Does anyone have personal experience with ID2 soccer? Is it a good program? How does it compare with ODP?
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This is just one perspective:
The ID2 is US Clubs Soccer's effort to compete head to head with ODP of US Youth Soccer, and reinforce their effort to undermine ODP. It can be "the coaches favorite" who gets the bid to go ID2, as they are picked from games watched and coaches recommendations. (Overheard a coach at one game say to a US Club scout...."watch that player...I think she is the best on the team"...really?? Nothing came of the ID2 players from our club that went to the camp. And it is a one time camp, versus ODP which is a series of trainings and then a camp. Also, because the ID2 effort is somewhat new on the girls side, the players involved were actually mostly ID'd by ODP already. So time will tell. But a couple we know that were ID2'd were passed up by ODP, so who knows what each effort looks for....one thing is for sure though...there is a lot of talent in the US, and often it takes getting onto a regional or national team to get the experience to get better...too bad more players didn't have the opportunity. Boys continue to have the Academy program for top level ID.
ODP continues to have a lot of involvement by college coaches who actually coach the age group teams or even travel with the regional and national squads, so from that standpoint, there is a little more "unbias" if your kid is involved in a team coached by a college coach. (We saw the club coaches favorites not even make the first level state team.) And also, ODP allows the player to prove themselves and a a little more time to connect as the college coach will be with your player at the state level for the number of training programs. On the negative side, ODP needs to be better at including all the top players in the region...because it is coordinated at the state level the quality varies per state, and some of the better players don't participate by their choice. Often the states that put the most money and effort into ODP, will have the most players represented at the top level. Hmm...
Don't forget the third ID effort underway is the US Soccer Federation's own Training Centers program. Hopefully this will be the solution and a more organic way of finding our next national team boys and girl talent. -
Nice analysis, thanks!
My DD has participated in ID2 and my observation is that it doesn't go anywhere. You go to a camp and that is it. On the other side, ODP has provided amazing opportunities for her. She has been able to be coached by college coaches from numerous colleges. As such, this has created interest on the part of these colleges in her attending their school. We are very grateful to the ODP program for getting her the type of exposure that is already opening up D1 opportunities.
People on this forum seem to have very mixed reviews about the quality of ODP. I don't see a replacement right now and I do believe that they are able to attract many of the top players. I read on here about ODP not being big in California and larger states because of other high level competetive programs and I disagree. Most of the regional pools are made up of girls from ECNL teams (Elite Club National League) and other high level teams suggesting that those young ladies participating in the highest level the country has to offer still participate in ODP.
It could be different for boys and yet the two that I know from that were in the national pool got there through ODP.Comment
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