Cal South recently announced the 2008 Summer Olympic Development Program (ODP) Summer player pools.  South Bay Force had players invited to train towards the US Youth Soccer National ODP Tournament and the Far West Region ODP Camp later on this summer in Orgegon.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the boys and girls for this great honor!

1992 Pool:

Kyrian Nwabueze - BU15 Blue

Vincent Paldino - BU15 Black

Jazmin Ponce - GU16 Black

1993 Pool:

Jordan Cordon - BU15 Blue

Williams Nieto-Flores - BU15 Black

Irvin Parra - BU14 Black

Jose Villareal-Lopez - BU14 Black

Victoria Cooper - GU14 Black

1994 Pool:

Alexandra Rosen - GU14 Black

Samantha Witteman - GU14 Black

What is the Olympic Development Program (ODP)?

Initially created in 1977 as the US Youth Soccer Select Team Program, the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (ODP) was formed to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a national team could be selected for international competition; to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels; and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, to develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculums to improve all levels of coaching. Initially only for boys, a program for girls was added in 1985.

US Youth Soccer ODP is the original Olympic Development Program. US Youth Soccer ODP is the only elite player development program that can claim members of Major League Soccer and the former Women’s United Soccer Association, as well as a majority of current and past national and youth team members, as alumni. It is viewed as the premier identification and development program for any American youth seeking the opportunity to compete at the national and collegiate levels of play.

US Youth Soccer ODP exists in every state association, and offers collegiate and national team staff coaches the opportunity to see the nation’s elite players in the most competitive of environments. In addition to training and tactics, US Youth Soccer ODP offers competition such as the Regional and National ODP championships, as well as further participation in major international tournaments. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way for elite player development in the United States.

“US Youth Soccer ODP has played a meaningful role in player development in the US”, said head coach of U.S. Soccer Under-17 Men’s National Team, John Hackworth. “The players develop in US Youth Soccer ODP by continually being placed in a more competitive environment, such as playing internationally with regional teams, which provides elite players from across the nation valuable experience and a platform on which to improve. The US Youth Soccer ODP contributes to the encompassing effort of identifying potential players for the U.S. National Team programs”.

“The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program is a vital part of the identification process for our youth national teams”, said former U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Greg Ryan. “Creating an environment for the most talented girls to play with and against the best players possible not only allows for their maximum growth as players, but also allows National Team coaches to see who really has the qualities to play at the highest level. The US Youth Soccer ODP gets a lot of credit for the success of our youth national teams al all age levels.”