Earlier this month, the FC Cincinnati Academy welcomed in the 2011 Academy Class at Mercy Health Training Center in Milford, Ohio. The group of 20 boys attending the signing event will represent the Young Garys at the U-13 level in the upcoming academy season.
The incoming class, accompanied by parents and family members, were treated with arrival photos, a meet and greet with FC Cincinnati Academy staff and a tour of Mercy Health Training Center.
Larry Sunderland, Director of Player Development and Adrian Parrish, Head of the Pre-Academy Discovery Program and coach of the U-13 team, led a brief presentation on the history of the FC Cincinnati Academy and the vision for the club’s future.
“It’s a really exciting time for the U-13 induction group,” said Sunderland after the event. “This is the first group that we are bringing in as academy players and it’s an introduction of what they are going to go through over the next year and beyond. It’s also an opportunity for them to come in and get excited for the start of the season in August.”
The U-13 boys program was added to the academy system in 2020, creating a ‘Pre-Academy’ team and bringing the FC Cincinnati Academy to a total of five teams across the 13 to 19-year-old age groups.
“It’s a step from regular club soccer to come into playing for an MLS Academy,” said Parrish. “It’s a prestigious moment for them and their families. Hopefully it’s a moment they will remember as the first step of achieving their dream of becoming a professional player.”
The 2023 U-13 academy season kicks off this coming August. For more information on the FC Cincinnati Academy, including how to apply to be a host family, click here.
FULL LIST OF INCOMING CLASS
Donovan Bazile – Club Ohio
Pierce Bikoko – Lakota FC
Jack Brown – Cincinnati United Premier
Luca Chkhapeliia – Ginga
Adrian Cortes – Cincinnati United Premier
Ali Divanovic – Cincinnati United Premier
Giovanni Garcia – Cincinnati United Premier
Joseph Habib – Michigan Stars
Islam Imran – Greater Toledo FC
Gabriel Jones – Indy Pride
Cole Keenan – Hoosiers SC
Graeme Martin – Ginga
Zachary Maslin – Cincinnati United Premier
Joseph Pasquarello – Pittsburgh Hotspurs
Zakri Riyadi – Indy Premier SC
Benjamin Saunders – Kings Hammer SC
Ryan Schlotterbeck – Kings Hammer SC
Christopher Servin – Indy Premier SC
Xaiver Shannon – Cincinnati United Premier
Rudy Von Lehman – Kings Hammer SC
