The Olympic Development Program has never known greater success than
what the CYSA-South State teams experienced the spring and summer of
1999. The effort of the players and coaches was rewarded with
overwhelming success in both the Reebok Cup and regional camp. This past
spring CYSA-South dominated Northern California and Oregon in the annual
Reebok Cup by winning seven out of the nine age groups for boys and
girls. In July, our state teams demonstrated why they are the best in
the west by winning almost every age group (seven out of nine) and by
placing more players on regional teams than in any other year in the
history of ODP in Southern California.
The reason for such great success is evident every day when we observe
the quality of players our coaches are developing in our club system
here in Southern California. Furthermore, with the new philosophy in
CYSA-South that ODP will not conflict with official club competitions
the ODP has won the support of club coaches and officials. And because
of this new relationship between ODP and the clubs coaches are more
willing to release their best players and to promote them to participate
at the state level.
Restructuring ODP
CYSA-South has also implemented a new scouting program as a means to
identify the best players in Southern California. The scouting program
hires unaffiliated scouts that promote greater objectivity in the
selection process. The scouts must have played and/or coached
professionally or at the collegiate level as a requirement to be hired.
Identifying players in their natural environment under highly
competitive conditions has already proven successful with CYSA-south
having placed dozens of scouted players on current regional teams. This
program is a pilot program for the rest of the country and is supported
by US Soccer's 2010 committee. It has been granted a minimum of $150,000
on a matching fund basis for this fiscal year with additional funding to
be announced sometime next year.
In August of 1999 the scouting program will replace District trials to
identify the state team pools. All club coaches in Southern California
will also be invited to participate in the identification process by
recommending players to the state scouts. Once a club coach has
recommended a player it is the responsibility of the scouting program to
go watch the individual play with their club team. Recommendation forms
can be obtained in the team packets distributed at the beginning of the
year or via the CalSouth.com web site. Scouts will be observing players
(boys and girls) in tournament, league, State Open Cup and National Cup
competitions. In November the initial pool of 40 players per age group
will be announced. However, the pool will be adjusted throughout the
year depending on the level of play of the existing pool and the play of
others outside the pool. This will keep the competition within the pool
at its optimum while also providing an avenue for players that develop
throughout the year an opportunity to be added. A state coach will be
able to select 18 to 22 players from the pool at the time of state,
regional or national competition much like a national team.
National ODP Championship
USYSA has announced that there will be a National ODP Championship for
1982 and 1984 boys and girls. The four state teams will compete in
January 2000 for the regional Championship and if they qualify will
compete in the National Championship in February 2000. Both the regional
and national championships will take place in Phoenix. It is proposed
that USYSA expand its national championship to four different age groups
for 2001.
National scouts and national team coaches will be in attendance for the
regional and national championships to select players to the national
pool. All other state teams will continue to attend regional camp in
July of 2000.
With the national ODP championship occurring at the same time that high
school soccer competes in Southern California we will have formal ODP
training and competition during the high school season. CIF allows for
ODP training and competition however efforts will be made to work with
the high school coaches such that ODP does not conflict with their
programs. Training and competition will take place on the weekends and
when there is a conflict with official high school competition the high
school will be the priority with the exception of the regional and
national championships. Once high school ends ODP training and
competition will cease until the Far West Regionals for National Cup has
ended in late spring. The state-scouting program will once again observe
players in the Open and National Cup to look for new talent and to
reconfirm the players that were originally selected to the pool. Players
that will be competing in the Snickers National Championship in Orlando
in July will be exempt from state team training and competition due to
the fact that national scouts will be in attendance in Orlando.
Participating in a national championship with your club team is such an
honor and a privilege that ODP should not interfere with that once in a
lifetime opportunity.
CYSA-South ODP Philosophy
The development of players in Southern California is primarily the
responsibility of the clubs and that ODP should not interfere with that
development. It is the responsibility of CYSA-South to supplement that
development by identifying and allowing the best players in the state to
play along side each other and against other select teams domestically
and internationally. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of CYSA-South
to aid in the promotion of its best players to the youth national teams,
the MLS, project 40, the "A" league and the best college programs in the
country.
The success of ODP is a direct result of the quality of players, coaches
and level of competition in Southern California. We have initiated a new
ODP program that hopefully will be the standard for the entire country
but it will continue to need cooperation from everyone in order for it
to truly succeed. We look forward to working with club officials, club
coaches and the parents for the benefit of the players.
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