WATCH: 18 players to commit to college programs at Crew SC Player Development National Signing Day event

Live stream to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET on February 4, 2015. 

Before he was a United States Men's National Team player and Vice-Captain for Crew SC, Wil Trapp was an Akron Zip. And before starring in the Zips' midfield, Trapp was a standout in the club’s Player Development system.

The path to success has to start somewhere, and for over 175 players to date, that path has begun in Crew SC’s Player Development program. On Wednesday night, 18 boys and girls will announce their college decisions, continuing a strong tradition of players graduating from the Player Development system to the higher levels of collegiate soccer.

“Now that we’re heading into our eighth year with the Academy, we’ve got some players in this class that have been with us for five or more years,” said Crew SC’s Senior Vice President of Player Development Andrew Arthurs. “That’s exciting to see that we’ve been able to help players progress through our system. It’s not just our Academy players that are moving on to play at the next level. It’s boys, it’s girls, it’s Pre-Academy. 

“That’s really exciting to us, not just helping the National Team players to the next level, it’s everyone in the system that we can help reach their highest potential.”

To help players reach their potential playing at NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as NAIA, has been rewarding for Crew SC’s Player Development staff and a testament to the success of the program.

"It’s cool to see the total amount of players that have had the opportunity to go play in college over the years,” Senior Director of Soccer Business Development Jeremy Parkins said. “To see boys and girls have the opportunity to continue their playing careers -- and being able to help with that process -- is rewarding and something that is exciting for the future.”

Covering the entire state of Ohio, Crew SC Player Development takes great pride developing talent in Columbus and throughout the Buckeye State — helping make Ohio a hotbed for youth soccer.

“The state of Ohio is our home territory, and it’s critical that we identify the top players from within the borders,” Arthurs said. “That’s been the case since year one of the Academy when Ben Speas (Stow) was with us, and then the Walker brothers from Cincinnati too. Certainly, the core of our players do -- and probably always will -- come from Columbus.  Since there are many clubs locally who do a great job, it’s important for us to work with them to identify when a player may be ready for the Academy level to ensure that the best and brightest players from Columbus have every opportunity to become professionals, while also targeting the special ones out of market as well. 

“That’s one indicator that the program is working and successful. In addition to our local talent, we’ve got good players coming from Toledo, Cleveland/Akron, Dayton and Cincinnati that are going on to play at high levels.”

Two 2015 commits, goalkeepers Carter Richardson (Wake Forest) and Parker Siegfried (Ohio State, pictured above) have U.S. Youth National Team experience, continuing a flow of Crew SC presence on the international level. 

The Black & Gold’s Player Development model doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. In the 2016 class, Ben Swanson already signed a Homegrown Player contract with Crew SC in October at age 17 and George Braima remains a mainstay on the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team.

See the full list of players commiting on National Signing Day below.