International Trip A Success
The 1999 and 2000 US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (ODP) Boys Region I teams just returned from successful tournament play in Spain and Italy.
Players were selected after being evaluated in an ODP tournament and ID camp last summer as well as at the US Youth Soccer ODP Thanksgiving and Winter Interregionals.
The 1999 team reached the quarterfinals of the Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) in Barcelona, which featured a field of 52 from all over the world. After losing their opening match against Girona (Spain), Region I won four straight against Club Atletico Almafuerte (Argentina), Volendam FC (Netherlands), UE Llagostera (Spain) and Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) before the quarterfinal defeat. The Region I side went 4-2 overall with Matt Sloan (E-NY) and Seraphen Iradukunda (VT) leading the team with two goals each in the tournament.
“The MIC is a huge tournament that features national teams from Brazil, Mexico and Spain like Barcelona and Real Madrid, and the team showed great skill and cohesion in getting to the quarterfinals,” said Keith Tabatznik, US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Region I Head Coach. “Overall it was a fantastic experience playing against these quality teams and the international game first-hand.”
In the quarterfinals, Region I received a rough draw as the squad had to face off against the eventual champion Aspire Academy. Aspire is part of the academy system being funded to develop and find players for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bora Milutinovic, former U.S. National Coach, was in Barcelona as a consultant to Aspire.
“It’s definitely a challenge for us being a select team because we have very little time to get everyone on the same page,” Tabatznik said. “It was a fabulous experience, and the growth of the players over the week was definitely noticeable. The players were able to experience the challenge of being called into a team and compete at their highest level. ”
The 2000 team claimed third place in the “Citta Di Porino Tourino” with a 1-0 win over Gothenburg (Sweden). The team narrowly missed playing in the final as they tied Toronto FC Academy 1-1 in the semis, but lost 4-3 on penalty kicks. The tournament MVP was given to Andrew Rodgers from Virginia who led Region I to a 3-1-1 record.
“One of the big reasons why we do these international trips is to bring kids out of their comfort zone. These trips are the diamond of US Youth Soccer ODP and for eight or nine days players are exposed to a different level of play, soccer culture, food and traveling conditions,” Tabatznik said. “It also gives them an experience beyond soccer, and they will come back and make their club, high school and state teams better.”
US Youth Soccer ODP Boys 1999 Region I Roster:
| State Association | First Name | Last Name | Club Name |
| Eastern New York | Blake | Aronson | South Huntington SC |
| Pennsylvania West | Andrew | Chwalik | Northern Steel |
| Virginia | Edison | Giron | Arlington Soccer Association |
| Massachusetts | Diego | Guerrero | Soccer Association of Columbia |
| Pennsylvania West | Reginald | Holt | Century V |
| New Jersey | Matthew | Howlett | SDFC |
| Vermont | Seraphen | Iradukunda | |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | Sebastian | Kelly | Central PA Youth Soccer League |
| Virginia | Ethan | Lannon | Springfield South County Youth Club |
| Connecticut | Zachary | Lopes | FSA |
| Virginia | Alejandro | Maldonado-Romero | Arlington Soccer Association |
| Pennsylvania West | Adam | Mascio | Arsenal |
| Eastern New York | Tyler | McElhinney | |
| New Jersey | Donald | Nicol | Soccer Domain Football Club |
| New Jersey | Mason | Remondelli | Holmdel NJX |
| Eastern New York | James | Schubauer III | East Meadow Soccer Club |
| Eastern New York | Matthew | Sloan | NY Hota |
| Eastern New York | Samuel | Steinberg | Dix Hills Soccer Club |
US Youth Soccer ODP Boys 2000 Region I Roster
| State Association | First Name | Last Name | Club Name |
| Virginia | Connor | Andrews | Arlington Soccer Association |
| Virginia | Paul | Bangura | Arlington SA |
| Eastern New York | Matthew | Barresi | Dix Hills |
| Connecticut | Payton | Blynn | CT Football Club (CFC) |
| West Virginia | Joseph | Borneo | Fury Soccer Club |
| Massachusetts | Nathaniel | Cardoza | GPS-MA |
| Virginia | John | Colucci | Alexandria Soccer Association |
| Eastern New York | Nicholas | Gaviria | Dix Hills |
| Virginia | Bret | Halsey | Loudoun Soccer |
| Virginia | Connor | Hester | Braddock Road Youth Club |
| Virginia | Seungmin | Kang | Braddock Road Youth Club |
| Virginia | Bardia | Kimiavi | Braddock Road Youth Club |
| Eastern New York | Leo | Musacchia | Dix Hills Soccer club |
| Vermont | Antonio | Pugliese | Synergy FC |
| Virginia | Andrew | Rogers | FC Milan / VSA |
| Virginia | Joshua | Salinas | FASA Elite Hotspurs |
| Connecticut | Jean | Viruet | Academica Futebol Club |
Tabatznik identified the annual US Youth Soccer ODP Interregionals in November and December as critical stepping stones for getting his team prepared for these international trips.
“The players are competing together for the first time since the summer. At the interregionals we try to play within our 4-3-3 system with possession, but with the psychological mindset of wanting to get out of the group,” Tabatznik said. “The interregionals are a good way to prepare for the international tournaments and it is another stage of what I call the ‘ODP Advantage.’”
The ODP Advantage, which includes ODP interregionals, region championships, national championships, and ID camps among other things, will continue with the US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Region I 1997, 1998 and 2001 age groups traveling to play in France, Germany and Italy.
“I think our success in these tournaments shows a lot about what level US Youth Soccer ODP is at right now and the depth of the player pool despite players who cannot participate due to being in the academy,” Tabatznik said. “We are doing everything we can to continue to offer these trips because we feel they are not matched by any program outside US Youth Soccer.”
To learn more about US Youth Soccer ODP, and the numerous opportunities for identification and development, visit USYouthSoccer.org.
