Girls’ Developmental Academy Soccer Team

This past fall, a girls’ Developmental Academy soccer team was formed for the Kansas City area. As a part of a national league for competitive soccer players, the team held its first tryouts this past summer, which competes with other teams from the midwest.

Coach Adam Lamb recruited girls from club and school teams to join the DA, leading girls like sophomore Emma Burden and freshman Caroline Coleman to opt for DA over East’s soccer team.

Burden and Coleman have played soccer since they were three and four years old respectively, moving up from rec to school to club teams. Always having been competitive with the sport, both girls are looking to get recruited by Division 1 schools. They also hope to commit to a university by the end of sophomore year.

“Pretty much from the get-go, I was like, ‘I wanna do this, this is my thing,’ and I haven’t looked back ever since,” Coleman said.

Burden played for East’s varsity team last year as a freshman, but decided to join DA instead this year. According to Burden, DA was best for her goal of recruitment from Division 1 soccer programs like Syracuse, Colorado, Colorado State or Alabama.

“I chose to do DA because I wanted a higher chance of getting a college scholarship,” Burden said. “I’m doing it so I can continue playing at a higher level.”

Additionally, DA draws Division 1 coaches and national scouts to their games, according to Coleman, while East, on the other hand, draws mostly local coaches.

“You get so much more exposure at these events,” Coleman said. “There’s like 51 coaches that sign up to come watch you play. The level of play is much higher because you’re playing teams from like Texas and California, and they’re really good.”

The girls practice with the DA four times a week and play two games each weekend. They travel to Texas and Oklahoma often to play other teams in the region, and will go to San Diego for the playoffs. While Burden and Coleman will miss out on East team dinners and bus rides to games with their classmates, they believe it is worth it for the end goal of being recruited.

“East seems like a super fun team because all my friends are on it, but I’m looking towards a higher goal,” Coleman said. “So many coaches come in and out to watch you play, and they’re from D1 schools, sometimes coaches will come and watch us practice.”

Even though the DA team draws girls from schools across the city, the girls still create strong bonds that go beyond East.

“I like getting to know all the different girls because it’s really fun knowing people from different schools and practicing four times a week,” Burden said. “It’s challenging, but it’s really fun, especially when you like your team and you like your coaches.”

By the end of sophomore year, Burden and Coleman hope to commit to a university. Burden is looking at Syracuse, Colorado, Colorado State and Alabama, while Coleman is looking at St. Louis University, University of Texas and Columbia University. Until then, the girls will continue playing at this competitive level with their teammates from across the area.