They are not here on vacation, although their combined age (49) suggests a school break.

All three are professionals after choosing in the past year not only to forgo college soccer but to withdraw from D.C. area high schools to sign MLS homegrown contracts.

Over the years, numerous league prospects have done the same, including several United signees. Overseas, players typically turn pro by their 18th birthday.

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Here in the waning days of the 2020 preseason, United’s trio integrate into a platoon of grown men as the Feb. 29 opener at Audi Field against the Colorado Rapids nears.

Defender Frédéric Brillant is twice as old as each of them. Goalkeeper Chris Seitz and his wife have five children. Forward Ola Kamara has lived in five countries.

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Meanwhile, Yow, Nyeman and Paredes get rides with parents or take Metro to practice in Washington because they don’t have driver’s licenses.

“My mentality changed quickly: Childhood days are pretty much over,” said Paredes, a 16-year-old attacker from South Riding, Va., who signed this winter. “I’ve got to get a lot more serious. This is a job, and it’s something I love to do.”

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The contrast in age, muscle development and life experiences is striking, though when they mix their skills with the older players, they are not out of place.

“I’m open to playing all three of them this year,” United Coach Ben Olsen said.

All three will play regularly for Loudoun United, the organization’s second-division team based in Leesburg. For homegrown players, Loudoun is a pathway to MLS, much like Class AAA baseball nurtures prospects for the majors.

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Yow, a 17-year-old attacker from Clifton, Va., is the most experienced of the trio. He signed last winter and appeared in 15 Loudoun matches and four D.C. games (two regular season, two U.S. Open Cup), plus multiple friendlies; he scored against Spain’s Real Betis.

Paredes and Nyeman, 16, played for Loudoun last season as amateurs. Nyeman, a Liberian immigrant who lives with his mother and younger brother in Riverdale, Md., signed a pro contract last fall.

All came through United’s youth academy, an allegiance that affords the MLS team exclusive league rights to offer contracts. Paredes was the 14th D.C. homegrown signing; Annandale’s Bill Hamid, United’s longtime goalkeeper, was the first, in 2009.

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Yow, Paredes and Nyeman are among peers at training camp — some academy players are invited for portions of preseason — but mostly they are with established pros.

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“Waking up every day and seeing these faces is a little bit shocking because you are used to seeing them on TV,” Yow said. “You are going to breakfast with them. You are joking with them.”

Paredes interjected. “They’re down the hall. You say, ‘What’s up?’ to them. I still think that’s crazy. I’ve told them I play FIFA [on PlayStation] with them. I can’t wrap my mind around it.”

This is Paredes’s first camp in Florida; Nyeman was here as an academy player.

Initiation is part of the rookie ritual. Last year, Yow sang Vance Joy’s “Riptide” in front of the group at lunch. “I think they like it,” he said, smiling.

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Socially, young and old form their own cliques. During downtime one day, Seitz, defender Steven Birnbaum and others went to see the movie “1917,” while the homegrowns planned to do homework and play video games.

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All three are midway through their junior years of high school and take online courses arranged by the team. It’s a requirement in signing a homegrown contract.

Paredes’s parents are pushing him, once he earns a high school diploma, to begin college courses. His brothers attend Virginia and George Mason.

Being on his own, Nyeman said, “It’s hard to stay disciplined when you have a lot of free time. You tend to procrastinate. But when you are pretty busy and you have your priorities, you can do it.”

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There are no parents or tutors at training camp, just the team’s support staff and older players, who are eager to impart wisdom.

“You are luring these kids away from an education, and you’re giving them a lifestyle to develop as soccer players, but the support needs to be there,” said Seitz, 32, who played two seasons at Maryland and is with his fifth MLS team. “Older guys talk about lifestyles; we try to shape them in the right way.”

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During breakfast a few days ago, Seitz said, he and other veterans spoke to Yow about financial planning.

“Things teenagers aren’t thinking about,” Seitz said.

A starting homegrown contract is typically modest. Yow’s base salary last year was $70,250; the other two will probably make about the same this year.

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Long-term development yields bigger salaries and, in some cases, careers overseas. D.C. homegrowns Andy Najar, Ian Harkes, Michael Seaton and Chris Durkin have been playing in Europe.

Turning pro means growing up fast.

“I really don’t worry about him,” said Paredes’s father, Gregorio. “He is very dependable, and he takes this stuff seriously. If you ask my wife, she will give you a different answer. She is always worried about him. She wants to hear from him every single day.”

All three players say they are in regular contact with their parents. When in Washington, they live at home. This week, Yow’s parents and older brother were in town, staying nearby and attending preseason matches.

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Paredes and Yow are roommates here. Nyeman rooms with Oniel Fisher, a 28-year-old Jamaican defender.

Nyeman said, “We have a lot of conversations about being pro, about soccer and about outside of soccer.”

Olsen doesn’t set curfews or restrict players’ unofficial activities. Does he worry, though, about teenagers doing teenage things?

“No, because if they aren’t taking this seriously, it will show on the field. There’s no way to hide a lack of preparation and discipline.”

And their elders keep them in line.

“They are young. They are innocent. They are a bit naive,” Seitz said. “The sooner we can help them adapt and understand the day in and day out of being a pro athlete, the better off they will be. It’s a real sacrifice these kids are making, and I want them to understand the gravity of it, as well.”

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On the field, all three have played regularly in preseason friendlies. Against expansion Nashville SC on Wednesday, they were on the field together for 60 minutes and combined on a nice buildup that nearly resulted in a goal early in the second half.

Yow was the only player on the team to log all 90 minutes.

“What is he, 16, 17?” Olsen said. “I used to play like three games on a Saturday when I was his age. Not against professionals, though.”

After the match, the three homegrowns and an academy player sat together along a retaining fence. Yow’s family came to greet him. They chatted for a few minutes, and as the team gathered its gear and headed for the bus, Yow hugged his mom.