PORTLAND, Ore.—The Portland Timbers Academy U-18 and U-16 Academy teams will conduct an open tryout for youth players July 10-11 at Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District’s Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Center in Beaverton, Ore. The Timbers Academy teams begin play in their second season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy this fall.
Led by Timbers Academy head coaches and directors Adam Smith and Mike Smith, the tryout is open to all interested youth players from Oregon and Southwest Washington. Additional tryout and registration information is available online by clicking here.
Following the open tryout, the Timbers will hold an invitational combine for select players Aug. 1-2, with the Timbers Academy coaching staff making final roster selections, Monday, Aug. 5. Preseason activities for the Timbers U-18 and U-16 Academy teams begin Aug. 12 at JELD-WEN Field.
The Timbers Academy teams wrapped up their inaugural season in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy in early June.
The 2013-14 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season begins in September. During the 10-month season, the Timbers Academy teams play against other MLS academy teams as well as elite youth clubs in the Northwest and down the West Coast. The Timbers will cover the participation expenses — team travel, operations, equipment — for each academy player for the season.
The aim of the Timbers Academy is to further develop elite youth soccer players throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington through advanced training and competitive opportunities. The Timbers Academy program has adopted a holistic approach in developing players, incorporating nutrition, sports psychology, strength conditioning, speed and agility into the coaching curriculum.
Through the Timbers’ development system, which includes the academy teams, the club has created a vertically integrated pathway from the youth levels to the professional ranks with the Timbers’ first team. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy also provides opportunities for players to be seen by national team and college coaches.
Timbers Academy team competes in U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase
A team of Timbers Academy players, born in 1994-95, competed in the recent U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase in Frisco, Texas. The team went 1-1-1 over its three matches, earning a 3-2 win over Revolution Empire on June 25, tied Georgia Untied 3-3 on June 26 and, in its third match in three days, was handed a 1-0 loss by the Houston Texans on June 27.
Five different players scored for the Timbers Academy at the showcase, led by Peter Prescott (Vancouver, Wash.), who scored in each of the team’s first two games. Alex Segovia (Beaverton, Ore.) and Anthony Machionne (Camas, Wash.) scored against Revolution Empire, while Lucas Cawley (Centerville, Utah) and Sam Werner (Bozeman, Mont.) scored against Georgia United.
