TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today that the US U17 National Team program will be participating in the U16-U17 Boys SYL ODP National Camp the weekend of January 28-30.
“We look forward to facing the Super Y-League’s ODP selections at the upcoming camp,” said US U17 National Team Head Coach John Hackworth. “It will give us a chance to scout the players that have been selected through the Super Y-League's ODP system which rewards the players that consistently perform at the highest level.”
The U17 National Team residency program is based in Bradenton, Florida and will be competing in two matches against select players from the SYL U17 and U16 ODP National Camps, providing a unique opportunity for the nation’s top SYL players to show their talent in direct relation to those in the current US U17 player pool.
“This is a fantastic development for our ODP system,” said SYL Director Matt Weibe. “This is exactly the type of integration we felt the ODP system in the US was greatly in need of. The top players in the country throughout the course of a season should have an opportunity to play alongside the current national team pools to better ascertain a player’s prospects instead of making an assumption based on a single tryout.”
“We have been working very closely with US Soccer on ways to aid the identification of players to US National Team Programs,” added Weibe. “We anticipate that the U17 program will identify some players outside of the norm as they prepare the roster for the upcoming FIFA U17 World Championship Qualifiers beginning in April. In addition to the identification, this will be an excellent opportunity for the team to prepare themselves with some highly competitive matches.”
Nearly 300 players will be attending the U16 and U17 SYL ODP National Camps in the third of four camp weekends, which will see over 1,100 players in total for boys and girls 13-17. Players selected from each of the SYL divisions come together at the Cocoa Expo Center for three days at each camp, playing a series of 40-minute matches and going through several specialized training sessions. Tailored training and evaluations for goalkeepers will also be held at the camps.
The SYL ODP system is based on season-long player reviews and selection, identifying players who consistently perform at the highest level through the course of the season. Players are scouted by the SYL National Scouting System and are selected for the SYL ODP National Camps. In addition to the season scouting, the Super Y-League North American Finals also serve as an SYL ODP event.
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