Bear, I wholeheartedly agree with this observation (seen it alot), "...asking the "players" where they play... A player may feel that he is a mid, and therefore when asked, he says mid, but plays as a forward or defender with the club team. So this player that feels he's a mid, may not fully understand that mid is not the best position for him." In the younger age groups, 14 and below, when given an opportunity to change position they may take it, with the thought that they would rather play another position than what has been assigned them in club soccer. I also see this alot with shifts from club to HS soccer, in some discussions its even recommended for the player to move around to get a more rounded soccer experience to advance at higher levels.
I also agree with your point on coaches and style but at this level, the coach should look at the players he's presented with and create a best fit formation, thus adapt his style - the coaches at ODP should be proficient enough to execute that.
Considering both these points, strong (ODP) players, especially more experienced players, should be able to take direction during a game or at halftime and make the necessary adjustments (formation corrections) handed down by a coach once he assesses the competition. It is important to be able to play multiple positions especially under a limited substitution rule such as collegiate (+) or international level. The player in Taylorbabes' question should have probably let the ODP coach know that he plays more than just a single position.
Also, from what I could tell, most of the selected 91's mids and defs play U15 or U16 (ie playing up). It seems to me that a U14 trying out at 91 would be somewhat disadvantaged from the standpoint of size, speed of play, experience and opponent strength. This unfortunate factor evolves from the difference between Club and ODP cutoff dates.
