Development, US System
All about the money’: The decline of Minnesota United’s youth academy
When Minnesota United cut or furloughed its entire academy staff, parents of academy players were largely left disappointed, but not surprised.
“There’d been talk for a little while that something like this would happen,” one parent said.
Several academy parents spoke to E Pluribus Loonum on the condition of anonymity, concerned for the reputations and career prospects of their children.
Following U.S. Soccer’s closure of its development academy in April, parents began to worry about what would happen to Minnesota’s youth program. United’s academy should have been fine — it was one of 94 to be a part of Major League Soccer’s new “elite player development platform,” which will provide year-round competition.
But parents saw a growing divide between Minnesota United’s front office and the academy.
It was evident “pretty early on in my son’s academy experience,” one parent said. “The ownership and upper management couldn’t be bothered with the academy. They saw it as a money suck and a waste of time.”
