US Club Soccer believes that the ODP is a worthwhile program, which has played an important role in the development of some of our best soccer talent. However, ODP should not be the only avenue for player identification. Program participation numbers and budgets dictate that key players with potential may be overlooked, some cannot afford the expense or time involved. Other non-competitive issues are sometimes factored into the selection process as well.
US Club Soccer, therefore, is revolutionizing the way the country’s top youth players are identified and developed with the id2 program. The program takes a fresh approach to identifying and developing the nation’s best players.
Unlike ODP, parents do not have to assume the expense of multiple costly tryout camps (that also remove players from their club programs for significant periods of time) to ensure their players are seen by id2 scouts. id2 identifies players in their own environment as they compete with their club teams. With our scouts spread out across the country observing players as they compete with their club teams throughout the year, the selection process is apolitical. Players are identified regardless of their affiliation (i.e. US Club Soccer, USYSA, AYSO, non-affiliated, etc.).
2007 id2 Program Details
The 2007 id2 program will culminate with three id2 Regional Training Camps, which will be held in late September and early October. The camps’ exact locations will be announced shortly. Boys born in 1994 and 1995 and girls born in 1993 and 1994 will be identified to participate in the following id2 Regional Training Camps:
- September 20-23 - East Coast - New Jersey
- September 27-30 - Midwest - St Louis
- October 5-8 - West Coast - Irvine
2007 id2 Philosophy
In 2007, the id2 selection team will focus on increasing the diversity of the player pool. To extend the program’s reach beyond the traditional player make-up, “Urban Champions” will serve as scouting contacts for under-served communities including the inner city. The 2007 id2 scouting team will also seek to identify players who express creativity on the field.
