the US in our ecosystem, it’s an open invite. You have to apply to attend, but it’s just a celebration of local talent under that ecosystem.

"You could be the best local talent in Lexington, who are one of our attendees this year on both the boys’ and girls’ side - let’s see how he or she matches up with a player from California or New York.

"One of my personal reasons for being so excited about it this year is there’s 128 teams, which is double last year, and there’s 40 girls’ teams. Last year we had eight.

"[It’s] a tremendous jump and shows the hunger and desire that this youth-to-pro pathway is not just for male players, it is for female players also.

"I’m just excited to get down there and see some absolutely tremendous football where the standards are extremely high for the matchday presentation.

"All the fields are wrapped, the corner flags are all branded, the final game is broadcast live with a full commentary team. We provide technical reports post events.

"This is the closest thing to a mini-international tournament, just on a domestic scale. We have three age groups - U13, U15, and U19 - again, explaining how we don’t want to lock players into age-group football. 

"It’s really exciting and I can’t wait to see the talent on display."

SCW: What tips would you give coaches who bring teams into this environment about how they can manage their teams and get the best out of them?

SB: "What I believe will differentiate the very best coaches at this event [is that] all the players are great. But the truly elite coaches understand how to manage their roster across four games.

"There’s 128 teams, double last year, and 40 girls’ teams. Last year, we had eight..."

"We play one game a day which is not always typical in the US - sometimes it’s multiple games a day at these tournaments, because we’re trying to cram the competition into a smaller window.

"This is more based on that international model where we prioritize one game a day. You’ve got to be able to manage your roster.

"[It’s] kind of like the World Cup, right? You don’t want to run your race in the first game.

"We want to make sure we’re managing not just the players’ load, but also managing their expectations.

"The substitution rules are European substitution rules. Once you are substituted, you cannot re-enter the game. In the US, it’s typically a roll-on, roll-off rule or a variation.

"Some of our better coaches absolutely love that rule because it does put a little bit more emphasis on the coach being tactically astute, but it also helps you manage your roster, and that’s where you’re talking to players about expectations.

"Our more experienced coaches will know the importance of managing the roster, not just on the loads, but on player expectations and the whys of your decision.

"It’s not really common these days to make a decision in a vacuum and not explain it out, especially to the individual player.

"So I think that is where coaches can really get a lot of experience that’s different in this event than maybe some of the other events across the country."