The Olympic Development & Player Development Programs are for the serious soccer player for whom soccer is the preeminent participation sport, has hopes of playing soccer in college, making the US Olympic Team or U.S. National Team, wants to be a soccer professional, is committed to the process, maintains his/her soccer skills and fitness on a daily basis, believes in team building, can handle changes, has good coping skills, takes directions well. Can adapt to different styles of play and does not use excuses to avoid participation at any level.

There are many ways to achieve your ultimate goal and it is entirely possible to make it to the highest level without going through all or indeed any of the preceding levels of participation. However, the current system is the one most recognized throughout the United States as the best way to identify top quality players who can perform in any environment and still cope with the everyday demands.

An ODP/PDP player is one who can adapt to his/her surroundings and is willing to participate without complaint with players of same, greater or lesser skills. Players change physically and emotionally. Players who may be physically mature at an early age may be surpassed as others mature.

Every year, the program starts from the beginning. From event to event players change at the state regional and national levels. Any player can be eliminated and replaced during the process. Although we are looking for the best players on the team, we do not select only players from exclusively winning (successful) teams and programs. Just because a player is from a top club does not qualify him/her for ODP or PDP nor does playing for an average team disqualify a player from participating in these elite programs.

We understand that it helps to be playing in the club environment and some players do not necessarily perform to their potential outside of their “comfort zone” and cannot adapt to the ODP/PDP process wherein they have to perform in unknown surrounding with unfamiliar players, coaches and style of play. But we want players who can reproduce their club performance in the State ODP program so that we can be assured they have at least a chance of participating in the regional pool/teams and hopefully programs beyond