ODP Wrap-Up

By Erik Lyslo

It was a busy summer for Oregon ODP with the 2009 teams finishing up, and the 2010-11 teams being selected. After the dust settled in July, Oregon finished Regional Camp with 50 players advancing on to the Region IV Pools, made up of the top players in the western region of the United States.

For the last seven years, Oregon ODP has risen from the depths of mediocrity to one of the elite states in the region for producing soccer talent. In 2003, Oregon finished with just eight Regional Pool Players. That number climbed to 10 (2004), 12 (2005), 21 (2006), 33 (2007), 36 (2008) and then a record 53 in 2009, before settling in at 50 this year. If not for some injuries to some key players, Oregon would have broken that 2009 record of 53 this year.

The boys finished with an Oregon ODP-record 30 players selected, while the girls finished with 20 players. As a state, Oregon finished third in the region for the second year in a row with total numbers, trailing only Cal-South and Cal-North. Below is a breakdown of the Regional Pool players for the 2009-10 ODP season. On behalf of the OYSA staff, we congratulate them all.

After a busy month of July at Regional Camp, August was here, which meant ODP tryouts for players born in 1994, '95 and '96 were upon us. Despite the changes in the soccer landscape around the state, Oregon ODP had a record turnout, with close to 400 players trying out over the two-day weekend. Each of our six oldest groups improved their overall pools and each coach was very excited to begin working with the age groups. On behalf of the Oregon ODP staff, we congratulate the players below on being selected.

The ODP schedule, coaching assignments and up-to-date information can be found on the OYSA website at www.oregonyouthsoccer.org. Tryout dates for players born in 1997 and 1998 will be announced shortly on the website as well. We will once again regionalize both of these age groups in four parts of the state. If you have any questions about ODP, contact Erik Lyslo at erik@oregonyouthsoccer.org or 503-626-4625.