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The girls '94 ODP team had more girls from CESA '93 come to tryouts, they just didn't all make the team. The same with Bridge and Columbia United. This team probably had at least 90% or more of the best girls in this age group in SC on it. In the last game of camp last year this team beat NC #1 1-0. This year at region camp the team went 2-0-1. It is not the girls fault if they were not playing the best teams at camp. After winning their first two games with good victories maybe the region staff should have put them up against what they percieved to be a better team and seen how they performed. If that is what they did in scheduling them against South Texas(a 1-1 draw)then the team showed they can play. I find it hard to believe that in three successful games not one of these girls proved to be in the top 43 at camp.

Creating, developing and inspiring great soccer players should be the goal of all training- whether female or male. There may be differences in opinion on what makes a great soccer player but whatever the model of the great soccer player you arrive at to strive for- it should be the same for female and male players. Anything less is selling the female players short. There are no skills/attributes/traits etc. that are mutually exclusive and coaches/trainers should not imply that there is

The goal of the clubs training women players should be to develop great soccer players. The goal of SC Girl's ODP is to get the great soccer players recognized, assuming that the talent is there.

Summing It Up

By Mike Anderson, special contributor to USYouthSoccer.org

In an attempt to develop future players for the league, Major League Soccer has enacted a mandate which requires all clubs to field youth teams or academy teams. For teams such as DC United, LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls, huge markets make developing youth academies much easier than other teams in the league. For Utah's Real Salt Lake, a smaller market and isolated location provided a challenge for developing a youth academy.

Former RSL coach John Ellinger decided the best approach to developing their youth academy was to utilize and expand on a system already in place, the Utah US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP). Last week, the Under-17 Real Salt Lake academy team defeated defending champions DC United to win the MLS SUM U-17 championship, and they did so utilizing the US Youth Soccer ODP system to select the members of the team.

Utah Youth Soccer Association Technical Director Greg Maas took over the Utah US Youth Soccer ODP seven years ago. Maas' mission was to create an inclusive system in which players and coaches from every club in every part of the state supported and participated in for the sake of representing their state. The result has been more than positive as players involved in Utah US Youth Soccer ODP have found opportunities not previously available. Utah had five players named to the US Youth Soccer ODP Region IV player pool when Maas arrived. Today there are 36 players representing the state on regional pools as opportunities for those players continue their development.

When Ellinger approached Maas a few years ago about incorporating Utah US Youth Soccer ODP and the Real Salt Lake youth academy, Ellinger saw a program that was aggressive in its approach to finding and developing not just the best players at that time, but players with future potential as well. As a result, Maas was asked to take charge of the Under-17 RSL academy team. As an expansion team, funding such programs can be tough, and Maas was asked to take on the position as a volunteer. Satellite clubs were created in Arizona and Florida to supplement the youth pool derived from Utah US Youth Soccer ODP, and a player pool was created with a revolving door to allow many players to showcase their abilities.

Preceding the MLS SUM Cup, Maas looked for the right group of players to mix from Utah and the RSL affiliates. He chose 11 players from Utah, and wanted to utilize the affiliate clubs to top off the roster. Current Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis and his staff would often stick around after the full team training to watch the Under-17s. Kreis identified three Arizona players who he believed should be a part of the SUM Cup squad, players Maas had originally become aware of from their involvement in the US Youth Soccer ODP Region IV player pool. Meanwhile, RSL Florida director Adrian Bush along with Kreis and his Real Salt Lake staff identified the players to be involved from Florida.

The Under-17 Real Salt Lake team took the tournament by surprise winning their group, and ultimately the championship to earn placement in next year's Dallas Cup Super Group, as well as the Trofeo Quixote tournament held in Spain, the unofficial world youth club championship.

During their run to the top of Under-17 MLS ladder, Real Salt Lake fielded at least seven starters from Utah US Youth Soccer ODP in each game. However, the news of the tournament was the emergence of Utah forward James Rogers. A refugee from Sierra Leone, Rogers is the youngest member of the team as he just turned 15 years old. Rogers scored in every game as he led the tournament with seven goals, and was named the Most Valuable Player.

Unlike most MLS academy teams, the players of Real Salt Lake will return to their club and US Youth Soccer ODP teams as normal. Maas has been able to create a balance in the state of Utah where clubs, US Youth Soccer ODP and Real Salt Lake share players for the good of development.

Maas sees this as the best way to keep as many players as possible involved in the US Youth Soccer ODP system, and increase the opportunities available to the participants. He believes the task of identifying and developing players is a process, and never wants players to feel like they are shut out of any opportunity.

The team prepares to face international competition next year in front of professional scouts from all over the world at the Trofeo Quixote in Madrid, Spain. The players of Real Salt Lake will see the likes of Boca Juniors from Argentina and Sao Paulo of Brazil listed on the winner's trophy. In such a competition, players such as Rogers might find an opportunity to move to the next level, be it in college or a professional contract.

http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story.asp?story_id=3787

hire him..Bottom line is something needs to happen..something more than just telling the girls to step up..

Nonato,

If you don't want me coaching your daughters, I'm fine with that. I've got four daughters and I've been coaching girls for 16 years. I've never been accused of being abusive or over the top. If anything, I've been accused of being too easy on my players.

I'm sure the "plays like a guy" reference pertained to the young lady's mental approach, as opposed to her physical approach. Off the field, she is in the church youth choir and into drama (the High School Musical kind). On the field, she takes on her opponents like they just stole her lunch money. Losing is NOT an option.

How many girls do you know out there that can "throw the switch" like that? Probably not enough of them in the Palmetto State.

Well said Hurst, well said.