USL News Release
Friday, December 19, 2008 TAMPA – Few players in North America, at any age, boast the accolades that 15-year old Cody Cropper has compiled through his accelerated PDL training, SYL Select Team experience and numerous English academy trials. Cropper was also a member the 2008 Super Y-League Select Team and one of the top-rated players in USL’s Super Y-League ODP system.
Emergence in USL’s Super Y-League “Cody first came into the Super Y-League by playing with Bangu Tsunami, a club in St. Paul/Minnesota which has now merged with the Minnesota Thunder to form a super-club,” said Cody’s father Joe Cropper. “He was invited to the [SYL ODP National Camps in Cocoa, Florida] last January through Bangu Tsunami.
During the camps, Cropper proved to be one of the top two goalkeepers in the SYL ODP system, earning himself a trip to West Ham United with the Super Y-League Select Team. He also established ties with USL Premier Development League Head Coach Brendan Burke of the Reading Rage.
“Brendan noticed him and saw that he had some potential,” added Mr. Cropper. “In the end we came to the agreement that the best thing for Cody was for him to play at a higher level than he was used to and become more of an intense player in training.”
“Cody is not far off of making it,” said Burke. “I noticed from the start that there was something special about him, especially for a guy his age.”
As a result, Cody spent this past summer with the Reading Rage in Pennsylvania training with the club’s U16, U17, Super-20 League and PDL teams.
“Cody needed to learn what is expected of a top-flight player and improve his awareness,” said Mr. Cropper. “He needed to learn how to direct traffic and pick up on those little things.”
2008 Super Y-League North American Finals
After the summer, Cody returned to his home in Minnesota, but later accompanied the Rage’s U17 Boys side to the North American Finals in late November.
“He came down to the North American Finals as the reserve goalkeeper with Readings U17’s,” said Mr. Cropper. “There was already another goalkeeper in place when he got there, Timothy White, who had earned the right to start for them and is a very good goalkeeper in his own right, but Cody still played in three of the four matches and only allowed only one goal in the final match.”
Coming into the North American Finals, Rage SC was an early favorite to advance to the knock-out phase of the tournament. The 11-1-0 Mid Atlantic Champions had outscored their opponents 45-9 in a very strong 13-team division. But a week prior to the North American Finals, Patrick Lerourneau, who is slated to play for Bucknell University next fall, went down with a knee injury. The leader of a defense that allowed 0.75 goals per game, Lerourneau had no replacement and the Rage suffered as a result.
“The team played well (1-2-0),” said Mr. Cropper. “But they could not advance out of the group play stage without [Lerourneau] controlling the game from the back. It was another good opportunity for Cody to play up a few years and gain some experience – at 6’3” 190 pounds; he matches up well with that age group.”
The U17 Boys Championship match paid tribute to the strength of the Mid Atlantic as TSF Academy beat Parsippany SC 1-0 to claim the title. Both teams were 9-2-1 in the Mid Atlantic Division this season. They also both lost to the Rage during the regular season, each by one goal.
A Serious Resume “
I was born and raised in England near Coventry,” said Mr. Cropper. “The Midlands have a rich football history. As with every father, I wanted Cody to have every opportunity to succeed. His number one goal for a while now was to get an honest look, and a shot to play in the U.S. Youth National Team system.”
“I knew the traditional ODP system was not the only way to make that happen,” added Mr. Cropper. “So I contacted the top clubs in Europe and got maybe 30 responses. From that, we selected a handful of clubs and through several trials he has had average to great success.”
“Arsenal liked his size and ability, but they said he was equal with the two goalkeepers they had already signed at his level,” said Mr. Cropper. “For them to make the change, Cody would have had to been better than what they already had. They gave him a recommendation.”
“In his trial with Wolverhampton, Cody had the opportunity to play in a match with the club’s U16’s,” said Mr. Cropper. “He played well, but they lost 1-0 to South Hampton. Again, the club liked him, but they had a problem signing him because of his age. During his trial there, he got to train with the starting goalkeeper. Jermain Defoe walks up and starts taking shots on him. I asked Cody if he stopped any and he said ‘yea, I saved a few.’ Afterwards Defoe walked by Cody’s grandmother and said ‘you have quite a goalkeeper there.’ What a compliment."
“His best success has been with Wolverhampton,” said Mr. Cropper. “He has been there twice now and has earned an invitation to return for a third time this February. They have told us that Cody must have a solid week of training, plus a good game against Manchester City for Wolverhampton to make a change in their present situation. We are keeping our fingers crossed. During his first two trials, he had the opportunity to train with the Reserve Team.”
"In the last year, Cody has grown as a player,” said Mr. Cropper. “He takes training a lot more seriously and even demands more from his teammates at times. That comes from the experience he has had in England and with Brendan with the Rage. He has told me the training sessions in England are beyond intense and that he doesn’t even have time to breathe in shooting drills. Every ball is on target and players can strike the ball with either the inside or the outside of their foot.”
“The whole process has been an incredible learning experience for him and a real blessing,” said Mr. Cropper. “In Europe, there is a different mentality about the game. In the U.S., middle to upper-class kids play soccer. It is treated like a game. Over there, it is not the wealthy that play football, it is a way to make a better life for you and your family. They approach it with a different vigor, one that is hard to duplicate.”
