Photo: Nate Szwerdszarf 

Many PSP readers follow all things about Keystone Sports’s soccer teams in  detail, so it is newsworthy that a new source for those details is in the process of emerging on the Union’s website, particularly since the former separate Academy website no longer exists.

Under the “Youth” heading that has always appeared there, newly posted information now includes:

• the Academy U-19 – U-13 teams’ schedules, 
• those teams’ current rosters,
• and a cumulative, comprehensive list of Academy players both professional and collegiate titled “Union Academy Homegrowns”.

While “Schedule” and “Rosters” can be accessed under “Youth” pages, the homegrown products information can be found on the Academy’s main page when you click the “Path to the Pros” button.

The new material complements the nuggets unearthed by other sources with convenient, comprehensive, and timely “one-stop shopping.” The homegrown products page subdivides into “current pros,” “former pros,” and “current college,” with current pros opening automatically. Each subdivision lists the individual’s team or school.

The Academy is still young enough, and its graduates are strongly enough motivated to achieve success, that the subdivision “former college” does not yet populate.

Prospective Academy parents making decisions can now take a snapshot to see exactly what their predecessors have bought.

The scope needed to produce Ernst Tanner’s “one or two” youth additions to the first team per year – a rate smilingly complimented by him at the recent live Town Hall held at the stadium – is now available to see in full. The academy’s total effort has been prodigious.

On the rosters page in addition to recent Union pre-contract signing Jack De Vreis (birth year 2002), the U-19 roster — currently 16-players — includes Nate Harriel (2001), Axel Picazo (2001), Patrick Bohui (2003), Danny Flores (2002), Dante Huckaby (2003), and Selmir Miscic (2003). All mentioned have played once or more than once with Bethlehem during this preseason or season.

Since the Union Academy’s separate site was shutdown earlier this year, there has not been a single direct source for  Academy news. With these and future updates to the first team site, we hope increased news on the youngest players, both beginning and already in the club’s pipeline will become available.