ODP in California

T

tjinaz

GOLD
Is it still a thing? How is the turn out?

Far West ODP is scheduled for Jan 7-10 and just wondered how big it is in SoCal. In AZ we get some top level players but it just doesn't carry the weight it once did. Most of the players from top level teams don't tryout anymore . How is it in SoCal?
 
My daughter made it as an alternate on the Calsouth ODP team. Tryouts are by invite only. Not sure how they scout their players but I would say most of the girls on the 18 roster traveling team were from ECNL.
 
My daughter made the travel 18 for the 05’s.This is her 3rd time she’s made it and is the last year for her age group..And looking at the team they are top tier players on the team.. some Ecnl some Ga some SoCal..The competition to make the team is very competitive. I personally don’t think odp is a joke it’s actually a great experience for the girls that make it to the final 18. It’s a great network tool for the kids.. I always found it funny when parents usually shit on the program have never really had their kids in it..
 
FernandoFromNationalCity said:
My daughter made the travel 18 for the 05’s.This is her 3rd time she’s made it and is the last year for her age group..And looking at the team they are top tier players on the team.. some Ecnl some Ga some SoCal..The competition to make the team is very competitive. I personally don’t think odp is a joke it’s actually a great experience for the girls that make it to the final 18. It’s a great network tool for the kids.. I always found it funny when parents usually shit on the program have never really had their kids in it..
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Congrats bro. I love the fact they have a mix of players from all socal. Tell those girls to go kick ass for socal : )
 
toucan said:
Today, ODP is a joke, at least as far as girls is concerned.
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Boys side as well. None of the top teams have players represented at any age level. None of the top 150 players from TDS have ever done SoCal ODP. I have also seen players with ODP on their resume unable to make mid-table DA clubs or now MLS Next and top ECNL.
To nominate for ODP, a club can just go to the link they're given, list the players they want to keep happy, I mean nominate, then put in the license number of the DOC... and congrats your kid in on ODP. I have personally completed this for a previous club.

If your kid gets nominated... congrats. Enjoy it for what it is but don't expect that it will result in any YNT scouting or anything even remotely related to playing at a higher level. I have seen parents turn down moves to "higher" teams or leagues because a coach promised them ODP.

I would equate ODP to getting invited to train with a high level camp that you pay $200 to be at.
 
RedDevilDad said:
Boys side as well. None of the top teams have players represented at any age level. None of the top 150 players from TDS have ever done SoCal ODP. I have also seen players with ODP on their resume unable to make mid-table DA clubs or now MLS Next and top ECNL.
To nominate for ODP, a club can just go to the link they're given, list the players they want to keep happy, I mean nominate, then put in the license number of the DOC... and congrats your kid in on ODP. I have personally completed this for a previous club.

If your kid gets nominated... congrats. Enjoy it for what it is but don't expect that it will result in any YNT scouting or anything even remotely related to playing at a higher level. I have seen parents turn down moves to "higher" teams or leagues because a coach promised them ODP.

I would equate ODP to getting invited to train with a high level camp that you pay $200 to be at.
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Mary Flores did odp last year.. she plays for slammers hb koge national champs.. Ecnl player of the year and plays for the Mexican National u-17 team and just verbal commitment to Stanford.. so your statement is incorrect
 
When ODP was started, it only had to find 5 or 6 players a year to feed into the National and Olympic teams, and it met its purpose. Over time, however, players and their parents were more interested in getting exposure to college coaches. With only 20 or so per year selected to play on the teams from each State Association, and a further winnowing toward the Regional and National youth teams, there just weren't enough slots to fill the demand. As long as the coaches and admins were honest in their selections, the cream really did rise to the top, but the funnel was too narrow. The opportunity was seized by the new elite leagues, and they seem to be doing quite well.
 
RedDevilDad said:
I have personally completed this for a previous club.
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Also... my opinion is just my opinion based on my experience. Yes, I've interacted with ODP from the club side. Yes, my kid has been invited to ODP. Yes, it is just my opinion... No, I don't really care enough to argue. Be well. Just offering perspective.
 
FernandoFromNationalCity said:
Did your son make the final 18 and play at the odp tournament?
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If you're following my son's journey, thanks. He's a good kid who works hard. Thanks for noticing and caring about other's children.

If you have unresolved issues that cause you to argue with strangers on the internet and now you're grasping for some straw to invalidate my subjective opinion based on my lived experiences and build a straw man argument... see below.

RedDevilDad said:
I don't really care enough to argue. Be well. Just offering perspective.
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RedDevilDad said:
If you're following my son's journey, thanks. He's a good kid who works hard. Thanks for noticing and caring about other's children.

If you have unresolved issues that cause you to argue with strangers on the internet and now you're grasping for some straw to invalidate my subjective opinion based on my lived experiences and build a straw man argument... see below.
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Hey buddy.. it’s a simple question.. no need to get so offensive. But since you did I’ll let you know something.. Someone “opinions” don’t mean anything unless they have real experienced the situation they are speaking on. So yes.. your OPINION isn’t correct.
 
Getting invited to the ODP pool isn't as hard as it used to be, but there's still enough talent not in MLS Next on the Boys side (which prohibits outside play in programs like ODP and ID2) that they can put together a reasonably decent side in SoCal. It's not like other ODP regions where only people who pay to tryout even get invited to the pool stage where they start narrowing things down. They definitely have invited Boys ECNL players recently who were not on teams playing in National Cup, so that's no longer the gatekeeping event. They've had to go beyond that because of the splintering of leagues/Cal South/US Club. So, it's a reasonable accomplishment to get selected for the team from SoCal, even if it may not be in some regions, and even just being selected for the ODP Pool at least provides a reasonable measuring stick for players from smaller clubs who don't normally get to play against the bigger clubs or in other parts of SoCal.

What we found is that it's actually best at the younger ages not because they get recruited for the national teams (although there are USSF scouts at the West Region tournament and at the West Region Camp), but because they often get recruited from there for higher level teams in the next year or two, sometimes by the kids they are playing with in the program. At the younger ages, there are still plenty of kids whose parents haven't contemplated driving them far distances for higher-level soccer yet. Selection for the ODP team opens their eyes to the possibilities. For example, there are kids from south of San Luis Obisbo who end up at Santa Barbara's MLS Next team and kids from the Palmdale area who end up at places like LA Surf MLS Next or FC Golden State's ECNL teams.
 
To all the players selected to this Years ODP teams; Congratulations from the Socal soccer forum parents. We all need to support whatever team represents socal. If the GAL champs goes to play for the Natty, then let's all cheer them on. Reading some of these post is sad. I know I'm a hypocrite and spew BS all the time, but this needs to stop you guys. I'm serious and I want it to stop now. No more sour grapes if your kid didnt make the final cut or worse, was never invited. Go Team Socal :)
 
Well here in AZ the girls teams seem to be a mix of mostly ECNL/GA/ECRL players and some upper division state league teams. Some top level players show up but not nearly all of them. We do an open tryout and then a pool for a couple of weeks to get it down to the 20 or so for the team. As the event is always in PHX there is no travel so cost is less than you would pay. It is a nice achievement to have but not the be all end all it used to be. The joke is its the best most expensive hoodie you will ever buy.
 
tjinaz said:
Well here in AZ the girls teams seem to be a mix of mostly ECNL/GA/ECRL players and some upper division state league teams. Some top level players show up but not nearly all of them. We do an open tryout and then a pool for a couple of weeks to get it down to the 20 or so for the team. As the event is always in PHX there is no travel so cost is less than you would pay. It is a nice achievement to have but not the be all end all it used to be. The joke is its the best most expensive hoodie you will ever buy.
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I honestly believe the 03's were the last of the great ODP selection process. It was something my dd dreamed about when she was 10-12. The van ride to AZ was legendary and a place to make lasting friendships. I say this with zero satire. All the older dads I knew whose kid made the final cut told me how amazing it was. It was at ODP where the US Scouts and coaches were looking for the next YNT players. When the 04's had their chance for selection, most were told by Docs not to go and it was something that is no more relevant and to focus on the new league, The GDA and what they offered, which was the YNT List. Basically, the GDA jumped over the ODP process and gave the Docs the power & control to make the Selection for the YTN Camp and future lists. No more ODP they said and now you must have your 12 year old daughter handed over to the lovely Training Centers to learn the new way of "pay to play." Again, I personally want to let all the kids who made this years team a super big high five. DO NOT let anyone put this accomplishment down.
 
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FernandoFromNationalCity said:
Mary Flores did odp last year.. she plays for slammers hb koge national champs.. Ecnl player of the year and plays for the Mexican National u-17 team and just verbal commitment to Stanford.. so your statement is incorrect
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She is really something. She plays HS with my daughter and she is on a totally different level than anyone else. It’s a pleasure to watch her play…
 
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