Bermuda national academy players Caldre Burgess and William White are learning important lessons both on and off the football pitch after being sent to develop their skills in the United States.

The promising duo were among 11 youngsters identified by the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) as having sufficient ability and promise to test themselves against the best rookie players in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Super Y-League.

As well as experiencing a faster, more physical brand of football, the pair of 14-year-olds have forged new friendships and adapted to a different environment since relocating for the summer in Portland, Maine, where they are living with a family of three

Having horizons broadened and becoming more self-reliant have been just a few of the by-products that have come from wearing the colours of the MPS Phoenix Under-15 side – one of hundreds of Super Y-League teams that compete in the US and Canada.

The teenage duo have also grown as players while tackling teams from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Ottawa, Canada, during Phoenix's debut season at the Super Y-League level.

As of last week, they were ranked first in Group B and are third for the entire New England division, winning four, drawing two and losing two matches.

Dandy Town's Burgess said the US game was played at a higher tempo than the more laid back style of football he'd been brought up on in Bermuda.

White, an Bermuda Schools All-Star player concurred adding: "They play rougher. I have to get used to the contact."

Sending the Island's top talent to US teams was the brainchild of BFA technical director Derek Broadley who told The Royal Gazette earlier this month: "Participating in it (the Super Y-League) provides Bermuda's talented youth footballers the perfect opportunity to hone their skills competing against the very best in the US."

BFA president Richard Calderon added: "We have put in place a number of initiatives that will nurture young players, offer them critical support and expose them to international standards through programmes such as the Super Y League."

The other Bermudian players sent to the US part of the programme are Shonte Campbell (under-17), Jaylen Bean (under-15), Donte Allen (under-17), Dominique Richardson (under-17), Quadir Maynard (under-16), Naeem Griffin (under-16), Jibri Salaam (under-13) and Drewonde Bascome (under-17).

The USL Super Y League is the first step for developing youth players in North America.

It's designed for talented players destined for professional careers. The league contains the youth academies of USL First Division, USL Second Division, Premier Development League, W-League, and Major League Soccer clubs.