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Fall Semester Begins For Boca Standout at US Soccer Residency Program
August 24, 2004

Jersey Shore Boca standout Joseph Sorrentino of Hamilton, NJ is one of forty members of the US U-17 National Team player pool that began their full-time residency program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida today. Sorrentino, a two-year member of Boca’s Super Y-League teams who led Boca’s U15 team to a record of 11-1-1 and first place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Division this season, will begin his first year at IMG under the instruction of US U-17 head coach John Ellinger.
From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. UNDER-17 MNT KICKS OFF FALL SEMESTER OF U.S. SOCCER’S
FULL-TIME RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT IMG ACADEMY IN BRADENTON, FLA.

Final Year of Two-Year Cycle Begins as the U.S. Attempts to Qualify for the
U-17 FIFA World Championship for a Record Eleventh-Straight Time

CHICAGO (Aug. 24, 2004) — U.S. Soccer’s Under-17 Residency Program kicks off its fall semester today, as 40 players will conduct their first training session at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. In all, 24 players are returning to the residency program for the second year, while 16 players will be beginning their first year under the instruction of head coach John Ellinger.

The fall semester begins the second year of a two-year cycle as the U.S. will train for a little over eight months in preparation for CONCACAF qualifying in Costa Rica from April 12-16, 2005. The U-17s will attempt to continue its streak of being the only nation to qualify for each FIFA Under-17 World Championship, a total of 10, one every two years since 1985.

“Our qualifying tournament is not too far away and now is the time we need to begin working hard as we will have a difficult trip to Costa Rica next spring,” said Ellinger. “The main objective is to once again qualify for the World Championship and in the past five years we have seen how the residency program has given our players an excellent opportunity to accomplish that goal. In Bradenton, the players enjoy an environment where they can prosper as individual players and gel as a team, crucial elements that have allowed for a positive move forward for our Under-17 program.”

Started in 1999, the U.S. Soccer full-time residency program has become an important piece of the overall player development picture. Over the past five years, the Federation has been able to double the number of players enrolled in the program as it continues to increase its investment in player development and provide greater opportunities for young players, expanding to 40 players last fall.

The 40 U.S. players attend classes at nearby Edison Academy and then return to the IMG campus in the afternoon to train daily under the guidance of U.S. Under-17 head coach John Ellinger, and assistant coaches John Hackworth, Peter Mellor and Keith Fulk.

With 40 players in residency, the program is able to field two full teams that train together during the week, and get the chance to compete against college and club teams on the weekends. “Increasing the size of the full-time residency program from 20 to 40 players since its inception is a crucial step as the program continues to evolve and be more competitive,” said Ellinger. “We’ve seen over the years how the program has helped produce talented players, some of which have gone on to Major League Soccer and even played for the U.S. in the World Cup.

Sixteen of the 40 players are beginning their first semester in the full-time program, while 24 are returning for their second or third semester, including Eric Avila, the oldest player in residency as he was born on Nov. 24, 1987. The rest of the players were born in the following two years, with 27 born in 1988 and 12 in 1989.

This group of U-17s have steadily improved since coming together in September 2003, compiling a 24-16-8 record while outscoring their opponents 85-56. After a lackluster showing in April in their first international tournament – the Montaigu Tournament in Montaigu, France – where they finished eighth, the Under-17s came away with back-to-back second place finishes. Less than a month later at the Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland, the U.S. won their group before falling in the final to Switzerland in penalty kicks. In early August, the U.S. traveled to Peru for the Copa Telefonica Tournament, where they defeated Peru and tied Ecuador to finish behind tournament winner Colombia.

“The residency program gives our elite players the opportunity to train in a professional environment and to develop in a way they would not otherwise be able to develop,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena. “I think that increasing the size of the program is extremely important, as it allows us to look at more players over a wider range of ages.”

In its first year of existence, the U.S. Soccer residency program enrolled 20 of the elite players in the country to train together in Bradenton and produced instant success as the Under-17s qualified for the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in New Zealand in November. On the world stage, the American teenagers rose to the occasion, winning their group and advancing to the semifinals before being ousted in a penalty shootout. The fourth-place finish tied for the best showing by a U.S. Youth National Team in a major international competition. Also, U.S. stars Donovan and Beasley were awarded the Gold and Silver Balls, respectively, as the top two players in the entire tournament.

Two years later, the U.S. struggled when they were placed in what ended up being drawn into the “Group of Death” with Japan, France and Nigeria, the latter two ending up in the championship match. The U.S. fell in all three games, despite giving eventual champions France one of their best tests of the tournament scoring three times in a 5-3 loss.

In August of 2003, the U.S. put together another impressive run at the U-17 World Championship. With four goals, including a hat-trick in their opening match against South Korea, the 14-year-old Adu led the U-17s to victories in their first two games in Finland by a combined score of 8-2, which catapulted them into the quarterfinals and a fifth place finish.

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team
Residency – Fall 2004