ODP G06 2018

My pro/con list for having her attend is heavily skewed toward "no" at the moment. Can anyone share pros? She already has plenty of soccer friends and on a good team with plenty of competitive practices so "bonding" and "competitive play" are not really pros for us. Before DA I know ODP was the primary channel for youth national team pools but doesn't seem like it is anymore with the G2004s and G2005s.

Just looking for honest and useful feedback to consider a bit while making a decision. Maybe the discussion will help others decide too? Thank you!

My younger 06 didn't get selected, but my older did and is still having a great ODP experience.
Pro's
Gives you DD the opportunity to experience what its like to attend open tryouts and to have to not only perform, but learn how to stand out in a competitive environment.
Adds to your DD"S confidence and self esteem when they are continually chosen through the process.
Great low cost soccer travel experience for your DD.
Free Nike Gear
Con's
ODP Tryouts always conflicts with some regular season club event where you have to choose.
Travel to West Regional for the Girls is covered, parents its not. Cost involved to attend can get high.
Coaches play to Win. your DD may not be happy with the play time she receives.
Your DD may be asked to play position she is not accustomed to.

If you feel your DD is a unicorn and has enough friends and experiences in soccer than Great, don't go and have her try and take another girls spot away.
At the end of the day, don't deny your DD a great experience to learn how to stand out and make an impact when it counts.
My older I would not consider the top player invited, but she worked hard to be consistent and impactful enough every-time she was on the field to make the team and also later the regional tryout. She gained alot from her experiences with ODP.
 
My pro/con list for having her attend is heavily skewed toward "no" at the moment. Can anyone share pros? She already has plenty of soccer friends and on a good team with plenty of competitive practices so "bonding" and "competitive play" are not really pros for us. Before DA I know ODP was the primary channel for youth national team pools but doesn't seem like it is anymore with the G2004s and G2005s.

Just looking for honest and useful feedback to consider a bit while making a decision. Maybe the discussion will help others decide too? Thank you!
If your daughter participates she will learn about how politics, coach/club influence, and demographics influence decisions. The final players chosen are good players, don't get me wrong. But they are not necessarily better than others in the group not chosen (or even invited). Some (not all) are just better connected via their coach/club to the ODP staff (which has no relation to US Soccer staff). I have no kid in this age group. I have olders who have done it and not done it. Bottom line...there is no right or wrong decision. Each family has different issues to consider. But, don't be afraid to go against the flow of the crowd if that is best for yours.
 
If your daughter participates she will learn about how politics, coach/club influence, and demographics influence decisions. The final players chosen are good players, don't get me wrong. But they are not necessarily better than others in the group not chosen (or even invited). Some (not all) are just better connected via their coach/club to the ODP staff (which has no relation to US Soccer staff). I have no kid in this age group. I have olders who have done it and not done it. Bottom line...there is no right or wrong decision. Each family has different issues to consider. But, don't be afraid to go against the flow of the crowd if that is best for yours.

My daughter will be participating and I hope she will learn something other than politics, club influences and demographic influences. To be honest, even if there is some of that going on, I doubt my dd could fully understand it at 11 years old. She has never done this before and is excited to have a chance to train with a bunch of the states top 06's and try to make the team. I've told her that it is a good opportunity to be challenged by new coaches and new kids in likely different positions outside of her comfort zone to see how she can perform. If she can get even just that out of it, it is a positive in my opinion. I would hope that parents don't take the opportunity away from their child to do this because they don't like the behind the scenes things they believe are going on. I'm pretty sure there is a bit of that going on within most clubs, leagues, DA etc., so just let em play and learn some new things about soccer and themselves is my take. Maybe I will have a different take when it's all over, but I have not heard enough to say there is too much negative here to submit my child to it.
 
My daughter will be participating and I hope she will learn something other than politics, club influences and demographic influences. To be honest, even if there is some of that going on, I doubt my dd could fully understand it at 11 years old. She has never done this before and is excited to have a chance to train with a bunch of the states top 06's and try to make the team. I've told her that it is a good opportunity to be challenged by new coaches and new kids in likely different positions outside of her comfort zone to see how she can perform. If she can get even just that out of it, it is a positive in my opinion. I would hope that parents don't take the opportunity away from their child to do this because they don't like the behind the scenes things they believe are going on. I'm pretty sure there is a bit of that going on within most clubs, leagues, DA etc., so just let em play and learn some new things about soccer and themselves is my take. Maybe I will have a different take when it's all over, but I have not heard enough to say there is too much negative here to submit my child to it.
GOATS FC !!!
 
1st session of the day is a wrap, refuel the kid and back at it for the afternoon session. Reported smaller turnout than the list of players announced. 110 players on list, just shy of 90 players showed up per the orientation.

Typical ODP environment, a lot of ballers looking to shine. I enjoyed watching the few players that were like point guards out there, dishing the ball all around.

Good to see familiar faces and a ton of Goats!
 
First cut happened this weekend. Here is the list of selections sorted by last name:

Banihashemi Calista
Bisset Jenna
Briganti Natalia
Callahan Malia
Crisostomo Aubrey
Diep Sherry
Echemendia Zaria
Eftekhari Hannah
Encinas Madison
Gordon Hailey
Howitt Bianca
Jackman Ava
Kasarda Kira
Kau Kalia
Kessler Taylor
Kiesling Gia
Lopiccolo Rebekah
Mekitarian Ashley
MonohanAlkire Rylie
Moreno Jazlynn
Nesser Brianna
Ngo-Harris Leilani
Osborn Sydney
Penaloza Cassandra
Rivera Jenna
Romero Genesis
Saldana Aliayha
Schall Ava
Schornstein Tania
Schuler Madison
Schuster Kyla
Spears Sarah
Tjon Madeline
Tucker Ryann
Uy Jaelyne
Van Horn Reagan
Walls Chloe
Watkins Amanda
Weebe Ava
Zuvic Natasha
 
First cut happened this weekend. Here is the list of selections sorted by last name:

Banihashemi Calista
Bisset Jenna
Briganti Natalia
Callahan Malia
Crisostomo Aubrey
Diep Sherry
Echemendia Zaria
Eftekhari Hannah
Encinas Madison
Gordon Hailey
Howitt Bianca
Jackman Ava
Kasarda Kira
Kau Kalia
Kessler Taylor
Kiesling Gia
Lopiccolo Rebekah
Mekitarian Ashley
MonohanAlkire Rylie
Moreno Jazlynn
Nesser Brianna
Ngo-Harris Leilani
Osborn Sydney
Penaloza Cassandra
Rivera Jenna
Romero Genesis
Saldana Aliayha
Schall Ava
Schornstein Tania
Schuler Madison
Schuster Kyla
Spears Sarah
Tjon Madeline
Tucker Ryann
Uy Jaelyne
Van Horn Reagan
Walls Chloe
Watkins Amanda
Weebe Ava
Zuvic Natasha
Congrats to all the little ballers from this weekend! It was a fun and eye opening experience from my DD. Great to see old friends and catch up! Best of luck to the girls in the next round!
 
Super interesting experience for my kiddo and others on my kids team! Great to see the ballers but tough to see the outcomes. Interesting to see only 1 Surf A and no Galaxy players make even the first cut. Not sure how to assess that but it’s definitely interesting!

Great job to the ladies that made it and good luck in the next event!
 
Super interesting experience for my kiddo and others on my kids team! Great to see the ballers but tough to see the outcomes. Interesting to see only 1 Surf A and no Galaxy players make even the first cut. Not sure how to assess that but it’s definitely interesting!

Great job to the ladies that made it and good luck in the next event!

As far as I know they have never bothered to explain their selection strategy and say things like "If you ask the coaches for feedback it'll be difficult for them to give you an individual assessment", which then leads us parents to speculate.
 
Super interesting experience for my kiddo and others on my kids team! Great to see the ballers but tough to see the outcomes. Interesting to see only 1 Surf A and no Galaxy players make even the first cut. Not sure how to assess that but it’s definitely interesting!

Great job to the ladies that made it and good luck in the next event!

Surf and Galaxy are both great teams. But does this mean players have been taught just to play a system of the team and not actually developed as the individual players? I am not saying this is the case just a thought.

Just because a player can play a set way and be very effective doesn’t mean they are a great player. The ones who can think for themselves and play in any system are the ones that make it far, and may not be the ones that stand out at this younger age.
 
This was my kid's first experience doing this out West. A few observations:

There many talented players in this age group. Congrats to those who made the cut! They said that there are roughly 9,000 players in the age group in SoCal, so it's an accomplishment to be selected at all.

There is no "system" to play within at these ODP sessions. The coaches pretty much roll out the ball and say "go play." There really isn't coaching or training at all, so don't send your kids for the training or coaching.

The format favors aggressive, selfish players. Players willing to push their way through the scrum and knock girls down. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way. I actually respect the drive and passion I saw. It seemed like kids were trying to get noticed by taking on other players on and going on long individual dribbling runs. By the 2nd day, my kid was rolling her eyes every time she collected a ball, made a pass and then moved into space, only to have the recipient take off down the field into traffic and try to dribble 4-5 players. I encouraged her to be more aggressive and go for it herself, but she thought is was ridiculous. Ultimately she didn't make the cut, so you could argue that she didn't do the right thing, but it's her journey not mine so what can you do?

I was surprised that Cal South didn't make it feel more special. There's very little done in the way of banners or signage or hoopla. There's a lot more of a special field at National Cup. This year, we didn't even get matching uniforms. I saw a picture of the 2007s and they had matching shirts and shorts, while we ended up with a white t-shirt. It may seem trivial, but I would have liked to see more recognition overall and value from the session. Show the girls a bit more love.

My kid really enjoyed meeting and getting to know players that she competed against this year. She thought everyone was great.

Overall, I would send her again if given the opportunity. It's great to have her experience a highly "alpha-oriented" training and tryout environment. If she's going to be successful, she's going to need to learn how to deal with this type of environment, whether in high school, on a college pitch, inside a company, etc.
 
Surf and Galaxy are both great teams. But does this mean players have been taught just to play a system of the team and not actually developed as the individual players? I am not saying this is the case just a thought.

Just because a player can play a set way and be very effective doesn’t mean they are a great player. The ones who can think for themselves and play in any system are the ones that make it far, and may not be the ones that stand out at this younger age.
If it was easy to play like Galaxy and Surf everyone would do it.

That being said, some kids work well within a defined system as opposed to a more free form 1 vs 1 environment, I'll give you that but there are multiple parts to "individual" development.

One aspect is their skills with the ball at their feet and ability to take someone on 1 vs 1, a primarily physical repetitive trait that blends with intensity and aggression with less emphasis on analytical processing, versus the "individual" development as it pertains to the team environment where they have to think for themselves and recognize space with and without the ball, making passes, passing lanes, line of sight, properly weighing the ball, making runs, body positioning, proper foot, etc. which is a more analytical processing.

The 2nd part mentioned above is easier said than done, especially playing against the teams and players being pushed in the 1st part of skills.

I've seen plenty of players and teams attempt to play "good" soccer crumble under pace and pressure, but to play it effectively against the best requires a truly uniquely developed player.

What's the ultimate answer? A blend of the two facets of developments, vary rarely seen due to commitment from club and coach.

I appreciated both player types this weekend, and applaud the variety of skills shown, both 1 vs 1 and team oriented play.

However it is a cruel reality that the ODP environment favors a player cut from a certain cloth, and that's okay because it's widely well known.

Enjoy the experience in spite of this, the real world isn't "fair" either and our kids need to learn that lesson sooner rather than later.

I have to echo the bummer of seeing the void of Galaxy and Surf players in the cut, from where I was sitting the Galaxy CM was the best around player I saw all weekend. She wasn't passive by any means either, took players on when her defender marking had space behind them and dishing off beautiful passes immediately after when her 1 vs 1 options were null.

Keep it going to those who made the cut and keep grinding to those who didn't. The experience forges them either way, don't let be for the negative.
 
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Super interesting experience for my kiddo and others on my kids team! Great to see the ballers but tough to see the outcomes. Interesting to see only 1 Surf A and no Galaxy players make even the first cut. Not sure how to assess that but it’s definitely interesting!

Great job to the ladies that made it and good luck in the next event!

Surf and Galaxy are both great teams. But does this mean players have been taught just to play a system of the team and not actually developed as the individual players? I am not saying this is the case just a thought.

Just because a player can play a set way and be very effective doesn’t mean they are a great player. The ones who can think for themselves and play in any system are the ones that make it far, and may not be the ones that stand out at this younger age.

Most of the Surf A team players didn't go.
 
What does it say when nearly half of your final players from last year's odp final team don't come out this year? For any business, a 50% dropout or non-return rate is not a sign of happy customers.
 
What does it say when nearly half of your final players from last year's odp final team don't come out this year? For any business, a 50% dropout or non-return rate is not a sign of happy customers.
Any of that attributed to girls who are going to play up with DA for the 2018-2019 season?
 
This was my kid's first experience doing this out West. A few observations:

There many talented players in this age group. Congrats to those who made the cut! They said that there are roughly 9,000 players in the age group in SoCal, so it's an accomplishment to be selected at all.

There is no "system" to play within at these ODP sessions. The coaches pretty much roll out the ball and say "go play." There really isn't coaching or training at all, so don't send your kids for the training or coaching.

The format favors aggressive, selfish players. Players willing to push their way through the scrum and knock girls down. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way. I actually respect the drive and passion I saw. It seemed like kids were trying to get noticed by taking on other players on and going on long individual dribbling runs. By the 2nd day, my kid was rolling her eyes every time she collected a ball, made a pass and then moved into space, only to have the recipient take off down the field into traffic and try to dribble 4-5 players. I encouraged her to be more aggressive and go for it herself, but she thought is was ridiculous. Ultimately she didn't make the cut, so you could argue that she didn't do the right thing, but it's her journey not mine so what can you do?

I was surprised that Cal South didn't make it feel more special. There's very little done in the way of banners or signage or hoopla. There's a lot more of a special field at National Cup. This year, we didn't even get matching uniforms. I saw a picture of the 2007s and they had matching shirts and shorts, while we ended up with a white t-shirt. It may seem trivial, but I would have liked to see more recognition overall and value from the session. Show the girls a bit more love.

My kid really enjoyed meeting and getting to know players that she competed against this year. She thought everyone was great.

Overall, I would send her again if given the opportunity. It's great to have her experience a highly "alpha-oriented" training and tryout environment. If she's going to be successful, she's going to need to learn how to deal with this type of environment, whether in high school, on a college pitch, inside a company, etc.
Hi all, my daughter also attended the event and loved it. She was the only player from her team, played her heart out with a great attitude, but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. There was a huge amount of talent out there this weekend, even the coaches mentioned that. We heard many other parents say the level of play was much higher this year over last, and last year girls were even more selfish? I can’t speak to that.

I appreciated all the post-event analysis. From where I was sitting, the passing was good. It was a matter of intensity and speed of play that separated players. I saw some beautiful players make beautiful plays, but they looked a bit more leisure on the ball, so perhaps that’s why they didn’t get selected? There was a certain consistent intensity in some players.

It did also seem that all teams valued winning in the end despite the format. If you assisted in helping your team score, defend, pressure turnovers, or win, it was noted by the girls (and probably the coaches) and the ball returned, I thought. I think the game IQ for both the players and coaches is higher than we give them credit for at times. Having played myself, and this is true of all sports, when you’re actually on the field facing the opponent, you actually see and know what really happens much better — who contributes, who’s very difficult to guard and you have to watch out for, who’s a jerk on and off the field.

However, speed of play was an issue. Play was fast. If you were slow to space, or slow to overlap, or even looked leisure in getting there, the ball didn’t necessarily return. Sometimes you had to go get the ball yourself. What I noticed was a lot of girls knew each other, so they did have passing preferences. Outside girls had to prove themselves before looks came their direction. From where I was sitting, it wasn’t as simple as selfish players made it and unselfish didn’t. I saw plenty of selfish “bowl over-type” players get cut and plenty of unselfish, skill-based, technical, “good soccer” ballers make it. This is not to say that everything mentioned earlier didn’t happen, since there were many games going on and I was only able to focus on one game at a time. Having said that, I did see plenty of girls make their Mike Tyson’s straight line Bald Bull charges down the middle or the sideline all day even from defensive positions to the opposing goal line. We’ve probably all seen these same players do this before. Sometimes it works well on the small field, but it seemed less effective on the big field unless you were blazing fast, and this was certainly dependent on the speed of the specific defense at the time.

In the end, it was an invaluable experience to learn from. I can’t imagine not supporting your player’s desire to better themselves at events such as this one. Keeping them home for any reason only limits their exposure plus experience and if you’re doing it to protect them because they may not get selected or you think the event is silly (which seems a bit arrogant to me given the honor it is to be selected, just thinking about the girls on our team that weren’t selected and the team selected didn’t even play anything last year - it was just an exercise) or the coaches don’t train, you may be doing a disservice to your daughter in the end and be missing the point of these ‘real life’ experience events. If you wanted pure training in a bubble with no competition, I know a TOCA center in Torrance that charges $45/hour and gives excellent training on a machine with perfect passes in speed and angle and no pressure or opponents, and then you could bestow best TOCA training player award on her after as a morale boost (kidding, of course). Personally, I think both are needed and helpful, and I’m sincerely grateful for the experience which bettered my daughter.
 
What does it say when nearly half of your final players from last year's odp final team don't come out this year? For any business, a 50% dropout or non-return rate is not a sign of happy customers.

This is the final list from last year: http://socalsoccer.com/threads/2006-odp-player-pool.2041/page-6#post-57970

I think 50% is an exaggeration. Some girls who made the final cut last year did not make the first cut this year. I know one girl was injured, and a few others on the list are playing up on an 05 team. The number of girls who made the final cut and came out again is probably closer to 75%.

Turnout this year was way down. There were 140-150 girls last year and only 80-85 this year.
 
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