On Saturday, the Cosmos Academy restarts their 2011/2012 Development Academy Season against the Baltimore Bays at John Dewey High School. For Academy Director, Giovanni Savarese, this match represents the culmination of a winter of hard work and preparation for his U-16 and U-18 teams.

"I am looking forward to the restart of the 2012 season to see the hard work come out into the games" says Savarese. "We have been training five times a week and the weather has helped because we have been able to train outdoors. The kids have been working extremely hard fitness wise to prepare for this restart. Our coaching staff has done an excellent job to prepare the kids. I am lucky to have great coaches and staff. Everyone has been committed to a demanding schedule to make sure that the kids are prepared for the restart of the season."

This season, Savarese is looking to build on the work done last year and stay true to the philosophy of the Cosmos Academy. "We are still playing in a 4-3-3. This philosophy will be consistent across the academy. This way, players are able to play up because everyone knows their position and they know what's expected."

Along with this weekend's matchup against the Bays, Gio Savarese is excited for the season ahead. "I am looking forward to the conference games this year. They will be more interesting even though we prepare for every game the same way. We want to make sure that the team stays steady and to give a chance to all of the players on the roster to come in and know what is expected of them."

Along with the regular season matches, the Cosmos Academy will be going to Germany later this month to participate in the Under 19's Champions Tournament in Düsseldorf alongside teams such as Juventus, BVB Dortmund, FC Twente, Tottenham, and Fortuna Düssledorf. 

Savarase's goal for the academy this season is simple. "Our goal is to make sure that everywhere we go, we show good soccer and continue to develop players."

The full Cosmos schedule here. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH ONE ON ONE PHYSICAL THERAPY

The Cosmos Academy are proud to announce a new partnership with One On One Physical Therapy.

One on One will provide the Cosmos Academy physical therapists throughout the Development Academy and Pre-Academy season. They will help with the rehabilitation and injury prevention of the Cosmos Academy players through their excellent network of locations. This network includes JAG physical therapy and MetroSports Physical Therapy.