16 MARCH 12, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Young soccer stars train under the
eyes of professionals in Ridgewood
BY BENJAMIN MANDILE
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Two teams of elite soccer players
and their fans descended on
Grover Cleveland Athletic Field
in Ridgewood March 1 for a league
match as part of the New York Cosmos
Development Academy.
The New York Cosmos U-13 (under
13) and New York Cosmos U-14 (under
14) teams took to the field as members
of the New York Cosmos First team,
the professional players of the club,
came out to watch.
Emmanuele Sembroni, a defender
on the Cosmos First team, said the
experience can be amazing for the
kids to have professional players
watch their games and that it also
sends a strong message from the
professionals that they value the
club.
These players are part of a soccer
training academy that takes players
with aspirations to compete in
collegiate and professional leagues
and guides them to improve on their
skills, lifestyles and knowledge of
the game in preparation for the next
levels of their careers.
Players at the academy learn technique
and begin to understand the
nuances of the game, in part by being
around professional level coaches
and by playing within “more of a
European type system,” said Tom
Larsen, acting general manager of
the New York Cosmos.
The idea behind the academy is
to create “world class players,” he
said.
“I think in American soccer, what
we’ve relied on a lot is just sort of
sheer athleticism and I think these
academies try to teach more technique
than athleticism,” said Larsen.
“Athleticism helps though, by the
way,” he added.
As young players develop, there
will be opportunities for the more
elite players to advance to the professional
ranks, said Larsen.
Players that are “world class”
are marketable to European teams
who compete in some of the “best”
leagues in the world including the
well-known Premier League.
The club’s Development Academy
features coaches who hold at least
an USSF B license, giving developing
players “the best environment”,
according to their website.
According to U.S. Soccer Federation’s
rules, all coaches in developmental
soccer academies that are
approved by the federation must
hold this licensure.
In addition to the coaches, the
Jaden Bascom, a player for the under-13 team, makes a touch on the ball as the team warms up for their match
at Grover Cleveland Athletic Field in Ridgewood Sunday, March 1. Photos by Steve Hamlin/New York Cosmos
young players also learn from professional
players who play for the
Cosmos First team.
These professionals help with
practices at times including working
on specific skills with the younger
players and set an example on how
to lead a healthy lifestyle including
nutrition and training, said Larsen.
Larsen said Sembroni is the
perfect example of someone who
sets a good example.
“I think it’s very important if you
are looking into a healthy environment,
especially for kids,” said
Sembroni. “I think that soccer is
one of the most important ones in
terms of growing as a man, growing
stronger.”
Sembroni, who is starting his
second season on the New York
Cosmos First team, leads a life of
fitness and said he hopes to become
more involved in the Development
Academy’s activities during this
upcoming season.
The New York Cosmos First team,
which previously played in the
National Premier Soccer League, is
changing leagues and will join the
National Independent Soccer Association
for the 2020 season.
The team missed the cutoff for
playing in the Spring 2020 season
and will kick off their season this
Fall.
In their absence from the field,
Larsen encourages “hardcore”
Cosmos fans to come out and watch
Academy players in action.
Sembroni said during an interview
in Brooklyn that he wants to thank
the team’s supporters for their continued
support during the off-season
including messages they sent.
The next game played in Ridgewood
for the academy will be held
on March 29 at Grover Cleveland
Athletic Field on Suydam Street.
“I think when you wear the Cosmos
jersey you’re part of a ‘fam,’ more of
an extended family, and those guys
and ladies, they celebrate anybody
who wears the jersey,” said Larsen.
Ridi Dauti, head coach for the under-13 team, speaks to players at a New
York Cosmos Development Academy game.
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