Metropolitan Oval Academy
EIN: 13-4035082 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Overview
Metropolitan Oval Academy (Met Oval) is a 501(c)(3) youth soccer club and development academy based in Maspeth, Queens, New York. The club’s home field at 60th Street and 60th Court in Maspeth is widely recognized as the oldest continuously used soccer field in the United States, having been established in 1925 by German and ethnic German-Hungarian immigrants as a European-style soccer venue with full facilities. The organization achieved federal tax-exempt status in February 1999 (EIN: 13-4035082) and operates under the legal name Metropolitan Oval Foundation Inc., headquartered at 238 Berkeley Place, Brooklyn, NY.
Beyond its Queens home, Met Oval maintains satellite programs in Brooklyn (serving U8–U14 age groups), Manhattan, and Long Island. The facility underwent a significant renovation in 2024 with a new Tencate Pivot Noninfill synthetic surface and a GeoSport LED lighting retrofit. The complex includes a gymnasium, locker rooms, and administrative offices — a rare combination for a community-based New York club. In 2025, Met Oval celebrated its centennial (100 Years Strong) with community events and festivals.
The club serves over 400 players and is structured around an elite MLS NEXT academy program alongside a Pre-Academy pathway (U8–U11) and the National Academy League (NAL) track. Approximately 75% of players come from immigrant families, and roughly 20% receive scholarship or reduced-fee support. Met Oval positions itself as a club that bridges elite development and community access — a combination that has made it one of the most distinctive youth soccer organizations in New York City.
Financials
FY ending August 2024 (990 filing, HIGH):
- Total Revenue: $2,379,879
- Total Expenses: $2,113,939
- Net Assets: $1,402,947
- Program service revenue: $1,965,527 (82.6% of total)
- Contributions: $382,293 (16.1%)
- Investment income: $32,059
The club’s revenue has grown from $2,031,592 in the prior fiscal year (FY ending Aug 2023), representing approximately 17% growth. The organization’s leadership — Charles R. Jacob (Chairman), Valerie Jacob (Secretary), and Christopher Welch (CFO) — all serve without compensation. Program-side staff total $746,669 in wages plus $64,106 in payroll taxes. Total assets were $2,348,913 against liabilities of $945,966.
Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 13-4035082, FY Aug 2024 filing.
Teams & Players
Met Oval’s competitive program is organized into two tracks:
- MLS NEXT (Boys): Age groups U13 through U19. Met Oval is a founding member of MLS NEXT and competes in the MLS NEXT Academy Division (non-pro academy tier).
- National Academy League (NAL): Secondary boys pathway, also running U13–U19. The NAL provides a complementary competitive environment for players on the MLS NEXT fringe.
- Northeast Academy League (NEAL): Additional competition platform referenced on the club website.
- Pre-Academy: Boys program for U8–U11 feeding into the academy.
- Girls program: Active; specific league affiliations not prominently listed on the website.
The club reports 400+ total players across all programs.
League Affiliations
- MLS NEXT — founding member (Boys Academy Division)
- National Academy League (NAL) — Boys
- Northeast Academy League (NEAL)
- EDP Soccer
Facilities
Metropolitan Oval, Maspeth, Queens (60th St & 60th Ct, 11378): The club’s historic home field, established 1925. Resurfaced 2024 with Tencate Pivot Noninfill turf (non-rubber-infill synthetic) and GeoSport LED lighting system. Includes an onsite gymnasium, locker rooms, and office space. Met Oval is notably the only New York City youth soccer club that owns its own field and related facilities outright — a significant structural advantage in a market where field access is severely constrained.
Satellite venues in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island support expanded programming.
Leadership
- Charles R. Jacob — Chairman (no compensation)
- Valerie Jacob — Secretary (no compensation)
- Christopher Welch — CFO / Treasurer (no compensation)
- Jeffrey Saunders — Sporting Director / Academy Director
- Filippo Giovagnoli — Technical Advisor (USSF Academy Director License, UEFA A License; previously Director of Coaching at Met Oval 2014–2020, returned 2025 from Yverdon Sport FC)
- Yannick Salmon — Academy Director (USSF DOC License, USSF A License)
- Jon Burklo — Technical Director & U19 MLS NEXT Head Coach (USSF Academy Director License, USSF A License)
- Clare O’Dea Bacon — Director of Operations
- Nico Anderson — Performance Director
Coaching staff hold a mix of USSF A/B and UEFA A licenses across all age groups.
College Placement
The club explicitly tracks and promotes player placement into MLS academies and international programs. Met Oval reports placing 50+ youth players into MLS and international academies over the four years ending 2025 — more than any other club in the New York/New Jersey region, per the club’s own claims. This metric positions Met Oval among the top development-output clubs in the Northeast.
In 2025, the club won the inaugural League For Clubs national championship, defeating Napa Valley 1839 FC 3-2 on penalties at Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas. En route, Met Oval defeated Tulsa Athletic in the semifinals with three second-half goals including extra time. Goalkeeper Costi Christodoulou made three critical saves in the final. Three Met Oval players — Balthi Saunders, Matt Iriarte, and Nelson Reynoso — earned Northeast Conference team-of-the-season recognition.
Competitive Position
Met Oval occupies an unusual position in the New York metro soccer market: it is simultaneously a community-mission nonprofit with heavy immigrant and scholarship demographics and one of the highest player-placement-rate youth clubs in the region. Most clubs in the MLS NEXT tier in the Tri-State area serve more homogeneous, higher-income demographics. Met Oval’s community identity — rooted in immigrant New York since 1925 — appears to be a genuine competitive differentiator in player recruitment, particularly for families who value cultural continuity alongside elite development.
The club’s owned-facility advantage in Queens is structurally significant. Field access in New York City is one of the most acute supply constraints in youth soccer anywhere in the country. Clubs that own field space in the five boroughs hold a durable operational advantage that is nearly impossible to replicate.
Industry Context
Metropolitan Oval sits at the intersection of two dynamics increasingly important in elite youth soccer: social-mission programming and elite player output. As top-tier clubs compete for the best players, those with documented MLS placement records gain recruiting leverage with ambitious families regardless of socioeconomic background. Met Oval’s 50+ placements in four years is a verifiable output metric that drives enrollment inquiries.
The centennial milestone in 2025 underscores the depth of the club’s institutional roots. Few youth sports organizations in the United States can claim a century of continuous operation on the same field. This longevity creates a form of community trust that is difficult for newer entrants to replicate. The 2025 League For Clubs championship added a national title to what had previously been a regionally recognized development record.
The club’s Adidas partnership and relationships with Venezia FC (a previously announced European affiliation) extend its brand internationally. At roughly $2.4M in annual revenue, Met Oval operates at a mid-scale club level for the MLS NEXT tier, where top independent clubs in larger markets often exceed $5–10M. The scholarship model constrains revenue per player but maintains program volume and community standing.
Open Questions
- Full gender breakdown of teams; girls competitive league affiliations not fully documented
- Current year enrollment and team count (400+ players cited but no team breakdown by age/gender)
- Nature of the Venezia FC affiliation — still active as of 2025–26?
- What share of the 50+ MLS/international placements went to MLS academies vs. international clubs?
- Whether the owned-field structure is held in the Metropolitan Oval Foundation entity or a separate real-estate entity