The spring has given us the chance to attend a number of top regional showcase events and allow our players to showcase themselves in front of many different college coaches. Prior to these events starting, players and parents had the opportunity to attend in person or online our first college recruitment seminar. The event was very well attended and a lot of good questions were asked along with player and parent interactions.

The college recruitment process can seem daunting, so it was great to cover many of the different areas of the process. We had the opportunity to cover the different rules across each division, the normal timelines and how they differ between the men's and women's games, and the expectations of college coaches both athletically and academically.

The development and future of all of our players is very important to us and we look forward to continuing the growth of our recruitment information and education.

We want to congratulate all of our Class of 2023 players that have finalized their commitments in the last couple months and will continue their playing careers at the collegiate level. Best of luck to all of these student-athletes as they embark on the next stage of life!

For the 2023-24 soccer year Canton Akron United Boys and Girls have been accepted into the Midwest Development League Club vs Club platform. All clubs are required to have a regional team in every age group U13-19.

Group winners of the MDL regular season earn qualification to the US Club National Cup in Colorado

Canton Akron United will also continue to have regional teams in the NPL in addition to the MDL extending the available player platforms.

For the second year in a row, Canton Akron United placed the most teams into the US Club State Cup Finals of any club in Ohio North. This year 10 CAU teams advanced to the semi-finals while 6 teams advanced to the finals. Three came home as Champions. Congratulations to all of the teams that represented our club at the event especially those groups making deep tournament runs!

2005 Girls Blue – Advances to the National Cup in Colorado

2004/05 Boys Blue – Advances to Regionals in Illinois

2011 Boys Blue – No regional/national advancement until U13

We are very proud of the 11 teams that fought over the course of the regional league season and earn a top 4 spot qualifying for playoffs. After a tough weekend 2 Champions and 2 Finalists emerged.

The 2011 Boys Blue team completed a ‘Double’ winning both State Cup and then NPL Playoffs in the same season!

The 2007 Girls Blue team responded to a loss in the State Cup final with a huge 4-3 victory in the NPL Playoffs to qualify for the National Cup in Colorado

Coaching changes are a natural part of player development and common practice within a club environment. Just like kids adapt to new teachers in school, they adapt to having different coaches and styles of learning on the soccer field. Each year at tryout time our club leadership reassess how we want to distribute our coaching staff based on the needs of various teams entering a new soccer year. Some teams remain with the same coach, others may be changed. There are MANY factors involved in these decisions.

If your child’s team has a new coach assigned, that is a new opportunity for personal growth and to build new relationships. If the coach stays the same, how can the player and parent continue to build and evolve their current player/parent/coach relationship. If communicated positively, it can contribute to a player’s ability to adapt and evolve. If communicated negatively, it can have the opposite effect.

While we get the occasional ‘If X is still the coach then my son quits, or, if X isn’t the coach my daughter quits, this mindset can be counter intuitive to adaptability. In many cases, the most growth happens when players are adaptable. You must be able to learn with different teachers and coaches. Between community, club, high school, and college student-athletes will have many opportunities to demonstrate their adaptability. Some coaches/teachers they will love, and some they will not. 

If a student has a math teacher at school that isn’t their preference, they don’t quit school. They learn how to adapt. If their high school soccer coach takes a different job and they have a new coach, they don’t quit soccer. Students and athletes learn to adapt. This adaptability is a key attribute to development as a youth that also helps later in their adult life. Players unable to adapt to change or to a new voice can find it difficult to progress in both the classroom and on the field. If a player is struggling to connect with a coach, schedule a meeting and have a discussion that can help find ways to help that connection grow. Ignoring it will not help fix it. Top players have the ability to perform and find ways to get the best out of themselves in any environment.

We encourage all parents and players to take that adaptability approach when in a club soccer learning environment. All coaches have something to offer. Different perspectives, styles, tactics, ways of teaching and communicating to players etc. We encourage this interaction with different coaches at the club technical sessions, skill clinics, and mini camps as well. We also understand that players form certain connections with coaches over time, which is fantastic. These relationships are also an important part of growth. Changes to these relationships can be difficult.



This includes parents adapting to different coaches over the course of their child’s playing career. It is easy to be resistant to change, and sometimes difficult to welcome it. In the real world, we don’t always like our boss, supervisor, or manager but we learn what it takes to perform at jobs regardless. How we communicate with kids as coaches and parents directly contributes to their ability to adapt and perform. Developing positive responses during times of change forms positive habits.

We have a staff full of qualified coaches within the organization. Part of being in a club environment is trusting club leadership in the decision-making process with staffing each team with a coach that will guide our athletes and set them up for success. We take these decisions very seriously in looking to get the best out of individuals and teams.

Our U23 Men’s team kicks off its inaugural season this year!

Home games will either be played at Hall of Fame Village or Walsh University through May, June, and July.

It will be a great opportunity for some of our younger players to see our collegiate athletes in action. Many players on the team have been the program since they were very young.

The first home game was Wednesday May 31^st and was great to see all of the support from players and families! Check out the 2023 game schedule!