I saw a soccer game today

[Bob78164]

I drove to Ventura this afternoon to watch my 18-year-old niece play in a soccer game for her regional team. To these uneducated (and somewhat partial) eyes, she seemed to do well. Her team won 2-1. She played right fullback, and got an awful lot of work, as it seemed that the entire second half was played in her team's defensive end. (Incidentally, according to her college bio, she plays forward for her college team.)

Can anyone educate me on where she is in the process of vying for the 2012 Olympic team? Thanks. --Bob

[Snaxx]

The women's Olympic national team is the same as the top-flight national team that plays in the Women's World Cup. There is no age or amateur restriction. Example: Mia Hamm played in every Olympics until she retired as a pro.

The men are limited to under age 23 with the exception of up to three players aged 23+.

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[Bob78164]

The women's Olympic national team is the same as the top-flight national team that plays in the Women's World Cup. There is no age or amateur restriction. Example: Mia Hamm played in every Olympics until she retired as a pro.

The men are limited to under age 23 with the exception of up to three players aged 23+.

Thanks, Snaxx, but I intended a slightly different question. As I understand it, my niece is playing in some league or with some team that is ultimately intended to feed the Olympic (and national) team. I was hoping to figure out how many more steps she needs to take (in baseball terms, is she playing single-A ball or AAA ball?), and how difficult is it to advance at each stage.

She tells me that she thinks she's good enough to make it, and although I don't know her as well as I'd like (it's a big continent and she lives on the other side of it), what I do know suggests to me that she's well enough grounded that her self-assessment is likely to be realistic. --Bob

[Snaxx]

I really can't say much since I do not know much outside of the national team itself and college sports.

When I followed it more closely (90s and early 00s), most of the women's national team was recruited from big-time Division 1 college teams, chiefly North Carolina. I recall at one point much of the team came from UNC, who dominated the sport in the 90s and early 00s like UCLA dominated college basketball in their greatest days. Notre Dame, Santa Clara, and Virginia have been contenders as well.

Maybe AJ can come along w/more info.


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[peacock2121]

I love the goal.

May she have the future she sees for herself!

[andrewjackson]

Most of the women's national soccer team play professionally somewhere after playing for a major college team.

There is no real standard or direct way to make the national team. Basically you get invited to attend a national team camp and then get selected to play in a particular event. To get invited you need to have played at a high level and have been seen by the national team scouts and coaches.


The current player pool:

http://www.ussoccer.com/common/stConten ... TPool.html

They list players by college and you can see that a few colleges dominated the list. You can also see that players range in age from 20 to 30s. Obviously the players older than their early 20s are not playing college any more and are often playing professionally in Europe or Japan.

There are also national youth teams. There are Under-20 and Under-21 teams. Has she heard anything about being invited to play on any of those teams? That would be a very good sign that she is on the right track. Not every player advances through all those teams but many do.

Also, 2012 may not be the most realistic opportunity if she is 18 now. Very few players work their way onto the national team by age 22. 2016 might be more realistic.

Can you say what team/event you watched her play in?

[Appa23]

The women's Olympic national team is the same as the top-flight national team that plays in the Women's World Cup. There is no age or amateur restriction. Example: Mia Hamm played in every Olympics until she retired as a pro.

The men are limited to under age 23 with the exception of up to three players aged 23+.

Thanks, Snaxx, but I intended a slightly different question. As I understand it, my niece is playing in some league or with some team that is ultimately intended to feed the Olympic (and national) team. I was hoping to figure out how many more steps she needs to take (in baseball terms, is she playing single-A ball or AAA ball?), and how difficult is it to advance at each stage.

She tells me that she thinks she's good enough to make it, and although I don't know her as well as I'd like (it's a big continent and she lives on the other side of it), what I do know suggests to me that she's well enough grounded that her self-assessment is likely to be realistic. --Bob

I will try to explain in layman terms. Here is a general layout.

There is a process called the Olympic Development Program (ODP). It is a summer event. Players are selected for the State Pool. Then, the state "teams" are each age level (U13 through U19, IIRC) go to a regional competion. (There likely is one for SoCal and NoCal) The teams play each other, and the players are evaluated. Each Region then selects a Regional ODP team. The regional ODP teams then go to the US Soccer complex in California or the complex in Orlando (IIRC) where they play each other. Again, the players are evaluated, and there is a national ODP player pool. This is the manner by which the lower national age level teams are selected (probably starting around U-15 or U-16).

As a U-19 player, she apparently has not been selected for the pool of the first few national age group teams. Unfortunately, this makes her road to the National Team (and hence the Olypmics) very, very steep, with little chance.

However, unlike the men's team, the Women's national team takes much more notice of how well a player does at the collegiate level. (Women's collegiate soccer is a very good training ground. For boys/men, college is considered to be a skills diminisher, rather than enhancer. Much like baseball or basketball, the cream of the men's crop signs contracts to play overseas rather than go to college.)

I will find a link to the ODP site.

[Appa23]

I drove to Ventura this afternoon to watch my 18-year-old niece play in a soccer game for her regional team. To these uneducated (and somewhat partial) eyes, she seemed to do well. Her team won 2-1. She played right fullback, and got an awful lot of work, as it seemed that the entire second half was played in her team's defensive end. (Incidentally, according to her college bio, she plays forward for her college team.)

Can anyone educate me on where she is in the process of vying for the 2012 Olympic team? Thanks. --Bob

OK. I stand corrected. Things are looking up for your niece.

Here is a link to the ODP national process, with regional squads playing training games.

http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/story ... ry_id=3197

So, she is under consideration for the U-19 squad. I still am presuming that she was not within the player pool for the U18 squad, or at least did not tell you that she made the national team. (Is she humble?)

In any event, it is quite an achievement.

[Appa23]

Looking up stuff has been very educational.

They are gearing up for the first world championships for younger women national teams (U16 or U17).

Bob, can you let us know your niece's name. It might help figure out where she stands in the "pecking order".

(I also learned that a few girls that I coached/trained are in the 1991 and 1992 pools from Nebraska)

[Appa23]

I did find the 2006-07 SoCal pool for 1988 girls.

http://www.calsouth.com/topstory_odp0607winterpools.htm

[Bob78164]

Looking up stuff has been very educational.

They are gearing up for the first world championships for younger women national teams (U16 or U17).

Bob, can you let us know your niece's name. It might help figure out where she stands in the "pecking order".

(I also learned that a few girls that I coached/trained are in the 1991 and 1992 pools from Nebraska)

Thanks. Remember, she's from the East, not from California. The game I saw would have been the first Saturday U-19 game from your link. Her name is Morgan Sims and she plays college ball for Stony Brook. I recall now that she's made it through the state process.

Thanks for the information. I'll digest it and probably be back with an additional question or two. --Bob

[Bob78164]

So, she is under consideration for the U-19 squad. I still am presuming that she was not within the player pool for the U18 squad, or at least did not tell you that she made the national team. (Is she humble?)

In any event, it is quite an achievement.

Thanks again. She's reasonably humble, but only reasonably so, so I would have expected to hear if she had made a national player pool. If not from her, then definitely from her mother (my sister). --Bob

[Snaxx]

Thanks. Remember, she's from the East, not from California. The game I saw would have been the first Saturday U-19 game from your link. Her name is Morgan Sims and she plays college ball for Stony Brook. I recall now that she's made it through the state process.

Stony Brook is like a 15-minute drive for me. So I may have a 'local' to root for.



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[andrewjackson]

Sounds like HoltDad knows way more about the process than I do. I'm glad he came along with more and better info.