11 replies to this topic

[DrewDawg]

I realize this is probably a shot in the dark, but I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with the ODP. This is the state-level Olympic Development Program for U13 through U18 players that, for the top players, would eventually feed into things like the US U17 team, etc. For most kids though, it's a way to get on the radar of colleges.

My son was recently advised to try out for this and I realize that's a big step from anything actually coming of it, but just to have my bases covered, I was wondering if anyone else has either participated or had kids or family members involved and what it entails and the plusses and minuses.

Thanks.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

My experience is pretty dated at this point. I was one of the final cuts for the Massachusetts state ODP team for a years running in the 1990s and several of my friends from my club soccer team did end up making the state team and playing on it. Back then, the state team mainly just practiced a few times and then went off to the Regional Camp over the summer where they played the other state teams and trained with the other Region 1 state team players. So it wasn't a huge time commitment, at least as compared to club soccer schedules, but it was definitely a great experience in terms of playing a very high level of competition, particularly for kids from Massachusetts given that other states in Region 1 tend to produce much better players. I don't know anything about the ODP program and college recruiting, although I have to think that it helps with exposure. The guy I played against who had the most success in the ODP program (making the Regional Team and maybe higher from what I recall) was also the only guy I knew who played at a powerhouse D1 school. But that was probably because he was just really, really good.

If your son is not already involved in club soccer, then I would definitely advise looking in that direction as well. The level of competition is much, much higher than school leagues and you practice a lot more with much more attention to tactics, which is key to him continuing to improve as a player. For a bunch of kids I knew, Massachusetts club soccer was also key to getting exposure from college recruiters, although not from big-time schools. If he's already playing with a club team, then you probably know all this but you might want to see whether anybody involved with the club has some more info for you about the ODP program.

[DukeSox]

Really depends on the state. States that have a relatively low level of high school soccer have ODP programs that are not much more than just another travel team. ODP is big states is a bigger deal and presumably a bigger commitment.

[DrewDawg]

Well, we're in Virginia, so the soccer isn't bad--state level and regionally. And he does play club soccer, he's dual-rostered to both an Advanced and a Travel team. He's kind of come into his own the last season or so, so some of this is new to us as he's getting better and the level of competition has stepped up.

I just want to balance the possible monetary commitment if he makes it versus what it would actually do for him skill-wise. Like I said, he may not even advance through to the District level, but I'd rather have some info now than trying to figure it out in a compressed time frame.

And no one that he's played with has played ODP--as I mentioned, he's stepped up immensely in skill and competition over the last few months, so he's now starting with a new Travel team for the fall and the parent to parent rapport hasn't really been established yet since most practices have been voluntary so far.

I did look through the rosters of some local college squads and it seemed a really high number of the players had the ODP mentioned in their little bios.

Edited by DrewDawg, 17 July 2012 - 03:00 PM.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Well, we're in Virginia, so the soccer isn't bad--state level and regionally. And he does play club soccer, he's dual-rostered to both an Advanced and a Travel team. He's kind of come into his own the last season or so, so some of this is new to us as he's getting better and the level of competition has stepped up.

I just want to balance the possible monetary commitment if he makes it versus what it would actually do for him skill-wise. Like I said, he may not even advance through to the District level, but I'd rather have some info now than trying to figure it out in a compressed time frame.

And no one that he's played with has played ODP--as I mentioned, he's stepped up immensely in skill and competition over the last few months, so he's now starting with a new Travel team for the fall and the parent to parent rapport hasn't really been established yet since most practices have been voluntary so far.

I did look through the rosters of some local college squads and it seemed a really high number of the players had the ODP mentioned in their little bios.

I can't speak to the costs of the State Team/Regional Camp but my understanding is that the program has always tried to keep those costs manageable - they truly want to find the best players and a lot of very good soccer players come from fairly modest backgrounds (especially immigrant families).

If your son has made a significant leap in the last year and is now confronting better competition, I'd say that's all the more reason to let him go into the ODP program if he makes it. He'll get to see just how good the top players are (and in VA they should be very, very good) and he'll likely get exposed to better coaches than he's ever played under before. One week (or however long the Regional Camp lasts) won't make him a better player overnight, but it may open his eyes in a few ways that should make him a better player in the long run.

[CPT Neuron]

Info here is spot on - all depends on the state. Here in ME, costs are very manageable, and the program is getting better. Higher end, more competiive club team play will get kids noticed from a collegiate standpoint, and many of those clubs are routinely playing in College Showcase Tournaments (my son's club team played in 3 this year). If he has been idientified, there is absolutely no harm in going to the evaluations and seeing if he can make the cut.

[DrewDawg]

Thanks for all the advice. Tryouts are upcoming this Friday and Saturday.

Even if he doesn't make it, I'm hoping there's good feedback as to his strengths and weaknesses.

[teddykgb]

Saw this thread a bit late...my uncle actually used to coach the ODP on the women's side, if you have any additional follow up questions PM them to me and I'd be happy to ask him for you.

[DrewDawg]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll know more this weekend, although I don't know how quick the notification process is. Or if they only notify those selected and the other's get no feedback.

[DrewDawg]

Well, tryouts are over. Unfortunately we had some rain that constricted some things. There were about 28 kids in his grouping, the largest there.

Last night they played some small sided possession games, then some 7v7. One team was a player short and one of the coaches was playing with them and my son had a nice clean steal from him and a little later put a nice move on him and went past him. He didn't score but he played well. Storms as we were ending last night meant all today's tryouts had to be on the 2 turf fields and no full-field games were played. They had to stagger the girl's and boy's sessions. This morning it was 75 minutes of possession games and this afternoon two 15 minute games, 9v9 on half field. His team went 1-1, he had a "hockey" assist, a few other nice passes and 2 shots on goal.

It just seemed like outside of maybe 1 or 2 kids, no one really stood out, mostly because it was simply hard to without getting the kids into more game situations. They all looked like they can play, so a kid that had his foot on the ball a bit more had more opportunity.

The other 25 or so all looked pretty good, so it'll be interesting to see what they do and how many they take. My son was one of the 2 or 3 tallest kids there, so maybe everything else being equal that will help. Should know Wednesday.

Edited by DrewDawg, 28 July 2012 - 03:51 PM.

[DrewDawg]

Just as an update--my son didn't make the cuts. He wasn't really disappointed. He was more resigned to the fact that of the 30 kids trying out, 25 of them were from the soccer club where the coaches came from, and, since it was really difficult for any kid to stand out in the tryouts because of lack of a full field game due to the weather, that those coaches were probably going to go with kids they knew, all else equal. Many of the kids were in the program last season, so I don't know how many open slots there were for new players.

He did play against one of the kids that made the team in a soccer camp this past week and outplayed him, but it was only two 30 minute games.

He said he was really looking more towards next season, and now he knows what to expect. The coaches did say they will be scouting the club games this fall, so he still has a chance to impress in a game situation, which, with his style of play, works more to his advantage.

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Thanks for all the input.  My sixth grader made the NJ ODP summer training program.  8 of the 66 players are from his club/MAPS/SuperY team.  1.5-2 hour drive each way (since they had to use the geographic center of the state), and kinda pricey for what we're getting (registration and two 2 hour training sessions in early June is $200; an overnight mini-camp in early June is another $225; if he makes the next cut, $275 for a Reg1 3 day/2 night camp in MD on Fourth of July weekend).

 

Very few (non-DA) academy  players were at the tryouts, and I'm curious why.  Guessing they'll all show up for the real tryouts for 2013-14 in late July, after the summer season is over.