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Phineas (aka Finn) has been a Beachside player for years, a current member of our U19 MLS Next team, and has committed to Dartmouth. Read on to learn a bit more.

How would you describe your experience at Beachside?
My time at Beachside has been incredibly rewarding. Every hour I put into training was matched by the Beachside Coaches and managers. The care and thought that went into any session or instruction allowed me to flourish on the field. I will take the friendships I’ve made and the skills I’ve learned with me wherever I go.

What are some of your best memories at the Club?
One of my favorite memories at Beachside was going to Argentina with my U16 team. I experienced life in an incredible South American country with some of my best friends and we had the chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Another was with my U17 team when we had a must-win double header away match in Pennsylvania. We heroically won both and slotted ourselves a spot in the playoffs. So much fun.

What’s something you had to overcome while at Beachside and what advice would you give the younger teams/players?
I was 13 years old when I first arrived at Beachside and I didn’t really play. I sat on the bench.  As a newcomer, I didn’t really understand why Beachside did things a certain way and I didn’t fit into their style of play. What it took for me to improve was to really listen to my Coaches and ask a lot of questions. You need to be a curious soccer player, especially at Beachside. My best advice to younger players would be to always be thinking about ways to improve your game and work hard to get there.

How was the college recruitment process for you & recommendations to players going through it now?
My recruitment process involved me making a realistic list, emailing coaches before showcases, and going to camps. College recruiting will always be at least a little stressful. My best advice would be to do your research early, specifically on the environment of different schools. Size and location can certainly affect an environment and don’t forget about your academic performance because it matters to the process.

Elite Academy League Starts This Fall

The Elite Academy League  (EA League) expands with addition of the Northeast Conference comprised of Founding Members Clubs from the MLS Elite Youth Platform.

Launched by founding member clubs of the new MLS Elite Youth Platform (former USSF DA clubs), the EA League will serve the player needs of clubs by maintaining the standards and structure consistent with enhanced elite player development.  The EA League launched last month and will be sanctioned on the national level by US Youth Soccer (USYS).

The Elite Academy League is a supplemental league to the MLS Elite Youth Platform and is committed to developing top players across the platform. The league is built off the former USSF DA standards and will mirror the new MLS Elite Youth Platform structures thus continuing best in class development with seamless interaction and transition to the MLS Elite Youth Platform.

THE IDEA IS TO MIRROR THE MLS’ PLATFORM STANDARDS AND OFFER A CONSISTENT, PROGRESSIVE PATHWAY FOR PLAYERS TO DEVELOP AND ADVANCE.

The Elite Academy League inside the Northeast Conference is composed of Founding Member clubs from the new MLS Elite Youth Platform and consist of:  BW Gottschee Academy, Metoval, TSF Academy, Cedar Stars Academy – Bergen, Cedar Stars Academy – Monmouth, FC Westchester, Beachside Soccer Club of CT, New York Soccer Club, and Empire United.

These clubs will be participating with boys teams in the U12-U19 age groups.  The U12 age groups inside the Elite Academy League will be the top teams in their respected clubs and will be preparing to move into the MLS EYDP league at U13, while U13-19 teams will be providing enhanced player development and exposure as well as seamless interaction and transition for players into the MLS Elite Youth Platform.

The new EA league allows the member clubs of the MLS Elite Youth Platform to work together to promote the highest standards in competitive soccer and integrate both leagues with this common goal and direction. Unifying clubs from within the conferences helps maintain the defining standards of the former USSDA, along with the new, enhanced standards of MLS Elite Youth Platform.

This integration further presents long-needed flexibility in two key areas:

1. Permission for all players to participate in High School Soccer and,

2. Revising the substitution rules to encourage clubs to better utilize their player pools, especially when showcasing their players to pro scouts and college coaches.

The Elite Academy League will start in Fall 2020.

“We are very excited to announce the expansion of the EA League with the addition of the Northeast conference consisting of MLS Elite Academy Clubs. This national platform is structured to increasing elite player development and opportunities.” Noah Gins, EA League Chair

Read what the directors of the founding clubs say:

“The Elite League will provide an excellent platform for our players to compete against top-level competition and clubs. Our players are excited to get back on the field and looking forward to the opportunities this new platform will provide,” said Paul McGlynn, BW Gottschee.

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The Elite Academy League will represent a competitive environment focused on players’ development,” said Filippo Giovagnoli, Metoval. “Metoval is proud to be one of the Clubs Founder Members.”

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“TSF Academy is consistently looking to create the best possible environment and provide development opportunities for all our players. The league, and the clubs who are involved in the EA League, will provide us with a great competition platform and a real opportunity for our players to be challenged each week,” said Lee Bakewell, TSF Academy.

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“We are very pleased to be part of the Elite Academy League. The league gives CSA a fantastic platform for our teams to compete against strong competition with high standards and values,” said Anthony Nixon, Cedar Stars Academy – Bergen

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“Cedar Stars Academy – Monmouth is excited to be a part of the Elite Academy League. The league will provide our players with a high level of competition against like-minded clubs which will create the ideal environment to develop and reach their goals through the game of soccer,” said Phil Swenda, Cedar Stars Academy – Monmouth.

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“We are really excited to be apart of the Elite Academy League. This league will give every player at our club the opportunity to train and play at a level that will develop them for college or pro pathway,” said Stephen Carson, FC Westchester.

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“WE APPLAUD THE COLLABORATION AND EFFORT OF EACH CLUB IN FORMING OUR LEAGUE.”

Paul Melitsanopoulos, Beachside Soccer Club of CT

“Beachside Soccer Club is thrilled to be a founding member of the Elite Academy League. Working with like-minded clubs, with similar core values, philosophies, and methodology, enhances our opportunity for player development amongst all age groups. We look forward to starting our season and providing the best developmental opportunity for our families,” said Paul Melitsanopoulos, Beachside Soccer Club of CT.

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“WE ARE SO PLEASED TO BE JOINING THE ELITE ACADEMY LEAGUE WITH CLUBS THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT.”

Christian Gonzalez, New York Soccer Club

“NYSC believes this is a great opportunity for our players to have a pathway to showcase themselves and to compete against the top clubs in the region,” said Christian Gonzalez, New York Soccer Club.

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“Empire United is thrilled and honored to be a part of the Elite Academy League, as it fills a void for our players that has long been desired in Upstate New York,” said Jeff Oliver, Empire United.

“BEING ASSOCIATED WITH CLUBS OF THIS CALIBER WILL PROVIDE THE RIGHT PLATFORM AND COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR PLAYERS DURING THEIR DEVELOPMENT.”

Jeff Oliver, Empire United

“Most importantly, working with these “like for like” clubs for the common goals of opportunity and development of our players, presents a one of a kind opportunity for Empire United and our club members,” said Oliver.

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For more information, please email info@eliteacademyleague.com

We would like to thank everyone involved with the Capelli Sport organization, especially President George Altirs, who has been so gracious with his time and energy to make our transition to Capelli Sport as smooth as possible.

Beachside Soccer Club was able to customize our entire uniform package, from the color combinations to the positioning of our Beachside crest, no details were overlooked. 

“The ability to customize our uniforms, and provide great quality products at affordable prices was the biggest draw for me. When dealing with Capelli, you do not feel like just a number, you feel like family. The response from our parents, players, coaches, and opposition is proof that we made the right choice with Capelli, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

–Mickey Kydes, Technical Director & Founder

The design for our uniforms was started from a simple sketch, progressing to an elaborate customization process, and now brought to life. 

We appreciate the patience our Beachside families have shown, as with any new relationship requiring customization and online ordering systems with specific deadlines, there will always be growing pains. 

We are confident that as our relationship continues, Beachside and Capelli will improve in all areas to provide a seamless ordering process for years to come. We look forward to promoting the Capelli Sport brand, as we compete locally, regionally & nationally at the highest level of youth soccer in our country.

Giovanni Calderon has continued to impress the Puerto Rican Men’s Soccer Federation and was recently called up to play two games with the señor national team. The first friendly was on September 5th versus Honduras and Giovanni was thrust straight into the starting line up becoming the youngest player at 17 years old to debut for Puerto Rico. Five days later they went on to face Guatemala where Giovanni came in as a substitute where he continued to gain some valuable game experience. Not only did Giovanni become the youngest player to debut but he also got the opportunity to play with his older brother Joshua Calderon. Giovanni said, “I never thought I would be able to compete alongside my older brother” , “It was a dream come true that we will never forget”.

Giovanni is now back with his U19 Beachside family and looking forward to the upcoming season. When asked how the Beachside environment helped with his debut with Puerto Rico he said, “At Beachside, you always need to be prepared and professional. Bags lined up, balls in a pile, shirts always tucked in. You’re expected to be ready mentally and physically to compete every time you step on the pitch.” I also asked Giovanni what advice would you give to the younger players in our program and he said “Success is a choice you make every day. You need to put in the extra work on your own to reach your full potential and to play with passion”. He was also excited to announce that he has verbally committed to the University of Hartford where he will continue his soccer career while also furthering his education. The club is extremely proud of Giovanni as a soccer player and even more as a person. We wish Giovanni and his teammates all the best. 

Beachside has just concluded an exhaustive review of its philosophy, structure, operations, and culture by Double Pass.

Double Pass, based in Belgium, is an international consulting firm that works with professional clubs around the world to evaluate and improve player development effectiveness for their youth academies.

US Soccer selected Beachside to undergo the same assessment process that Double Pass uses with European clubs such as Manchester City and Liverpool. Double Pass consultants spent many hours interviewing club management, coaches and players, as well as observing games and training sessions.

https://www.doublepass.com/our-clients/

“We are very appreciative of the time, effort and energy the Double Pass staff have shown us during our assessment process. Having the opportunity to share our methodology, philosophy and club culture, while being exposed to best practices of other top youth academies of the world allows us to make both immediate and longer-term improvements within Beachside. We are in a continual state of learning, adapting and implementing while maintaining our Beachside club standards which have been instrumental in our long term development approach for the last 26 years. ” said Academy Director, Paul Melitsanopoulos.

“This is the second time over the past three years we have been through the Double Pass assessment process,” said Technical Director Mickey Kydes, “It has helped us immensely in focusing and sharpening development planning throughout our club.”

Beachside and Oakwood Soccer Club are the only clubs in Connecticut that work with Double Pass.