U13+ MLS Next Academy Program

BOYS 2007 - 2013 Birth Years

Competing at the highest level

As an official MLS NEXT Academy Division club, our teams compete in the North Conference, facing the top boys clubs from Minnesota and Wisconsin, while also traveling nationally for MLS-hosted showcase events. This elite competition platform provides:

  • Regional rivalry games against the best academies in the Midwest
  • National showcase events scouted by MLS and college coaches
  • Professional-level challenges week in and week out


Why Our Academy Stands Out

We don't just develop players - we launch careers. Our alumni are proving it at every level:

  • Professional Success
  • Current player earning First Team minutes with MNUFC
  • Multiple players competing in USL League Two & semi-pro environments
  • Collegiate Excellence
  • MIAC Freshman of the Year (2024)
  • Consistent All-Conference selections across multiple colleges/divisions
  • Players earning significant college minutes early in their careers
  • Zero collegiate transfers in past 8 years (finding the right fit)
  • Competitive Pedigree
  • North Conference battles against Minnesota/Wisconsin's elite
  • National showcase exposure against MLS academy talent
  • Training environment mirroring professional standards


Program Distinctions

✔ First-Team Proven: Our methodology has placed players at the highest levels
✔ 
College Pipeline: Yearly placements at ideal collegiate programs
✔ 
Pro-Style Development: Training that bridges youth to pro soccer
✔ 
Authentic Opportunities: Real pathways, not just promises

Season Expectations

Out-of-state travel for both league games and showcase tournaments is part of this program and is mandatory. Our players are expected to be fully committed to the program and must have maximum participation and attendance in all aspects including training, league games, and tournament play.


External Training Policy:

  • Supplemental programs/camps outside LSC require prior approval from club leadership
  • Ensures player safety and prevents overtraining/conflicts with our development plan


FALL SEASON

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) regulations prohibit players from participating in both high school soccer and travel soccer during the same period. However, Middle School students are eligible to play club soccer during the Fall season. This includes U13 and U14 players, as well as 8th graders (born between August 1 and December 31) who are technically U15 and eligible to compete in the Fall.


Given the highly competitive nature of MLS Next, Lakeville SC expects all U13-U14 players in this program to compete exclusively for our club team during the competitive seasons.


U13 and U14 Select teams will participate in the Fall Travel Season, which runs from mid-August through October. Teams will practice 3-4 times per week, with some traveling required for league games and/or regional events.

WINTER SEASON

TRAINING

The Winter Season (November-March) consists of teams training 3-4 times per week.  Venues that will be utilized for indoor training are Lakeville North HS Dome, Irish Dome, local gyms, and Dundas Dome.


LEAGUE PLAY

MLS Next teams will participate in a winter league games (November-March) that may require 1-2 travel weekends to the Wisconsin area.  We will also host games at our home facilities for several league games.


EVENT PLAY

MLS Next teams can expect to travel and play in various MLS hosted events, as well as local showcases to maximize competitive challenges and college coach exposure.

  

SUMMER SEASON

MLS NEXT Season Structure:


April: All teams compete in the MLS NEXT Regional Event


May/June: Top-performing teams advance to MLS NEXT Cup (national finals)


Training Commitment: 3-4 sessions/week + league matches & local showcases

Interested in the Travel Program? Be sure to attend tryouts in July.

LEARN MORE

REGISTRATION & FEES

REGISTRATION & FEES

Register, view payment plan info, and see what's included in club fees.

LEARN MORE

UNIFORMS

UNIFORMS

 Order travel team player uniforms online for the 2023/2024 season.

LEARN MORE

TEAM CONTACTS


STAFF

Executive Director
Forrest Randall

executive@lakevillesoccer.org


Club Administrator

Darlene Patyk

clubadmin@lakevillesoccer.org


BOARD

Travel Coordinator

TBD

travelcoordinator@lakevillesoccer.org


FAQs for traveling soccer


  • COACHING FEES

    MLS NEXT LEVEL TEAMS 

    MLS Next level teams will be provided a paid Head Coach and Assistant Coach through their registration fees.  

  • LSC FINANCIAL AID

    Partial scholarships or financial assistance including additional payment plans will be made available to those players that demonstrate a need. Please contact the Director of Soccer Operations at clubadmin@lakevillesoccer.org for more information.


    LSC Scholarship rules do not have any bearing on financial assistance a team may want to provide a player. Applications for LSC scholarships must be in writing to the Director of Soccer Operations. 


    All scholarship applications must be submitted when registering and accepting the player's roster spot.


    LSC Scholarship Application Form (English)


    LSC Scholarship Application Form (Spanish)


  • VOLUNTEER BOND

    Volunteer Bond Commitment

    Each family is required to submit a $325 check at the beginning of the Summer Season (February).  If you do not plan to participate/volunteer during the course of the summer season, you may submit a buy-out check for $275 which will be cashed. Once a volunteer role has been completed, the check will be voided. 


    One Head Coach, one Assistant Coach and one Team Manager (per team); and LSC Board Members are exempt.

  • REFUND POLICY

    WINTER/SUMMER SEASON


    No refunds are given for tryout fees.


    After team acceptance, the first installment of $145 (Competitive) or $445 (Select) is paid and non refundable. If registration is paid in full before the next installment is due, the installment amount will be refunded. After final installments are paid there will be no refunds given.*


    *Exceptions: Season ending injury (with doctor's note, and player remains bound to LSC) or move 50 miles outside of Lakeville. For these situations a prorated refund will be considered PRIOR TO TEAMS BEING SUBMITTED to a league, minus a $50 administrative fee. 


    If a player is not assigned a spot on a team (wait list or roster dissolves) by the start of the league season, they will be given a full refund. 


    FALL SEASON

    No refunds given for any reason once a player accepts a roster spot.

  • STAFF / BOARD CONTACTS

    Technical Staff

    Dylan Hammerschmidt - BU9-U12 TD

    Brie Rosga - GU9-U12 TD

    Carter Albrecht - BU13-U19 TD

    Jesse Campos - GU13-U19 TD


    Club Adminstrative & Board Staff

    Forrest Randall -Executive Director

    Darlene Patyk –Club Administrator

    Chad Hammerschmidt – Board Travel Coordinator

  • What is the difference between Recreation and Travel

    The Recreation Program is designed for players of all abilities ages U6-U12 (or K-6th grade). The teams are formed by players signing up and being assigned by LSC Staff. Teams play each other within the program at fields in Lakeville.  Coaches are made up of parent volunteers.


    The Travel program is for players that wish to have the experience of traveling around the metro to play other teams outside of Lakeville as well as travel to tournaments (most also local, though some teams choose to travel out of state). The traveling program also has teams for players of all difference abilities with our Academy, Select, and Competitive teams.. Players attend evaluations to be placed on a team appropriate for their skill level and development.


    Please see our Recreation and Travel pages for more information on both programs.

  • What is the difference between Select, Academy, and Competitive Travel?

    Tiered Team System


    U8-U12 

    Tier 1 - Academy - 1 & 2

    Tier 2 - Competitive - Gold, Black, Red, White


    U13+

    Tier 1 - Select - 1 & 2

    Tier 2 - Competitive Gold

    Tier 3 - Competitive Black

    Tier 4 - Competitive Red, White


    Academy U8-U12 are our highest level teams in those age groups.  Academy teams are formed at our July and October tryouts and train 2x/week Fall/Winter/Spring.  Winter taining consists of 1x/week Academy training + 1x/week team training.  Academy teams have paid coaches and may do winter scrimmages/leagues (dependent on the coach preference).


    Competitive U8-U12 are our tier 2 level teams in those age groups.  Competitive level teams are tiered based on ability and formed at both July and October tryouts.  Head Coaches are typically volunteer coaches, but teams have the option to go with a paid coach if interested.  The Fall season typically consists of 2x/week training, 1 league game, and 2 tournaments.  Winter team training is 1x/week beginning in January - players can also register for additional training through Winter Academy.


    Select U13+ travel is the highest level of play beginning at U13. Our Select teams carry the highest level of commitment among our travel teams. Select teams have paid licensed coaches and are expected to train 2-3 per week along with competitions Fall (U13-14), Winter, and Spring/Summer. Eligible teams will participate in National Premier League and along with 4-6  tournaments throughout the year. Teams can expect to travel out of state 1-2 times.


    Competitive U13+ is comprised of four different tiers. Gold and Black teams will train 2x per week along with competitions Fall (U13-14), Winter, and Spring/Summer. Red & White teams will train 1-2x/week along with competitions Fall (U13-14), Winter, and Spring/Summer. Additional training is optional and determined by the team. Teams will participate in the Lakeville Father's Day Cup  and can expect to also participate in an additional two tournaments during the season. Travel will be determined by the team with guidance from Lakeville SC staff.


    There are two sets of tryouts for U9/10 only, one for the Fall (July) and one for the Spring (October).


    *Please visit our Travel Team pages to learn more about each of these programs.

  • What if the player can not attend tryouts?

    Players are offered a roster spot based upon tryout results and prior season coach evaluations. It is very important that tryout evaluators and staff are able to observe players competing against all of the players within the age-group. For those players who are unable to attend tryouts, every effort will be made to place them on a team. Not attending tryouts, however, may make proper team placement a challenge.


    If you know your child can not attend tryouts, you should still sign them up in your LSC account, pay the evaluation/admin fee, and fill in the Tryout Absence Form located on the tryout description page.

  • What does the tryout fee cover?

    The fee covers costs incurred with hosting multiple days of tryouts; staff and trained/qualified/independent evaluators, city field usage, equipment, bibs, as well as registration and team formation administration.

  • What should the player wear to tryouts and what can they expect upon arrival?

    Players should come wearing soccer shorts, plain colored socks, shin guards, cleats, and a top they can easily fit a bib over. Tryout shirts are provided at check-in as you arrive.  If there are two days of tryouts, players are expected to wear the same shirt to both days. Players should bring their ball and plenty of water.


    Players must be registered for tryouts by midnight of the day prior to their first evaluation. Check in for tryouts will begin 30 minutes prior to start time. Players will be directed by staff of where they need to be.


    The staff expect that parents, spectators, friends, or other club players from the same or other age brackets refrain from staying on site to observe tryouts. Parents should plan to leave after check in and pick their player(s) up at the end of their evaluation period. The use of binoculars from the parking lots and buildings are highly discouraged as they can be a distraction to the players.

  • What happens at tryouts and how are teams decided?

    Teams are formed based upon performance at tryouts, Directors' discretion, and prior season coach evaluations. Tryouts include small-sided games and full-field games. Players are evaluated on their technical, tactical, physical and psycho-social strengths by trained staff as well as independent evaluators.

  • Will the player be guaranteed a team?

    We will make every effort to place every child on a roster. For age groups that have full rosters, we will offer to place extra players on a wait list. We are often able to add players throughout the winter to fill short rosters. If we do not have a roster spot for our wait listed players by August 14th (Fall) or February 28 (Spring), they will be released and offered a full refund of their first installment.

  • What does it mean to be bound to the club?

    Players can try out for LSC without being committed to the club. However, once a player accepts a spot on a roster, they are bound to LSC after the completion of the TCSL Tryout Window. This means they can not play for another club. As per TCSL policy, players are considered members of a club when they have finalized the following: 


    1. Signed the club registration form, electronic, or otherwise

    2. Paid a commitment fee to register for the upcoming season


    Tryout fees do not register a player to a club, this is merely a fee to tryout

  • How much do travel teams train over the winter?

    U8-U12 Academy Teams - 1x/week Academy training + 1x/week team training beginning in January

    U8-U12 Competitive Teams - 1x/week team training 

    U13+ Select teams - 2x/week November-April

    U13+ Competitive Gold/Black - 2x/week January-April

    U13+ Competitive Red/White - 1x/week January-April 

  • During the Fall/Spring season, how often do teams practice and play games?

    Most teams will practice twice a week and play one or two games per week. For the Spring/Summer season all games are play between May - mid-July and are originally scheduled on a Mon/Wed or Tue/Thu depending upon age and gender. 


    For the Fall season, games are played on weekends and run for a 6 week period between September-October.  There is the ability to schedule games to weekdays depending on team/player availability.

  • What if I want my child to compete at an older age-group ("play up")?

    It is strongly encouraged that players compete in their own age-group for long-term social and overall player development. However, if players ages U12 and older wish to try out for a Select team (top team in age group) one age group above, they may do so. If the player still wishes to also be considered for placement in their "true" age group, they must attend both age group tryouts, a total of 4 sessions.  Note this may result in 2 tryouts in one day and there is a fee associated with both sets of tryouts.  If a player is invited to "play up" to the Select team above their age and also tried out for their "true" age group, they will be offered both spots via a phone call prior to team posting and then only posted on one roster. 

  • How far do teams travel during the season for league games?

    League assignments are posted through Twin Cities Soccer Leagues at www.tcslsoccer.com.


    Occasionally there will be a team from outside the south metro included. For TCSL, teams will travel within a 30 mile radius of St. Paul. Teams in both leagues typically have one home game and one away game with each other team.  


    Select teams competing in the National Premier League Super Division should undertstand that by winning the league, you are expected to compete in the National Playoffs held at an out of state location - typically in July.