US Club Soccer hosts 193-player expanded PDP in Florida
2014-15 PDPs | Rosters – Boys / Girls
(Via US Club Soccer) – An expanded Player Development Program (PDP) event held April 4 at the Indian Trails Sports Complex in Palm Coast, Fla., helped identify 193 of the area’s top youth players with 1997-2002 birth years. A total of 28 clubs were represented.
PDPs are regionally based identification and development programs within the id² Program umbrella. Player invitations are based upon objective scouting of elite clubs and leagues. Both the Player Development Program and id² Program have been granted Olympic Development Program status by the U.S. Soccer Federation and the US Olympic Committee.
Eric Dade, Jacksonville FC’s Executive Director, oversaw this PDP. “We put the players through a high-intensity training environment during the morning session,” he said. “We wanted to get a quick evaluation of the players’ technical abilities and decision-making. The afternoon session allowed for a game where we evaluated tactical awareness.”
Expanded PDPs represent an initiative that began last year by US Club Soccer to extend training multiple times per year at multiple age groups, which more effectively develops players. Three expanded PDP events targeting boys and girls born in 1996-2001 were held in various locations throughout Florida last year, serving as the pilot program for this initiative, which will continue to expand to other regions of the country.
This PDP in Palm Coast signifies the beginning of the next set of expanded PDPs targeting 1997-2002 birth years, as tentative plans have been made for future events in southern and northern Florida in 2015.
“Any time you can get like-minded players together, it’s a good thing,” Dade said. “Participating players are recommended, so they’re already highly regarded in their club system. When they come to a PDP event, there is already an expectation of being at a certain, high level. This stimulates our id² and national team youth camps and programs.”
In addition to Dade, players trained with some of the area’s top coaches: Adam Allie (PDA Florida), Chris Barocas (Orlando City Youth Soccer), Josh Braun (PDA Florida), Noah Braun (PDA Florida), Joe Cannon (West Pasco FC), Eduardo Jimenez (Florida Kraze Krush), Sean Stern (PDA Florida) and Luis Torres (Clay County SC).
Top performing boys with targeted 2002 birth years and girls with targeted 2001 birth years will be invited to the upcoming id² Training Camp at the WRAL Soccer Center in Raleigh, N.C., April 16-19.
The Indian Trails Sports Complex is familiar to US Club Soccer, as it hosted the 2014-15 NPL Showcase (Girls), Dec. 31-Jan. 2. A total of 58 top U-15 through U-17 girls NPL teams rang in the New Year with quality competition in an environment conducive to collegiate recruiting.
