This week, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced the Development Academy would be disbanded.
“It is with profound disappointment that U.S. Soccer has made the determination to end the operation of the Development Academy, effective immediately,” a statement published on Wednesday evening said. “This was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but the extraordinary and unanticipated circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a financial situation that does not allow for the continued of the Development Academy program into the future. We know that suddenly discontinuing a program that has been with U.S. Soccer for many years is shocking, but these unprecedented times required acting now.