D.C. United Academy update: November 5, 2008

University Selection: Former Under-18 D.C. United Academy player Travis Pittman has been accepted to attend West Virginia University. Pittman will be joining fellow Academy teammate Peabo Doue, who had already committed to the Mountaineers.

“We are thrilled to announce that another top player from our program will be attending WVU to help grow the Mountaineer program into one the best in the country,” said United’s Director of Youth Development John Maessner.  “We continue to build strong relationships with the top college programs in the country, including West Virginia University and head coach Marlon LeBlanc, and we are focused on finding a home for our players who have not yet made college commitments as we prepare our teams for the upcoming Academy season.”

Several 2009 graduating players are still uncommitted to a program, including goalkeepers Stefan Berkeley and Michael Nerud; midfielders Ricky Burke, Uwem Etuk, Danny Rice, Aaron Rillling and Adel Sarras; defenders Stefone Coburn, Erik Williams, Isaac Taylor and Alex Herrera; and forwards Michael Funes and Chris Perez.

In addition to West Virginia University, many other institutions have shown interest in signing United Academy graduates, including American University, George Mason University, University of Maryland, Towson University, University of Virginia, Old Dominion, James Madison University, UMBC, Duke, St John’s University, UCLA, University of Kentucky, Ohio State University, University of Connecticut, St. Francis University, University of San Francisco, Carnegie Mellon, Boston College and Syracuse.

“We look forward to working with these schools and finding this very talented pool of players the right environment to continue their playing careers and education,” Maessner added.

Academy Pre-Season: D.C. United’s Academy teams will be in action over the next several weekends in preparation for its upcoming US Soccer Development Academy season. The Black-and-Red will play several pre-season friendlies against local opposition, including D.C. United Academy Affiliate Clubs Freestate and D.C. Stoddert, as well as Real Maryland FC.

The Development Academy’s season will start on December 4-8, when the D.C. United Academy teams travel to Lancaster, Calif. The teams will face the California Odyssey, Metro United and the Virginia Rush at the Academy Winter Showcase.