D.C. United recruit Javier Cano Gallego to Academy coaching staff

(Via D.C. United) – D.C. United have been in a period of resurgence after the opening of their new state-of-the-art stadium at Audi Field and welcoming English Premier League icon Wayne Rooney in July. This uptick has transcended to the D.C. United Academy who have recently announced the DMV Pathway 2 Pro program to collaborate with top youth clubs in the area to help develop elite talent with the goal of producing more Homegrown players for the Black-and-Red.

With a new world class training center scheduled to open in Loudoun County, Va., in 2019, the new infrastructure and investment from ownership will allow the D.C. United Academy to continue developing top talent in the DMV. The Black-and-Red have produced some of the most successful Homegrown players in MLS history with the likes of Bill Hamid, Andy Najar and Chris Durkin and this new chapter will enable them to intensify their talent identification in the soccer-rich region.

“It’s an exciting and transformative time at D.C. United,” Ryan Martin, D.C. United Academy Director, said. “The new training facility and impending USL team will help the academy maximize their influence on the region. Our goal has always been to discover top players in the DMV and provide them with pathways to professional soccer, so we want to thank ownership and Dave Kasper for their continued commitment to youth development.”

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The academy has an experienced coaching staff and with their close proximity to the first team they are given various opportunities to learn and grow. Nate Kish and Dave Sanford, both coaches in the Academy, recently completed the rigorous 14-month course with the French Football Federation (FFF) to acquire their Elite Formation Coaching License that puts them in a prestigious group of coaches in the United States. This license shows how D.C. United are committed to being on the cutting edge of youth development in the US.

Ryan Martin, United Academy Director, has been working to add depth to the academy technical staff in order to give young players the best resources available to maximize their development. The most recent acquisition, Javier Cano Gallego, from Villarreal CF’s Academy in the top tier of Spanish soccer, comes with a wealth of knowledge from his time in Spain and also with Slavia Prague’s Under-21 side in the Czech Republic. He is highly regarded throughout Europe for expertise as a youth soccer coach.

Cano Gallego’s addition will provide the academy with another global influence on young players’ development. He focuses his coaching philosophy on ensuring the ball is incorporated into all aspects of training and prioritizes the importance of building strong relationships with his athletes. The Spaniard was brought into the fold to apply this philosophy to the academy and give the kids another dimension of soccer knowledge to add to their arsenal. Diversifying the coaching strategies and philosophies that young players are subjected to, gives kids additional tools to succeed both on and off the field.

Cano Gallego began his coaching career at CD Utiel Academy while studying to get his Physical education degree and then masters in Sports & Exercise Science. He also holds a certification for higher education in football from Centro Integrado Publico de Formacion Profesional de Cheste and speaks fluently in Spanish and Czech.

After short stints in two different academies in Spain as well as the Levante Woman’s team, Cano Gallego worked at the Villarreal Academy from 2011 to 2017 where he was head coach for teams from U-13 to U-16 and an assistant coach for the U-17 and U-18 teams. He then went to work with Slavia Prague’s as a coach for the U-21 team until June of this year. Cano Gallego’s addition to the D.C. United Academy coaching staff is contingent upon the issuance of a US work visa with the expectation of welcoming him to nation’s capital very soon.

The addition of Cano Gallego on top of an already long list of investments into D.C. United’s infrastructure can be the catalyst for continued growth for the Black-and-Red academy. Dave Kasper, United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, has been an advocate for relying on Homegrown talent in MLS and recently started four Homegrown players (Chris Durkin, Bill Hamid, Ian Harkes and Jalen Robinson) in the MLS regular season draw against New York City FC on Sept. 8. With Kasper’s continued focus on internal youth development and D.C. United’s newest assets, the future looks bright for the D.C. United Academy.