For the first time ever, U.S. Soccer will put the U-17 Boys’ National Team in a full-time residency program when the team begins training at the Bollettieri Sports Academy in Bradenton, Fla., on Jan. 17, 1999. The full-time residency is in preparation for CONCACAF U-17 qualifying in Jamaica in February, and for the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand in November. The Bollettieri Sports Academy is the only full-time, year-round training academy in the United States. The Academy is equipped with state-of-the-art soccer equipment, three Bermuda grass fields, an indoor dome with artificial turf, two swimming pools, newly renovated student apartments, dining facilities, licensed physical therapists, full recreational amenities and an international soccer staff. “The Academy will provide a very demanding environment where the players will go to school in the morning, train together in the afternoon and go to study hall in the evening,” said U.S. Soccer’s Secretary General Hank Steinbrecher. “It is an environment where the athletes will discover their full potential — mentally, physically and technically.” Bollettieri Sports Academy has played host to many of the world’s top soccer clubs and national teams, such as Hannover 96 (Germany), FinnPa (Finland), Club America (Mexico), Universidad de Chile (Chile), Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina), as well as the Chinese women’s Olympic team, the Australian women’s Olympic team, the U.S. men’s Olympic team, the German U-18 national team and the Chilean U-17 national team. The U-17s will be in a professional setting during the 10-month residency program. The players will attend classes at either Bradenton Academy or Bayshore High School in the morning. Following classes, the U-17s will return to the Bollettieri Sports Academy for lunch before an afternoon of training. In the evening the team will have dinner and study hall before retiring for the night. On the weekends the team will have a mixture of games and training sessions. The U-17s will follow a schedule like this seven days a week for the next 10 months. Under the guidance of head coach John Ellinger the U-17s will be preparing for the 1999 CONCACAF U-17 qualifying tournament to be held in Jamaica on Feb. 24-28 and the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in November in New Zealand. The U.S. is the only country to have participated in all seven FIFA World Championships since the first tournament in 1985. The eight teams in the 1999 CONCACAF qualifying tournament have been broken down into two groups. Group A (Kingston, Jamaica; February 24-28) consists of Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras and the USA. Group B (San Salvador, El Salvador; February 10-14) features Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador, Mexico and Canada. The U.S. will face Honduras on Feb. 24, Costa Rica on Feb. 26 and host Jamaica on Feb. 28. The top finishers from each group qualify for New Zealand ’99 while the Group A and B runners-up will have a play-off for the third CONCACAF berth. The U-17s finished ’98 on fire, winning the 1998 Christchurch Cup international tournament, held in New Zealand, with decisive wins over South Korea (5-1), Solomon Islands (10-0), Tahiti (6-0), South Africa (4-0) and playing New Zealand to a scoreless draw. The USA improved their record to 31-8-7 which includes a superb 17-7-4 record against U-17 international opponents. Highlighted ’98 international victories include wins over Guatemala, El Salvador, Israel, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden, Greece, England, Jamaica and Germany. The USA’s explosive offensive power, scoring a phenomenal 132 goals, is lead by the electrifying duo of Landon Donovan (Redlands, Calif.), who netted 35 goals and tallied 25 assists, and Jordan Cila (Jericho, N.Y.) with 26 goals and 20 assists. Here is the roster for the U-17 Residency Camp: Goalkeepers — Delvin Countess (Sacramento, Calif.), Steve Cronin (Sacramento, Calif.). Defenders — Nelson Akwari (Houston), Kellen Kalso (Oxford, Mich.), Greg Martin (Plano, Texas), Oguchi Onyewu (Olney, Md.), Matt Roberts (Bell Mead, N.J.), Alexander Yi (Easton, Md.). Midfielders — DaMarcus Beasley (Citadel, S.C.), Kyle Beckerman (Crofton, Md.), Danny Bolin (Knoxville, Tenn.), Filippo Chillemi (Roswell, Ga.), Kenneth Cutler (Richmond, Va.), Landon Donovan (Redlands, Calif.), Adolfo Gregorio (Hilmar, Calif.), Bryan Jackson (La Canada, Calif.), Seth Trembly (Littleton, Colo.) Forwards — Jordan Cila (Jericho, N.Y.), Bobby Convey Philadelphia), Raul Rivera (Tulare, Calif.). Head coach: John Ellinger (Ellicot City, Md.) Assistant Coach: Cameron Rast (San Jose, Calif.)