This ID2 National Selection is pretty much our USA National Team since 14-15 of these players have been called up to 2 USSF National Camps, on average, prior to ID2 Training Camps. My only question is isnt ID2 supposed to be "identifying" these kids before the USSF does so they can recommend to them?? It seems they are identifying after which I think defeats the purpose. Its easy to boast that your ID2 selection of players make the National Teams because that's exactly where you "identify" them from !!! Plus, there were 2 USSF National Coaches/Scouts there making the evaluations!! Who are they going to pick? Maybe the guys that have already been invited to their previous camps?? So if you have not been to a USSF National Training Camp before being invited to an ID2 Training Camp your chances of making the final 18 for Europe trip are very, very slim. Which is still ok but they should say it like it actually is. Dont let people think that you "Identify" them before they get a look by the USSF. So the only real way to make a USSF National Pool/Camp is Academy. It's official!!

Luis this ID2 program is only a one year deal for U14 kids, most of kids attending this ID2 camps have already been identified as having potential. The real identification, not only for U14, but for other age groups happens at Market Training Centers that are ran by USSF in various parts of the country. At the moment, many of the players going to U14 USSF National Training Camps are not from Academies, since there are no acadamies for this age group setup yet. Although some of the older 1999s are playing up for some academies. Beginning this year, academies are expanding the age group to include the U14 and U13 boys. But you are right, in the older age groups, the majority of players are going to be selected from academies. I believe once you are Identified in in Market Training Centers as a potential player for national team selection, you will be encouraged to join an academy.

Arsenal, My son has been to 5 TC's and always scores as the only 99' to do so vs mostly 98/97's. He made a Regional Camp and scored 2 goals vs the top 98/99's in the Midwest. Most of the kids, about 80-90%, that go to these TC's are Academy players. They're called PreAcademy or NPL players. Same thing. Different name but same thing. Same status quo. NPL was pretty much an earlier version of Academy. Same players, close to same clubs. Dont get me wrong. The idea of reccommending a good player to play a better environment ( Academy ) is a good one but my problem is with how these Clubs are determined to be worthy of such high prestige. I have asked Scouts who tell me Luis should be part of an Academy. I ask them to reccommend one. We have 3 in Illinois. They will not say. One scout told me he didnt know much about any of the Academies and he was the scout for the Midwest!!! So he is strongly reccommending Academy but he just can't tell me which one is better for my son even though he scouts this area ??? Does this sound right to you ?? I can honestly tell you that my son has developed at a far higher pace than any of the PreAcademy or Academy players in 3-4 years in our area. I measure him individually with the #2-3 ranked Academy team in the nation that plays right by us and after 2-3 years he is a better player in every aspect than any of the 99/98' players that have been there in the last 4 years. Now why would I hand him over to an Academy? just because of the name? Or so the USSF can finally recognize him as a National Pool player? So I ahve to take him out of an environment that has seen him grow at a tremendously higher rate than any Academy player around us just to get an honest look ?? That makes no sense. That's working backwards. There is an Academy that seems to be doing things right by us but they are more than an hour away.

P.S. NPL is basically Academy for U13/U14 PreAcademy teams.

Luis, you are right about academies. don't think many of them can develop a player. Most academies only have the players that can afford the fees, most of the times these players would not make a top level team. We have about 5 around our area and there is only one that is actually worthy of mentioning. Most skilled players are not even playing in them, either because they can't afford it, and if they get scholarship they don't have means to get there. We are fortunate to be able to get our kids to wherever they are requested, a lot of skilled players that I know just wished they had that type of support system... Sounds like you got a good player, does not seem like he is far away for a call up... by the way, an hour is nothing, I have been doing that for 4 years three times of day. He was MTC once a month 3hrs away, ID stuff sometimes twice a month 3hrs away. Have a car that has accumulated 350000 miles in 5 years, i'd say that half of that is my son's soccer related stuff... sometimes you have to travel to get him in the right situation.