Second Spring 2012 id2 Program Training Camp concludes in Irvine, Calif.
The second and final Spring 2012 id2Program Training Camp concluded Sunday, as a total of 120 elite boys born in 1998-99 and girls born in 1997-98 from 23 states wrapped up four days of high-level training and matches at the University of California-Irvine.
· List of players
· Photo gallery
Beyond participating in training sessions and competitions designed to challenge the players and provide them with ideas for how to continue their development, U.S. Soccer scouts Billy McNicol (boys) and B.J. Snow (girls) were on-site to scout players for potential inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs.
The camp also featured a number of guest speakers to provide different ideas and thoughts to the players about what it takes to play at the highest levels. On Friday, Simon Clements from EXACT Sports spoke to the players about improving the mental side of their game, and ways in which to improve performance through visualization and stress management. The camp was also attended by former U.S. Women’s National Team member and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Tarpley, who spoke to the girls about her experiences with the national team program.
“This was a very talented and diverse group of players,” said Gerry McKeown, Director of the id2 Boys Program. “The level of play was very good and I’m very happy with the players we had at the camp. A lot of the players got better as the week progressed, which we were very pleased to see.”
Led by McKeown and id2 Girls’ Program Director Rory Dames, a total of 14 top coaches from across the country worked closely with the players to teach the technical, tactical and psychological requirements for success and development at a national level.
“The camp went very well and we had a lot of very solid sessions,” said Dames. “The girls competed hard and showed tactical sophistication. The technical parts of their game are well above average and they should be feeling very good about their performances. Hopefully they can walk away with everything they learned, bring that back to their own clubs and increase the level of their training sessions and games.”
id2 Program Training Camps are invitation-only events that bring together the nation’s top male and female youth players for four days of competition, evaluation and fun. U.S. Soccer National Team staff, some of the nation’s top coaches as well as elite guest coaches and players attend id2 Program Training Camps.
Established in 2004, US Club Soccer’s id2 National Identification and Development Program provides an opportunity for the country’s elite youth soccer players to be identified and developed, while also being scouted for inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs. A comprehensive national scouting and recommendation program is used to form a player pool from which top players are invited to attend an id2 Program Training Camp. Olympic Development Program status applies to all id2 Program events.
