Wow. This should finally put to rest the notion that our national team programs are ignoring the hispanic youth. Bringing in kids from L.A. is one thing but it takes real effort to identify talent that deep in the Valley.
Regardless of whether the kids are hispanic, hopefully this is a sign that we're finally drawing a bit more talent from outside of the big suburban clubs. There's one kid from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and another from Mishawaka, Indiana, a small town east of South Bend that's renowned for its obsession with football. Meanwhile, there isn't a single kid from Saint Louis or Chicago, and if you ask me, that's a great sign. Those places have talented kids -- they always do -- but I don't think there's ever been an MLSer from Iowa.
A very diverse team indeed. Which is good. However, I think that you'll also find that the team is not diverse in terms of physical development -- that all (or nearly all) of 'em are clearly into puberty. Among the overall soccer population, many '91s are not. One of many, many reasons why the pool listed above will change greatly over the next few years.
Actually my guess is that they intentionally shied away from the kids at the big clubs, because until Bradenton comes along, the kids at the big clubs are more or less where they need to be anyway. It's the kids at the smaller clubs who would probably benefit more from this sort of exercise anyway, so I'd speculate that was a consideration. That said, the kid brothers of Ryan Soroka and Julian Valentin are on the team too...
I lifted the August camp list from usyouthsoccer.org; non-returnees are in italics. It'd be nice if they were actively trying to keep the pool broad, but from these numbers, it doesn't look that way. Returnees Region I -- 11/20, 55% Region II -- 6/25, 24% (not including alternates) Region III -- 6/25, 24% (0/6 from outside Tex, Fla) Region IV -- 9/33, 27% (8/14 from CA, 57%; 1/19 others, 5%) Coaches Manfred Schellscheidt, Loui Mateus, Manfred Klar, Alfonso Mondelo, Mario Prata, Vadim Kirilov (GK) (Mondelo and Schellscheidt are both Region I guys ... don't know about the rest.) US Youth Soccer Region I Name - Hometown - State Scott Caldwell - Braintree - MA Uwem Etuk - Herndon - VA Ryan Finley - Lumberton - NJ Michael Giuliano - Columbia - CT Kevin Gnecco - North Hampton - NH Zachary Gomez - Flemington - NJ Akil Howard - Rochdale Village - NY Kevin Lewis - Pawcatuck - CT Jeffery Lowell - Southboro - MA Andrew Lunahn (Lubahn?) - Erie - PA Idris Mashriqi - Fresh Meadow - NY Dylan Mencia - Honesdale - PA Jams Mulligan - Medford - NY Brenden Noesges - Freehold - NJ Giuseppe Panajia - Glastonbury - CT Brandon Paul - Flemington - NJ Travis - Pittman - Manassas - VA Kyle Soroka - Langhorne - PA Patrick Thompson - Norfolk - VA Zarek Valentin - Lancaster - PA US Youth Soccer Region II Name - Hometown - State Keegan Gunderson - Circle Pines - MN Bradley Stuver - Twinsburg - OH Bobby Adkins - Shelby Township - MI Charlie Bales - Cedar Rapids - IA Cody Banks - Madison - WI Ryan Barrett - Grand Rapids - MI Chad Barson - Lewis Center - OH Ian Christianson - Cedar Rapids - IA Austin Decker - Tiffin - IA Kevin Dzierzawski - Oakland Township - MI Thorsen Eriksen - Birmingham - MI Ryan Foreman - Wilmette - IL Kyle Hyland - Bay Village - OH Dylan Mares - Mishanaka - IN Michael Mascitti - Downers Grove - IL Aaron Mulgrue - Lincoln - NE Yempabou Palo - Ames - IA Peter Paras - Dublin - OH Hamoody Saad - Dearborn - MI Soony Saad - Dearborn - MI Kofi Sarkodie - Huber Heights - OH Harrison Shipp - Lake Forest - IL Joey Tennyson - Wauwatosa - WI Casey Weddle - Cincinnati - OH David Yang - Ann Arbor - MI Alternates Corey Cunningham - Grand Blank - MI Patrick Forde - Rochester Hills - MI Jacob Kemper - Crestwood - KY US Youth Soccer Region III Name - Hometown - State Jason Alvarez - Palm Coast - FL Alvarez Bastidas Jr - N Lauderdale - FL David DelaRosa - Garland - TX Victor Duru - Powders Spring - GA Carl (Raz) Forsten - Bellaire - TX Gregory Garza - Grapevine - TX Jared Griffin - Desoto - TX Michael Hampson - Tavernier - FL Luis Herrera - Harlingen - TX Joseph (Alex) Huckabee - Highpoint - GA Mateo Jimenez - Houston - TX Zachary MacMath - St Petersburg - FL Camilo Mandrinan - Weston - FL Gerardo Marquez - Brownsville - TX Malcom Miller - Lawrenceville - GA Nick Millington - Raleigh - NC Jesus Mireles - Pharr - TX Mario Perez - Brownsville - TX Aubrey Perry - Ocoee - FL Dillon Powers - Plano - TX Alexei Reyes - Dallas - TX Clayton Samuels - Plano - TX Mark Schacht - Boca Raton - FL Jared Watts - Statesville - NC Cameron Wilder - Kennesaw - GA US Youth Soccer Region IV Name - Hometown - State Scott Kellar Terrelli - Scottsdale - AZ Justin Taillole - Scottsdale - AZ Adedoja Akinsanya - Sacramento - CA Amobi Okugo - Sacramento - CA Cesar Gonzalez - Fulton - CA Brett Finkelstein - San Rafael - CA David Kucera - San Jose - CA Dersu Abolfathi - Fullerton - CA Jose Altramirano - San Diego - CA James Balba - Simi Valley - CA Kevin Martinez - Conoga Park - CA Masami Okada - San Diego - CA Nick Rihn - San Juan Capistrano - CA Chris Smith - Chula Vista - CA Juan Valladolid - Chula Vista - CA Russell Jackson - Oxnard - CA Anis Abdulgasen - Aurora - CO Brendan Roslund - Denver - CO Levi Rossi - Aurora - CO Travis Sytsma - Littleton - CO Christian Patmont - Kailua - HI Bobby Wood - Honolulu - HI Franco Buzzalino - Boise - ID Brandon Dimbi - Nampa - ID Javier Gomez - Rio Rancho - NM Patrick Pacheco - Taos - NM Troy Bratten - Gresham - OR Steven Evans - Portland - OR Robbie Hull - Salt Lake City - UT Camden Smith - Sandy - UT Alexander Ferguson - Kent - WA Kelyn Rowe - Federal Way - WA Gavin LaFollette - Cody - WY New Reg I - Marby Velasquez Reg 3 - Brian Dominguez --------------- U-15 camp FYI --------------- Following is the roster of US Youth Soccer ODP players participating in the U15 National Team Training Camp. US Youth Soccer Region I Name - Hometown - State Christopher Agorsor - Severn - MD Christian Barreiro - Hydes - MD Vincenzo Bernardo - Madison - NJ Thomas Brandt - Palmyra - PA Keith Cowdrey - Silver Spring - MD George Drouillard - Douglas - MA Darnell Edwards - Greenbelt - MD Marc Godelman - Paramus - NJ Giueppe Guerriero - Essex - MA Arthur Harris - Framingham - MA Walter Hines - Brooklyn - NY Christopher Lebo - Telford - PA Branden Lee - Tenafly - NJ David Macvane - Middle Grove - NY Aaron M.T. Maund - Dorchester - MA Durval Pereira - Cheshire - CT Jorge Rodriguez - Hartford - CT William Schuler - Skillman - NJ Jan Trnka-Amrhein - Brookline - MA Matthew Uy - New Hyde Park - NY US Youth Soccer Region II Name - Hometown - State Phil Boerger - Jamestown - ND Jonathan Harris - Arlington Heights - IL Graham Baseche - Springfield - MO Noah Bass - Louisville - KY Teal Bunbury - Prior Lake - MN Brice Carr - Mequon - WI Raymon Gaddis - Indianapolis - IN Brian Groark - Florissant - MO Bradley Horton - Sycamore - IL Brendan King - Naperville - IL Timothy Linden - Libertyville - IL Emmanuel Lopez - Waukegan - IL Heath Melugin - Springfield - MO Andrew Menendez - Naperville - IL Thomas Meyer - St. Louis - MO Darlington Nagbe - Lakewood - OH Baba Omosegbon - Indianapolis - IN Brendan Rogers - West Bloomfield - MI Kirk Urso - Lombard - IL Josh Zarse - Overland Park - KS US Youth Soccer Region III Name - Hometown - State Mauricio Acosta - Miami - FL Cameron Cooksey - Marietta - GA Hugh (Alex) Dixon - Humble - TX Osvaldo Fraire - Dalton - GA Juan (Carlos) Gonzales - San Antonio - TX Clayton Holz - Houston - TX Thomas Howayeck - Orange Park - FL Jeffrey Huyhn - TX Christian Ibeagha - Edmond - OK Jared Jefferey - Richardson - TX Ian Kalis - Plano - TX Enzo Martinez - Rock Hill - SC Chris Miller - Garland - TX TJ Nelson - Garland - TX Juan Nino - Katy- TX Tanner Petrick - Carrollton - TX Sam Redmond - Arden - NC Brandon Tarr - Knoxville - TN Steve Trejo - Plano - TX Edvin Worley - Palm City - FL US Youth Soccer Region IV Name - Hometown - State Anthony Armitage - Auburn - WA Mykell Bates - Roseville - CA Rodrigo DaSilva - Walnut Creek - CA Caleb Escobedo - Vancouver - WA Rod Rahmian - Riverside - CA Cody Felipe - Pukalani - HI Mizuki Hamada - Cupertino - CA Christopher Harris - Alameda - CA Jorge Hernandez - Union City - CA Brooks Hopp - Seattle - WA Temistocles Molinar - Chanoler - AZ Leopoldo Morales - Livermore - CA Luis Rocha - Pleasanton - CA Christian Vazquez - Santa Barbara - CA Kyle Verle - Sacramento - CA Abraham Villon - Garden Grove - CA Daniel Wenzel - Federal Way - WA Victor Yanez - Riverside - CA Brandon Zimmerman - Pasco - WA Esteban Reyes - Bothell - WA
Wow! Suggests that either the National camp people overrate California kids, or that the Region IV camp isn't really a true meritocracy, but is instead a foster home of "inclusivity" for less deserving players from the smaller states.
I'm happy with some degree of inclusivity -- as voros said, many kids from soccer-rich regions are already getting the help they need. If these camps are going to benefit anyone at all, it's arguably the kids from other places. At the same time, there are many ways of going about this task. Now that I take a closer look, Region IV seems to have used a strict quota system, where medium-sized states sent exactly two players forward. As we've seen, this approach resulted in a huge number of discards, most of whom we'll never hear from again. Region III, by contrast, seems to have selected players strictly on merit. The corresponding downside is that 7 of the 11 states were completely shut out of the first camp. Now, 2 of the remaining 4 have fallen by the wayside. That can't be good for soccer in those states. To encourage a wider pool of players, it'd be nice if they opened the door a little wider.
There has to be some way to not only bring players in on merit, but also encourage development in the "minnow" states. I don't have a clear solution for Region IV. If you look at the year-to-year results in regionals, Cal-South is far and away the strongest state. And then behind them comes Cal-North, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington, and then to a lesser extent, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico & Utah. However, others are starting to make strides, like Hawaii. But unfortunately, states like Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho & Montana simply have very small populations, uncongenial weather and smaller organizations to really make much of an impact. It really wouldn't be fair to have a set quota of players from each state association for regional ODP teams. That's not to say that you couldn't have a national caliber player from a state like Wyoming, with well under 1 million people, but from a purely statistical probability, the combined Cal-S/Cal-N, with a population exceeding 36 million, would be more likely to produce more national caliber players.
I live in a state with no representation(Alabama). I don't have a problem with it as long as it is picked on merit. Alabama is not exactly a hotbed of talent but hopefully we will produce somebody worthy sooner rather than later. I know Alabama has a couple of girls in the regional pool at the 1990 age group and one boy(Bill Dworsky) at the regional level for 87s(I think).
Has Fro ever been listed at his own age group? Not in my memory ... I would guess that he'll show up on the '89 or '90 lists, not '91.
I played in the Region 1 boys camp in for u-16 for '81s (in 1997) and I can say that the region 1 pool was selected almost entirely on merit except for a few token choices for players from states like Maine and Vermont who clearly had no business playing in the night games (which are games held after the normal daytime games in which only the selected players who are being closely watched for making the pool get to play). Those players who were given the chance to play in night games were totally outclassed and ultimately did not make the final pool after the camp. Now, that is not to say there aren't lots predetermined choices for who makes the pool and who doesn't, but at the very least, if you truly suck, you won't make it. If you are able to compete, but others are better than you who didn't make it, but you are more familiar to the coaches or talked-up more by your state coach the the regional coaches then you can make the pool despite not being good enough solely by merit. All in all, though, the final product is the national team and I highly doubt anyone steps on the field there who doesn't deserve it based on talent.
That makes sense, but I guess part of what I'm trying to say is that it isn't easy to figure out merit. A big city kid like Landon Donovan or Eddie Gaven has been surrounded by excellent players from day one, and is well prepared for ODP tryouts as a result. He's going to look better than a Damarcus Beasley or a Justin Mapp, who grew up as bigger fish in smaller ponds. Because ODP is charged with development, they ought to be trying to look beyond a kid's training to assess his potential. If they're not finding a single worthwhile prospect out of a sub-region that spans Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, the Carolinas, and Georgia, it makes me wonder how hard they're trying to do this.
I asked this too and nobody knew of one. Looks like the kids who were at Home Depot, for now, will be playing for their regional teams at the Thanksgiving Interregional (I'll be there again btw). I think the plan is to take that group down south to either Mexico or somewhere else in January or February, as has been done previously. Of course there will be a trip to Central America in spring as well. The younger residency boys will be at the Interregional also.
... smack dab in the middle of the New York-Philadelphia conurbation, by far the biggest metropolitan area in the U.S.
Watch yourself... Speaking as a player from Vermont who went to the boy's camp (albeit a little bit earlier than you), you're being a bit harsh, but maybe not too much. Small states often have poor infrastructures and qualified players cannot be identified early on. It often depends on who you know. Certainly the best players from Vermont were never getting involved in ODP simply because they were playing outside the Burlington area and couldn't get noticed. One good example is Corey Bronner from Morrisville (who I don't believe has ever been involved in any YNT setups) but is a stud currently playing for UVM. These guys aren't going to make any noise until the U-16 level, if not later. In short, don't hate on the little guys.
Actually, he's being more than a bit harsh. That crop of 1981's from Maine included Roger Levesque and Aaron Maines. Levesque was the star of Stanford's 2002 NCAA runners-up and is now in his second season on an MLS roster. Maines was another starter on that 2002 Stanford team and is now a fifth-year senior there. Both were regional team players, too.
Having come through the Region 1 system, I too can attest that many times players from smaller states are taken as token players into the pool so that their state can have representation. That is not to say that the smaller states can't produce regional caliber players, as they have produced more than a few over the years. Its just saying often in the past they took one for representation regardless of the player deserving the spot. In the early 90's, a kid I played club ball with in New York was the token Vermont representative in the regional pool. His father owned a house in Vermont and used that address to be eligible for Vermont ODP. I remember all the NY kids in disbelief that an average player who rightfully did not make ENY ODP was now in the regional pool. All regional players should be chosen on ability, not because of the politics of representation.
Agorsor is fast and talented. I would not say he is fully matured. Barreiro I am not familiar with him. Edwards is lightning fast, big foot, very mature for his age, father is former Jamaican player. Cowdrey is the most interesting one here. He is the exception to the rule that the players have learned all of their skills by age 12. He was discovered playing in a rec league by a very good trainer/coach, Devin Payton. Devin put him on his DDP(District Development Program) team, (a precursor to ODP in Maryland). Most of the parents were appalled because the kid was playing in the back and constantly making mistakes, he had a wooden touch, and no moves. He was very smart and eager to work hard. He started playing travel soccer that Fall. By the end of the next winter his touch had vastly improved through playing futsal and good training. The next winter he made ODP and is now in the regional pool. This shows that not all the talent has shown itself by age 12.