Weibe: There is really a two-fold answer to that. On one level, we are trying to give players options. There is no question we can significantly aid US Soccer.  From a perspective of identifying players for National Team Programs, players are not getting many opportunities. This was one of our main concerns when we launched the program.  This past January and February, we sent top players to an ODP National Camp to demonstrate their individual abilities in front of US National Team Staff and the country’s top college and university coaches. 
 
Perhaps more importantly, in our SYL ODP program, players are evaluated in their natural playing environment. Soccer in this country has evolved incredibly over the last 10 to 15 years.  We have coaches now that can identify players within their club setting so a player identification system within the club makes a lot of sense.

 

 

Weibe:  We received a very positive response from the ODP system from many clubs, players, and parents. The original idea was based on what the top clubs in the country wanted.  We were able to take the ideas and construct a model that proved to be very effective.
 
At the completion of the ODP National Camps, we conducted a survey of all of the players and coaches.  We wanted to prove the skeptics wrong and deliver a system that is more effective in identifying players for US National Team Programs.  The results of the feedback, demonstrated that we were successful.  Now that the program has a strong foundation based on the unanimous support of both the US National Team Staff and the collegiate system, we are able to do more for our Super Y-League players.

 

What are some of the recent changes in the SYL ODP technical staff?
 
Weibe: There will be minor adjustments in the scouting procedures, but the integrity of the system remains the same; identifying players within their natural club environment. 

 

For the National ODP Camps, we will be altering the dates to better serve the older players.  This way they can be more exposed to the collegiate system.  We are also currently in discussions about having a Canadian Select Team from the Super Y-League participate in each of the ODP events.  In the future we are looking at adding foreign teams to the mix, which will offer some international flavor to players attending the National ODP Camps. 

 

From an administration standpoint, we have hired former professional player and Wake Forest graduate, Vinny Bastidas, to serve as the ODP Director out of the USL headquarters in Tampa.  He will be responsible for overseeing the scouting process as well as working with each of the clubs in this area.

 

 

Weibe: This system is based on league play. Every league game will be evaluated by the National Scouting Network. The National Scouting Network is vertically integrated from the SYL ODP Director level to the Club Technical Director (Director of Coaching).

 

This concept on identification provides the individual player with the best opportunity to excel to the highest levels, because they are consistently being evaluated in their natural environment.  The alternative would be an open tryout scenario, where players may not react as well.
 
Competitive league play is the closest relationship to competing in the World Cup.  Players must compete for points, have synergy with their team, play for promotion, play to avoid relegation and play to win a league championship.  These are the same concepts as what our U.S. National Teams faces in international competition.
 
Part of the problem with an open tryout system is that players tend to think just of themselves because that is why they are there. With SYL ODP, it is clear from the beginning that the players are being evaluated as part of - not separate from - their team context. This will also help ensure that we are developing players at all positions. The other system tends to promote forwards and midfielders because they tend to do the things that stand out in a short tryout, but in SYL ODP you're looking at who are the best central defenders, outside backs, defensive midfielders, wingers and so on. At the end of the day, the coaching staff of each club knows their players and they know which players have the ability to compete at higher levels of the game. 
 
Can you talk about the philosophies of selecting players for the Divisional ODP Teams?

 

Weibe: The structure of the system itself provides safeguards for identifying players.  The hierarchy ranges from the SYL ODP Director to the club coaching staff. The Divisional Scouts provide a system for safeguards along the way, as well as depoliticizes the process. During the regular season, the system is going to identify the best players regardless of where they are coming from.

 

The premise, from which all of the evaluations will be made, is based off a competitive philosophy.  If they were going to become the coach of that team, would they take that team to a youth World Cup? Would this be the same 18 players if their job were on the line?  They are not there to pick players for the prestige of a club.  They are there to pick players for the interest of the nation.  Clubs now have that connection to provide a service to their country and become an integral part of identifying players. 

 

At the SYL ODP Select Camps, the SYL Technical Director will have authority on player and coaching decisions.  The SYL Technical Director will work closely with the other ODP Staff Coaches and the USSF National Staff Coaches to ensure that the proper players are being identified. 
 
How does SYL ODP integrate with the club system?

 

Weibe:  We are putting a ton of faith in the club system, and so does every player who wants the best training. This is no different from what is done in other leading soccer nations of the world. When a national youth coach in Germany is selecting his team, he calls the coaches at Bayern Munich and the other leading clubs to find out who is deserving of a call-up. The open tryout system served its purpose for the time, but as a soccer nation, we have progressed.

 

The advent of high-level clubs provides the opportunity to scout players through league play.  An increasing number of clubs are run like professional businesses and are more than ready to take the lead in this process. In certain areas of the country, the state ODP has become a second club team to players.  It has become very apparent that there is tension between the club and state ODP systems over where a player should spend his or her time. Ultimately, a player has loyalty to their club, and that is where they need to remain. Since the identification system is built into the natural club environment, the club takes even more responsibility to develop its own players. That raises the whole level of soccer in our country, and ultimately raises our international competitiveness in the game.

 

At the end of the day, clubs are the biggest part of soccer in the United States.  Clubs drive the direction of the game and make our national teams successful.  The basis of this league was created to provide clubs with more opportunities and assist them in development.  The SYL ODP system is no different.  Over the past five years, I have heard many clubs complain about the ODP programs within their states.  With that in mind, we created an ODP system based on what the clubs wanted and constructed a program based off of their needs. 
 
What happens in SYL ODP after the players are evaluated during the regular season?
 
Weibe:  Players in the SYL will be evaluated by the Divisional ODP Coach within their respective division.  At the end of the season the Divisional ODP Coach, in conjunction with the aid of the coaching staff of each of the clubs within the division, will formulate a Divisional ODP Team. The team will be comprised of 21 players in each age group; sixteen field players, two goalkeepers and five alternates.

 

The Divisional ODP Team selected to participate in the ODP Select Camp will then go to one of four ODP Select Camps with the other teams in the same age group from around the country.  US National Staff Coaches and the SYL Scouting Network will evaluate players for SYL National ODP Teams, where they will be given a complete evaluation based on their technical, tactical, physical, and psychological abilities.

 

The ODP Select weekends will include strategic training, goalkeeper training, game play, and testing of things such as speed and agility. The main purpose of these weekends is for players to be closely evaluated by US National Staff Coaches and the SYL National Scouting Network.  The main result of this evaluation is to form National ODP Teams consisting of 21 players (18 field players, 3 goalkeepers) in each of the SYL age groups, U13-U17.

 

 

Weibe: Since much of the evaluation takes place in the course of league play, the majority of the cost is cut out.  For the identification weekends, we want to do as much as we can to subsidize the costs, just as we did with the initial scouting. There is a minimal cost for players, which covers the basics.  We will continue to work out arrangements with sponsors and to pursue grants from foundations to help cover these costs. We also encourage clubs to establish foundations or scholarships to make certain that all of the top players chosen are able to participate. If a player is good enough but has difficulty paying the expenses, we want to find a way to get the player there.  After all, this identification process is intended to discover the best and brightest soccer players, not the ones with the most money.

 

 

Weibe: This program is not designed as a scouting service for college soccer, but the collegiate and professional system will benefit from what we are doing. We will allow the collegiate system and professional scouts to tap into our resources. This will provide player profiles and league information on a regular basis.   We realize the importance of collegiate recruiting for players that aspire to compete at these levels, but it is important that we maintain our focus on identifying players for U.S. National Team Programs. Our league finals are well attended by the collegiate programs, and we expect the same for the ODP Select weekends.  

 

 

Weibe: There will be a significant impact on this in the United States.  Up until five years ago, no professional teams were in the process of having youth development programs.  The SYL has been a catalyst for this process, enabling professional teams to establish amateur youth clubs within their organization for player development reasons.  In addition to the USL professional and amateur teams having youth clubs, we anticipate that more MLS teams will establish youth academies and become a part of this process. Other youth organizations in the U.S. do not have the professional and high-level amateur connection that USL has within its system.  This is a major part of the SYL.  Anywhere else in the world, players are identified for national teams through youth programs of professional teams.  The same concept is starting to take hold here in the US.  Although we are still a long way from becoming more dependent on this, the process has begun, and pro soccer for the first time has taken the lead in assisting our National Team Programs to identify the best youth players.  Coaching staff from professional teams will aid in the scouting process to identify the best youth players. 

 

Another advantage that comes with the Super Y-League is the development of USL's connections to major European clubs. It will afford the opportunities for players to be exposed to play outside of the U.S.  These are not necessarily the opportunities that players would get with their club teams or other youth organizations on summer tours or tournaments.  These strong relationships are being built through USL.  For a player that dreams of competing in Europe and elsewhere, these opportunities are going to start happening more and more.

 

Major League Soccer has also played an important role in the Super Y-League.  With the addition of DC United and Red Bull New York, developing youth programs that compete in the SYL, more opportunities will arise for players domestically.  Freddy Adu competed on the DC United Super Y-League team before becoming a professional. With all of this happening, it is evident that the professional soccer system in the US has made a strong statement of intentions.  It is now evident for the first time that the American soccer community wants to win a World Cup.

 

 

Weibe:  Already many clubs and players are focusing on the SYL ODP system over state ODP programs because they feel this system better complements their club and reduces conflicts.  The SYL will consistently keep its focus on the club system and the players.  If all of the right things are done this will be the one true system in the U.S. that will aid the identification process for the U.S. National Team Programs.

 

 

Weibe: The SYL administrative staff and the ODP staff will continue to constantly improve this program just as we began the initial process.  Player identification is crucial to the success of our National Team Programs and we will continue to do the right thing for the soccer community. The clubs in the league, which are our partners in this ODP system, will offer the best resource to continually developing this system.  No system is perfect.  The difference with the Super Y-League is when something does not work or something can be better, we will make it better.  We have proved this with our league over the past five years and the same methods will be used with the ODP system.  Each year there will be something added, subtracted or altered, if needed.  We will make this the best identification system in the United States.
 
How has the US Soccer National Staff reacted to the new SYL ODP system?

 

Weibe: The US National Team and Staff Coaches have been supportive of the system we created.  This past January, US Soccer brought their U17 Men’s National Team to the ODP Select Camp to compete against a select group of players in their quest to identify more players.  On the women’s side, National Staff Coaches were very active in identifying players for National Team Programs.  In working with US Soccer, we expect that resources and support will continue to grow, since the ODP system has significant benefits to US National Team Programs.