In July of 2014, Sounders FC announced the creation of the SDP (Sounders Discovery Program). SDP gives the best young players across the state between the ages of 11-13 an opportunity to train once a week with the Academy staff. The purpose of the program is three-fold: to help identify players with the potential to join the Academy, to introduce them to the training philosophy and methodology and to contribute to the player’s development.
In fact, the word “Discovery” in the title of the program perfectly captures the purpose of SDP. In addition to discovering players with the potential to succeed in the Academy, the SDP staff, spearheaded by U-14 assistant coach Brayton Knapp, have carefully crafted training sessions that help the young players discover for themselves how to be effective soccer players.