Top 2005 Girls, 2006 Boys players wrap up id2 Training Camp in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas | The second id2 Training Camp of 2019 was held at Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, in Austin, Texas from Sept. 26-29.

The four-day camp gathered 51 boys players and 58 girls players, representing 57 clubs across 22 states ranging from Hawai’i to Connecticut, to participate in daily training sessions both on the field and in the classroom.

View the id2 Texas Training Camp Rosters:

Boys 2006 Roster
Girls 2005 Roster

The training sessions consisted primarily of exercises for tactical principles and technical drills such as, building out of the back, attacking shape, passing, and dribbling. Per standard id2 programming, the teams were shuffled halfway through the training camp, before each team played their last scrimmages, with the girls taking place on Saturday evening, and the boys held on Sunday morning.

On-site to oversee the id2 curriculum and scout for 2020 National Selection Programming were boys program director Gerry McKeown and girls program director Tricia Taliaferro. Upon completion of the current id2 cycle with the upcoming final camp of 2019 to be held in Chula Vista, December 5-8, US Club Soccer will invite top performers from the three camps to the 2020 National Selection International Tours. Next year, the id2 National Selection girls team will embark on the inaugural girls International Tour, while the boys will continue the journey abroad.

Rounding out the boys coaching staff was: Matt Bernard (San Juan SC), Ewan McDonald (PDA), Ian Mork (NorCal Premier), Jon Scheer (Philadelphia Union), and Tom Shields (STA). The girls were coached by: Audrey Gutierrez (Sting Soccer), Michelle Krzisnik (Michigan Hawks), Chris Maravalli (Challenge Soccer Club), Ruairi McGuinness (East Meadow SC) and David Robertson (Davis Legacy SC).

Players First partner Beyond Pulse was also on-site to provide the athletes with their player monitoring Smart Belt Technology. On the last night of the camp, Beyond Pulse co-founder Marc-André Maillet presented the athletes with their data recordings.

Established in 2004, US Club Soccer’s id2 Program provides an opportunity for the country’s elite youth soccer players to be identified and developed and scouted for inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs.

The id2 Program is an Olympic Development Program (ODP) approved by the United States Olympic Committee and the U.S. Soccer Federation. There is no cost for players to participate or be scouted, and all meals, lodging and gear are provided by US Club Soccer and Nike.

See below for daily logs from the id2 Training Camp in Austin, Texas:
Twitter coverage | Photos

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

The first day of id2 Training Camps saw the athletes arrive throughout the morning, before meeting their coaches and teammates for the next four days. After lunch and brief introductory meetings, half of the teams took the field for the first session.

The opening session is a lighter one as the players warm up to their new peers with passing and building out of the back drills, before light scrimmaging.

After the second group completed training, the players headed back to the hotel for dinner and an evening meeting. id2 Program Directors Gerry McKeown and Tricia Taliaferro presented what they will be scouting for in each position to their players.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Friday was the first full day of the weekend and brought double training sessions for the athletes. In the morning session, the girls played their first 11 v. 11 scrimmages, while the boys participated in tactical drills and walkthroughs.

After lunch, the players switched sessions, with the boys kicking off their first scrimmages and the girls worked through tactical and some technical drills.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

On the second and last full day of the training camp, the players followed a very similar schedule to Friday. However, while the girls took the field for tactical walkthroughs in the morning, the boys stayed at the hotel for a classroom session.

The boys players were split into groups by their positions and watch live Premier League matches. After the game, each group presented a player performance analysis of a player of their position from the match.

After lunch, the four girls teams each played their last scrimmage of the weekend, while the boys held walkthroughs before a scrimmage of their own.

The athletes spent the evening meeting individually with their coaches for player evaluations heading into the final morning of camp. The girls were also treated to a presentation on the National Selection International Tour to inform them on the inaugural girls International Tour, set for 2020.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

The final morning of id2 training camps are a bittersweet one for these athletes. They’ll have to say goodbye to their new friends they have bonded with and competed amongst for the past four days, but they’ll bring new tactics, insights, and connections home as well.

After playing their last full scrimmages on Saturday, the girls will have a morning recovery session, while the boys play their final games on the next field. After the session, the players will check out and begin their travels back home.

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