Orlando City Continues To Cement Its Status as an Elite Academy in North America

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Toluca as two teams clashed for a trophy on the line. 

One team was playing on home turf, while the other was a visitor for almost two weeks, playing the game long away from its comfort zone. Two distinct cultural styles of approaching the game were on full display, and despite both clubs reaching the final, one eventually got to celebrate the glory of victory. At the same time, the other had to suffer defeat but retain its moral achievements. 

These are the types of adversities Orlando City SC puts its youth players through – and it’s all for one common goal.

“At this club, we try to win, compete and develop players as much as we can to provide them with [pathways] of playing for the second team or first team,” Orlando City Academy Director Jose Campos said. 

Showcasing Talents in Mexico

It’s a challenge for teenage players to pack their bags and head to another country for a tournament, but that’s exactly what Orlando City’s U-17 team did. The young Lions competed at the Liga MX Invitational U-17 tournament in Mexico City. They had to compete against the likes of Mexican powerhouses Pumas, Nexaca, Monterrey, Santos Laguna and the U-16 Mexico national team. 

The team impressed in the tournament, racking up five wins, one draw and one defeat. It was enough to book the Lions a spot in the championship against Santos Laguna.  

Orlando City were beaten 3-0 by their Mexican opposition but still managed to put up a strong performance despite what the scoreline indicated. 

“We used this tournament to try and create stability in how we want the team to play, how we want the team to look over not just this tournament, but the course of the season,” Eddie Walding said, the U-18 head coach and methodology lead for the club’s academy. “We've had a really big emphasis in terms of concepts, ideas and principles that we want to be consistent throughout the entire season. I think that stability has given the team a lot of confidence, because with the quality we have in terms of the young players, we always feel we can create chances and score goals, but to give ourselves a really positive base is very important.”

Looking at the bigger picture is also something Campos aligns with. 

“It's super important for Orlando City’s academy to do well in tournaments like this. We are working very hard to compete locally in Florida, nationally in the U.S., and now internationally,” he said. “We have very good success at home, but we also want to try to expose our guys to this level of international competition, just like the first team competes in the Leagues Cup. We compete in this type of tournament against the teams in Mexico and other teams around the world, and it makes us so happy to be doing this.”

Another milestone step in 2025

Making the finals proved to be another statement for Orlando City to cement itself as one MLS’ elite academies in 2025. 

Back in April, the Lions’ U-18 team defeated the Colorado Rapids in the final of the Generation Adidas Cup to win the championship. Then, in June, the same age group were semifinalists of the MLS NEXT Cup tournament. 

Winning trophies or making a deep run in different events is important for the club, but it’s not the icing on the cake. The real way Orlando City measures success in its academy is by developing its youth players far enough to break into the first team. And this year, three academy players have done exactly that. 

Seventeen-year-old Gustavo Caraballo and 18-year-olds Colin Juske and Justin Ellis all made their professional debuts in the MLS with the senior team this year. 

Caraballo has been the standout of the three, logging a marquee match under his young pro career after bagging a brace in a 5-0 Open Cup win against USL side Tampa Bay Rowdies. So far, the Venezuelan international youth player has logged five MLS appearances.

Catching Pareja’s Eye

That trio is the exact blueprint Campos has set out for the academy to achieve. He wants to put the pressure on the youth teams to catch the eye of the senior team head coach, Oscar Pareja, to give players a chance instead of forcing them into his first-team plans.

“It's very important to have more successful cases like Gustavo or Colin, but at the same time, I always want to put pressure on the academy, not on the first team,” Campos said. “The first team doesn’t open the door for academy players. I want it to be that the academy knocks on the door because we develop players at that high level that the first team reacts in a way of, ‘Hey, look at them, those guys are good. I want to use them.’ We have to continue to develop MLS-level players so that Oscar [Pareja] and the first team staff will look at some guys and give them an opportunity.”

Developing the Individual

The club has another priority for its academy – making sure the players are the best they can be off the field. 

Yes, playing in a tournament in another country against other elite academies is huge for a player’s development, but it also opens their eyes to different cultures. Having the opportunity to see people’s upbringing in other parts of the world and seeing them express it through sports is something Walding is proud that his players got to experience. 

“International competition provides more than just what happens on the field. There's a different level of preparation and type of game that they have to adapt to,” Walding said. “To see the different teams, cultures, players, people and backgrounds is really valuable for young players. Also, being away from their own environment for 12 days and having to be professional is just another step that we see in their professional journey. These experiences are a really important part of their growth.”