Minnesota United announced today that MNUFC Academy U15 players Tim Dennis, Prince Forfor and Yahir Resendiz-Gonzalez each earned invitations to the U.S. Soccer U14 Talent ID Central/South Regional Mini-Camp that was held this past weekend at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL from March 9-13.
“This is really good recognition for our three players for the hard work they’ve put in, along with their performances over the course of last season,” said MNUFC Director of Youth Development Noel Quinn. “It’s good for the boys to pit themselves against the best players in the country at these mini-camps. It’s important to our club as it shows the work we’re putting in and that we are a good place for developing talent and finding local players who have the ability to play at the national level.”
Dennis, a 13-year-old forward from Brooklyn Park, Minn., joined the MNUFC Academy in the summer of 2021. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, Forfor is a 14-year-old attacking midfielder and has been with the Academy since March 2022. Joining the Academy in August 2022 and also from Brooklyn Park, Minn., Resendiz-Gonzalez is 13 years old and plays primarily in the midfield.
Dennis, Forfor and Resendiz-Gonzalez traveled to IMG Academy – located in the greater-Tampa, Florida area – to participate in the United States Soccer’s U14 Talent ID mini-camp for the Central/South region.
The U14 Talent ID Program is designed to discover and introduce a larger base of top talents at the U14 age group into the scouting funnel of the older U15 to U20 Men’s Youth National Teams. The mini-camp format helps to evaluate and inspire high-potential players while accelerating their development in an engaging and challenging environment.
In addition to expanding the Youth National Team player pool at its early stages, the scouting and identification structure gives U14 players more opportunities to absorb core principles of the Youth National Team philosophy to further their development. Travel is minimized through the regional mini-camp set-up, helping minimize days away from home, school and club. The program also bolsters U.S. Soccer’s national network of scouts, advancing their education and development while also building the Federation’s connections with clubs across the country.
