Who We Are and What We Do: Development and Opportunities

Who we are:

Mendoza United F.C. is a full-time residential academy based in Argentina, dedicated to integrating flexible American virtual education with pro football development and preparation for collegiate soccer.

Founded in 2015 in Marbella, Spain, our academy has evolved over the years, adapting to global challenges. Following five years in Spain, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated our temporary relocation to Belgrade, Serbia, for 18 months, including three months in Cali, Colombia, during the height of the pandemic.

During our time in Serbia, we successfully placed nine American players into European professional football clubs.

In January 2021, we relocated to Mendoza, Argentina, due to restrictions that prevent non-European minors from registering and playing with academy teams in European professional clubs. In Argentina, we currently have fourteen American minors registered and actively participating in academy teams of professional Argentine clubs.

Since January 2024, we have advanced 17 American players to professional football clubs in Argentina. We anticipate that many more of our players will secure contracts with professional clubs during the upcoming transfer window, scheduled between January and March 2025.

Our Football Director, Bobby Lennon, has a long-standing history of advancing over 200 student-athletes into collegiate soccer programs.

Mendoza United F.C. leverages Argentina as a platform for the development and creation of opportunities for American student-athletes. Our long-term objective is to advance our players to European clubs after they have established their careers in Argentina.

We recruit talented players between the ages of 14 and 23 who aspire to play football at the professional or collegiate level. We seek individuals who possess the passion, attitude, mentality, discipline, focus, and determination to reach their full potential.

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What we are:

Our primary objective is to bridge the gap between the youth soccer experience in the United States and the quality standards of European football.

We are committed to enhancing the game intelligence and technical skills of American players, preparing them for the demands of modern European football.

Our scouting efforts extend to major tournaments across the United States and Canada, where we identify players with the ambition, talent, and dedication to elevate their game to the highest level.

Many young soccer players in the United States have developed poor habits, such as ball-watching, and exhibit technical skills that are average when compared to their peers in Europe and South America. We work to eliminate these habits and instill critical skills such as field awareness, vision, and an understanding of the game.

Two areas of focus in our player development are anticipation off the ball and instinctive play on the ball, both of which are essential to narrowing the gap between North American and European football.

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Education and Academic Choices:

Our student-athletes have the flexibility to enroll in any virtual high school or college program of their choice. We provide daily study sessions with academic support, along with weekly evaluations of grades and progress to ensure academic success alongside athletic development.

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