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The best soccer players in the country are given a choice shortly after they reach high school.

Option A: Join the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and play with the U.S. U-17 men's national team. While there, they will train five days a week at first-rate facilities, appear in international tournaments, and work with professional-level coaches for the express purpose of becoming world-class players.

Option B: Be normal human beings.

Initially a 20-player pool when created a decade ago, the Bradenton academy has grown to include 40 of the most talented high schoolers in the nation, most of whom are selected before their junior years. Its record of churning out future professionals is unquestioned: Montgomery County products Oguchi Onyewu (Sherwood), Freddy Adu (The Heights) and Kevin Alston (Good Counsel) are among the graduates.

But the program has its snags. Good Counsel sophomore Malcolm Harris chose not to tackle them; Clarksburg senior Julio Arjona already has.

"It kind of takes away your childhood," said Arjona, who returned home this summer after spending a year and a half with the team. "You get homesick a lot, you miss being around close friends and, well, we're kind of missing our whole high school careers."

To grasp the Catch-22 nature of the U.S Soccer residency program, one must first understand what and why it is. The reason it exists has not changed: America languishes behind other countries in international competition, and its previous lack of youth development has been the big reason why.

By identifying the best young players as their bodies mature, the United States Soccer Federation (the sport's official domestic governing body) aspires to "develop elite soccer players" with "a periodization approach to the technical, tactical, physical and mental elements of training," according to the USSF Web site.

Ergo, from September through May every year, it helps players to realize their talents, hoping they will one day become national- and international-class professionals. Players attend private schools for a few hours each weekday and spend the rest of their time training and playing soccer.

This cut two ways with Arjona, formerly a high-level club player with the Bethesda Roadrunners, three-time Maryland State Cup champions. He began training in Bradenton in January of his sophomore year and emerged a new person after three semesters in the academy.

"You grow up a lot," he said. "I'm more independent now, more ready for whatever is ahead of me off the field. I'm way better as a player and not only that, but it's all the best players around you and we're kind of like brothers. I miss being around them."

At the same time, the lifestyle is not socially inclined. Back at Clarksburg, the team-high 12 assists he compiled as a sophomore seem like ancient history.

"Curfew's early, so other than soccer, you don't get really go out and have a life. … And now it's kind of like being the new kid again," Arjona said. "When you talk to your friends, they'll be like, ‘Remember that time we did this, did that,' and it's like, ‘No, I wasn't there for that.' I have to start my life over in a way."

A few miles away, Good Counsel's deep-lying forward built a résumé good enough for a Brandenton invitation before his sophomore season even began. Damascus native Harris was a revelation as a freshman, racking up 15 assists while earning All-Gazette second-team honors.

His recent club performance with the Baltimore Casa Mia Bays put his star over the top. Harris led his team to a U-15 national title at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in July. Along the way, he earned the "Golden Boot" award, given to the tournament's most outstanding player.

"I think he's the best player in the country at his age group," said his club coach, Steve Nichols.

Why, then, would he turn down an invitation to get even better?

"Down there, you go to school three or four hours then practice the rest of the day, and here I'm just a typical high school guy," he said. "Down there, you have to do it, up here it's whether you want it or not. So I guess I just decided it wasn't the right path for me."

Harris feels a different path might be in the cards for him — in Europe. He already has a bit of international experience, having trained in Scotland with Glasgow Celtic's reserves and competing with its U-17 academy squad. Harris also played with the U.S. U-15 Men's National Team.

In fact, he could be playing overseas before he finishes high school. Harris said he "could be over there if I had my English passport," and his "No. 1 goal in life right now is to play in England." In the meantime, the prospect of sharpening his skills with the best in the country was intriguing.

But in the end …

"I thought about it for a long time," Harris said, "but I just want to see what I can do with my own willpower."