How to be scouted for an elite soccer academy in the U.S. 2025

Of course, there is also the option of enrolling kids in a professional club’s academy. This automatically guarantees that they will be on the club’s radar and, if they perform well enough, they could be part of the team in their respective category and move up the ladder in the future.

However, each alternative has its pros and cons, as you also have to take into account the academies and clubs that are available for training in each country. One advantage of the United States is that soccer is growing by leaps and bounds and is receiving a lot of support from public and private entities.

On the other hand, the percentage of players who make it to the professional level is very small. This, far from discouraging the kids, should serve as motivation for parents to try to do things right and follow the right steps to reach the goal.

All this without losing the north and remembering that fun is also an important part in the training of the soccer player and should not be lost under any circumstances.

So for all these reasons, in this article we will talk about how to get scouted to enter an elite soccer academy in the United States and embark on a path of success in your child’s soccer career.

Key methods to get scouted to get into an elite soccer academy in the United States.

• Youth Soccer Club Camps: An excellent option for kids who want to get into an academy, as it allows them to be seen by the same club scouts. Of course, you must be a high performer to stand out from the rest of the attendees.
• High-performance camps: High-performance camps are aimed at high-level or elite players who want to compete against players of the same hierarchy and, at the same time, enjoy an almost professional environment with the coaches of a professional club’s academies.
• Join a private academy: Private academies offer specialized and personalized training for players. They have close relationships with big clubs and their scouts so that their players can make the leap to the elite level.
• Opt for a scholarship: The United States has a very solid college soccer structure that allows players to reach the MLS through a Draft, similar to what is seen in the NBA.
• Individual training and tryouts: Training independently and preparing for tryouts for professional teams is another method to reach the top level. You must have a lot of discipline to work individually, every day.
• Social media: Being relevant on social media is an unlikely method to get signed by an academy, but it has worked for some players to attract the attention of clubs and brands.

Attend youth soccer club camps.

High Performance Camps.

There is another modality that are the High Performance Camps, which are intended only for high level and elite players who want to continue improving their level.

In these camps, training is much more intense and focused on developing advanced skills of the players and subjecting them to a competitive scenario that makes them exploit their potential to the fullest.

Similarly, in the High Performance Camps, special emphasis is placed on physical conditioning, with exercises and routines that the children must apply in their daily lives in order to perform at the highest level of sport, including talks on injury prevention.

The High Performance Camps also have demanding scouts who look for outstanding talents and include them in the club’s youth categories.

There are also tips for a strong mentality and talks about the importance of mental health in high-performance sport. These days, it’s not enough just to have talent to stay at the top, you also need to have a healthy mindset that helps you keep going despite all the difficulties along the way.

Generally speaking, high performance camps are recommended experiences for high level players who want to be scouted by professional teams and rub shoulders with other players of their potential to increase their competitive prowess.

This is one of the most effective ways to find out how to get scouted to get into an elite soccer academy in the United States.

Our recommendation of camps and academies in the United States.

In this section we will leave a specialized selection of the best high performance soccer academies in the United States, taking into account all the benefits, trajectory of the institution, facilities, accommodation and other conditions.

1. Best High Performance Academy in the USA: F.C Barcelona.

The High Performance Academy of Futbol Club Barcelona is ideal for the development of high-level soccer players.

Located in Arizona, the academy follows the values of La Masia, a Catalan youth academy recognized worldwide for training players such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta.

It is an Academy that competes in the USSDA, the best youth league competition in the country; therefore, it offers a very high level of competitiveness and visibility.

• Intense training: With more than 20 hours of training per week, the FC Barcelona Academy places special emphasis on the development of the players’ technical and tactical skills.
• Club-certified coaches: Training sessions follow the more than proven La Masia methodology.
• Seedbed of stars: An institution with a vast trajectory that has modern facilities and state-of-the-art technology to bring players to the highest level.
• Optional language classes.

2. Best High Performance Academy in Virginia: PSG Academy.

PSG in the United States is another club that has gained a lot of prestige and relevance in Europe in recent years; also nurturing its training categories of jewels that reach the first team and also ‘export’ to other clubs in the world.

Currently, PSG has a soccer academy in Virginia that offers a High Performance program focused on the development of great talents.

The academy has coaches certified by national and international organizations that ensure the integral development of the players.

• High physical demands in training.
• High competitive rhythm.
• Technical development with specific exercise routines.
• Emphasis on set pieces.
• First class facilities.
• Multicultural and inclusive environment.
• Talks on mental health and sports psychology.

3. Best Private Academy Camp: IMG Academy.

IMG Academy is one of the most prestigious private soccer academies in the country, having excellent relationships with scouts from MLS clubs and around the world.

They offer short, medium and long term programs for players from 9 to 18 years old. In addition, training sessions are divided according to the level of the players.

It presents a comprehensive and very effective experience for both high level players and beginners. Its training method covers all the most important aspects of the game, being a cradle of future stars.

• Private academy of high prestige in the country.
• It offers camps at different times of the year, with varied duration.
• Close relationship with teams from MLS and around the world.
• High visibility for scouts.
• Optional language classes.
• World-class facilities.

4. High visibility academy: NY Red Bulls.

The NY Red Bulls has a very high level academy and high visibility with scouts.

It has a scouting network that makes sure that all academy players meet the academy standards ; following a fairly strict method for training players.

The academy categories also compete in the USSDA tournament; which pits them against the best 70 clubs in the country, guaranteeing high competition each season.

• For players from 8 to 18 years old.
• They recruit players on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.
• Philosophy of high pressure and physical intensity.
• Coaches certified by national organizations.
• Modern facilities.

5. Coerver Coaching Academy.

Coerver Coaching Academy offers a series of camps and events annually to recruit new talent in the country.

The most outstanding aspect of this academy is that it has a unique method, called the Coerver method, which develops players technically following a very marked structure.

They focus first on reception, ball control and passing. From that base, they end up adding finishing, dribbling and all the other technical skills needed to excel on the field.

• Excellent academy for beginners.
• Unique method backed by decades of history.
• Institution with a vast trajectory in the country.
• Special training for goalkeepers.
• Coaches with a lot of experience in the training of players.

6. Academy with the best facilities: F.C Dallas.

The F.C Dallas Academy stands out above other clubs for having an enviable infrastructure and a broad spectrum of recruitment.

The club’s facilities are among the most modern in the country and have multiple training centers for each category.

In addition, they rely on video technology, metrics and sports science to analyze the performance of their players and help them improve their weaknesses.

• One of the most modern academies in the country.
• Large influx of players to tryouts and camps.
• Multicultural and favorable environment with foreigners.
• Technological analysis of player performance.
• Competitive lower divisions at USSDA.

7. Best Women’s Soccer Academy: De Anza Force Soccer Club.

We moved to the women’s soccer sector to recommend the De Anza Force Soccer Club training method.

This academy is recognized in the player training jargon for training world gems such as Alex Morgan.

Its method is orchestrated by highly experienced coaches and offers great competitiveness in their training.

• Academy with great trajectory in women’s soccer.
• Seedbed of stars with exponents such as Kelley O’Hara, Crystal Dunn and Alex Morgan.
• High-intensity training.
• For girls of all ages.
• High visibility.

8. Academy with more foreigners: L.A Galaxy.

The Los Angeles Galaxy has a full-spectrum academy with players of all nationalities among its ranks. It has a large presence of Hispanic players and kids of Latin American descent.

Coaches encourage healthy competition based on group learning and constant skill development through trial and error.

• Medium to high intensity workouts guided by certified coaches.
• Training sessions are divided according to the level of the players.
• USSDA participants.
• High visibility with scouts present at the end of the cycle.
• High-end facilities.

Join a private academy.

Private academies are another excellent way to get your child scouted by a professional soccer team in the United States.

Many private academies have direct relationships with big clubs in the country and around the world, with the objective of exporting their talents to the academies of big teams and receiving, of course, their respective economic commission.

This method is effective because private academies do not have too many entry requirements. You simply have to comply with the registration fee and your son will have the opportunity to play soccer against kids his age and receive knowledge from experienced coaches.

In addition, the private academies have a specialized individual follow-up that ensures the integral development of the player. At the end of each cycle, parents receive a report on their child’s skills and the progress made during that cycle.

In turn, at the end of each cycle, the academies call scouts from different teams around the world to watch their training sessions and internal tournaments. The scouts have the power to negotiate with the academy the transfer of the boys to a professional team.

Similarly, some private academies are enrolled in regional and national tournaments and competitions in which they play against lower levels of professional clubs.

All of these scenarios will help your child face high-performance opponents and get closer and closer to the elite level of U.S. Soccer.

• Private academies develop players with individual and specialized plans.
• Some have close relationships with clubs in MLS and around the world.
• Players participate in high-level tournaments and competitions.
• End-of-cycle reports on player development.

Opting for a scholarship to enter college soccer.

As in other sports such as American soccer or basketball, in the United States there is also a structure for the development of college soccer players.

There is a tournament that pits all the universities in the country against each other to find out which one has the best performance in this category.

This league has a high level of competitiveness and has produced many players who currently play in the MLS, such as the Venezuelan Daniel Pereira, for example.

Joining the university structure is a viable option for young people who, in addition to wanting to develop in soccer, do not want to neglect their education and professional career.

At the end of each season, MLS teams participate in a draft in which they can choose the best players from the university league and include them in their teams, similar to what happens in the NBA.

This is a very good way for talented players to reach the elite level, as they will gain experience in a very competitive league and will have enough poise to face the change to the Premier League scene with greater ease. In addition, they will also do so with a college degree under their arm.

Of course, this is a longer option that involves years of study and a lot of dedication to the sport. In today’s soccer, 17- or 18-year-olds are already making it to the highest level and signing contracts worth thousands of dollars.

In this case, the kids will have to wait until graduation to reach the professional level in this way, which means that they may be in their twenties or older.

In addition, obtaining an athletic scholarship in the United States is not easy. Every year there are thousands of applicants competing for these spots and many are often left out.

• The U.S. college league has a solid training structure that allows players to gain experience before reaching the Premier League.
• The boys study and develop their soccer skills in parallel.
• There are at least 3 years of training.
• They can reach professional clubs via the Draft.
• Universities award university scholarships to potential talents.

Individual training and participation in tryouts.

Another more unilateral method is individual and solitary training, with the intention of improving your own skills and participating in tryouts or professional team trials.

This is another effective way to get into professional club academies, as they also offer tryouts and sporadic events to attract talent from different cities in the country.

The key is to be talented enough to stand out from the other players and shine with your own light in the few opportunities offered by the tryout.

The level of competition at these tryouts is high, so training at home must be demanding in order to keep up with the other kids.

Remember that private academies also send their players to some tryouts, so the boys will have to compete with others who train regularly in a group and are already more adapted to some routines.

Of course, these trainings should also work on physical conditioning, not only on technical and tactical aspects.

However, if the boy or girl is talented enough, there will be no barrier that prevents him or her from being seen by scouts and interesting a big club.

• The big clubs hold Tryouts at different times of the year.
• They are organized to look for talent from different cities of the country.
• Players must stand out to be selected by scouts.
• High level of competitiveness.
• Recommended experience to get closer to professional environments and become familiar with pressure situations.

Visibility in social networks.

Finally, a not so effective method to reach academies and professional soccer is to become relevant in social networks.

In recent times there have been high-profile cases in which some clubs in Europe go so far as to sign junior players after seeing clips of them on Instagram or TikTok.

Of course, these are long-shot bets made by the teams due to the relevance achieved by the kids in the networks, betting on a very future reinforcement that already has a solid marketing over the years.

Social networks cross borders and you don’t need more than a cell phone to show your child’s talent. Although in these media you also depend a lot on creativity and luck to stand out.

It is not a path with too much probability of success, but it never hurts to be relevant and have a presence on social networks in today’s world; this could even guarantee commercial agreements with brands.

Obviously, care must be taken to ensure the safety of children and not to expose them too much, in the interest of protecting their childhood and well-being, by monitoring all their interactions on social networks.

The United States is an ideal country to reach professional soccer.

There is no doubt that Major League Soccer (MLS) is one of the leagues that has grown the most in popularity and level of play in the last 10 years.

The arrival of great players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Wayne Rooney in their time; and the more recent arrival of Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez, has caused the league to gain ground against other sports of great popularity and support in the country.

The growth of the league, along with the empowerment of the lower divisions of the clubs, has made U.S. Soccer stand out nationally and internationally.

American soccer ambassadors such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah make up two generations of players who have made it to European soccer with their own talent.

Logically, this is a great indication that the big clubs in Europe have also seen the potential of U.S. soccer, which is bringing out more and more gems and quality players from their youth academies. In addition, they provide very good marketing and visibility to these teams on the continent.

And everything indicates that this trend will continue to grow. MLS soccer continues to break attendance records season after season and has become an eye-catching spotlight for its stars.

Currently, the league mixes very talented veteran players with young players who are starting to emerge and have the dream of reaching Europe and winning the most prestigious trophies in the sport.

This ecosystem full of variants is ideal for the development of a soccer player and will allow him to have a prosperous career enjoying his passion for the sport he loves the most.

Additionally, it is a country with an excellent quality of life, a stable economy and high savings capacity.

The key is to try and try again.

Even the greatest professional players have had to overcome difficulties during their childhood to reach the top.

If at a camp or tryout things didn’t work out, there’s no choice but to keep trying to fulfill the dream; always giving it your all in training and working hard day in and day out.

The road to the elite of soccer can be arduous and uphill. Therefore, it is important that parents advise their children in the best possible way and know how to manage success and failure.

Whether in a private academy, a club academy or through Tryouts. It is essential to consider all the options and find that reliable alternative that allows the child to develop in a pleasant and ideal environment for him/her.

• Instill in your child the values of perseverance, patience and self-improvement.
• The only failure is simply not trying.
• Constant training is the only way to improve.
• Having good mental health and self-esteem is imperative for success.

In this way, supported by his talent, perseverance and passion, he will reach the top.