US Club Soccer hosts 75 players at id2 East Regional Training Camp

Photos | @usclubsoccer on Instagram | usclubsoccer.org/id2

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Seventy-five players representing 43 clubs and 15 states participated in an id2 East Regional Training Camp, Dec. 15-17 in Tampa, Florida.

It was the first of a pair of id2 Regional Training Camps that US Club Soccer is hosting for top ’10 boys and girls players. This is the penultimate stage of id2 progression, as top performers from this id2 Regional Training Camp and another camp in Irvine, California next month will be selected to id2 National Selection teams competing in Spain (girls) and Portugal (boys) in April.

Players were selected from 15 id2 Selection events held during the fall and winter, as well as various Player Development Programs (PDP) and nationwide scouting efforts.

Girls Rosters

Boys Rosters

The id2 Program is a leader in player identification and development, as it provides opportunities for elite athletes to be identified, developed and scouted for inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s youth national team programming. The id2 Program is an Olympic Development Program 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. This approach to eliminating barriers to entry helps ensure the best players are able to participate.

In Tampa, id2 directors Tricia Taliaferro (girls) and Gerry McKeown (boys) implemented carefully curated curriculum across field and classroom sessions, which challenged participating players on and off the field. And a collection of top club and college coaches served as staff coaches throughout the weekend: Matt Bernard (US Club Soccer), Matt Davison (FC Stars of MA), Stuart Hilton (Sting Soccer Club), Matt Lowrey (Atlanta United), Ian Mork (Hawaiian Football Federation), Zeca Neto (Tampa Bay United), Erin Sharpe (Pleasanton RAGE) and Tyler Stakiwicz (PDA).

Here is the progression of id2 programming:

id2 Programming:

Scouting / invitation process

The id2 Program is invitation-only. id2 directors Gerry McKeown (boys) and Tricia Taliaferro (girls) lead scouting efforts through a multi-faceted process that includes scouting competitions themselves, receiving recommendations from Directors of Coaching, and consulting with a network of trusted scouts and coaches throughout the country for player leads.

id2 Selection events

id2 Selection events are one-day programs that include scouted, tactical training sessions and an 11v11 match. Regional leagues – like National Premier Leagues member leagues – throughout the country co-host these events with US Club Soccer to facilitate a more comfortable scouting and developmental experience for players. Top performers are then invited to participate in id2 Training Camps. Typically, 30 boys and 30 girls players participate in id2 Selection events.

id2 Regional Training Camps

id2 Training Camps are three-day regional identification and development camps, in which players – 36 boys and 36 girls – participate in a multi-faceted experience of training sessions and games, as well as off-the-field presentations and discussions. There will be two id2 Regional Training Camps in 2024. id2 directors lead the camps alongside a collection of top club coaches from around the country. Camps include carefully curated itineraries, balancing on-field training and scrimmages, classroom presentations, nutrition and recovery. Players receive evaluations from their camp coaches to help continue their developmental journeys in their club environments back home. id2 directors share player ratings and feedback with U.S. Soccer youth national team staff for potential invitations to future youth national team programming. Watch a “day in the life” of an id2 participant from a past training camp here.

id2 National Selection teams

The final programming element of each id2 cycle is the selection of id2 National Selection boys and girls teams. Selected players travel internationally to train with each other and compete against some of the world’s best academy teams. Numerous professional players are former id2 National Selection team members, including: Christian Pulisic, Lindsey Horan, Tim Weah, Catarina Macario and Tyler Adams. In addition to meals, lodging and gear being provided by US Club Soccer and Nike, travel for all players is also covered. The id2 all-time Best XI lists are available at usclubsoccer.org/id2.