The end goal for players in the Development Academy is to either progress onto the college soccer ranks or, in rare cases, a professional league. Most fall into the former category, and one of the best in recent memory to reach that realm is Joe Brito, an alum of the New England Revolution.
Brito now plays with Charlotte, a top program in the Conference USA, and has seen his role expand with each passing game. He was also recently named the Revs’ Academy Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season, all after earning a spot on the U-18 Eastern Conference Best XI. During that campaign, Brito scored 16 goals in 25 appearances.
To learn more about Brito, a bright prospect for Charlotte and the Revs, we caught up with him by phone earlier this week. Our Q&A is below, as well as updates on academies throughout the region.