THE US YOUTH SOCCER ODP INTEGRATION PROJECT US Soccer is currently investing significant resources in their quest to define and entrench an American playing style that can be successful on the international stage.

The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) at the state and region levels is well positioned to help accomplish this lofty aim.

US Soccer is promoting a possession playing style and a 1-4-3-3 formation at the youth level.

Therefore, the US Youth Soccer ODP playing style will be a patient possession game, building from the back and using a possession rhythm similar to high level international play, within the 1-4-3-3 formation.

Our players are generally not comfortable playing a possession game.

The only way US Youth Soccer ODP can realistically impact the players to change their playing behavior is if we integrate a continuous program with a consistent methodology at both the state and region levels.

Improving our players and coaches is the purpose of the Program.

Talent of players and coaches is a continuous construction process.

Our approach must be long term development of coaches and players.

One of the main goals of US Youth Soccer ODP is to improve player development throughout the country, not just the region team players.

US Youth Soccer Region ODP is an ideal vehicle for reaching and influencing all the states in each region.

By integrating development methods at the state association and region levels, US Youth Soccer ODP becomes a connected, continuous, long-term player development program with a clearly articulated playing philosophy, a curriculum and benchmarks.

US Youth Soccer ODP events throughout the year can be used to train coaches and players.

Although player contact time in the Program doesn’t compare to contact volume at club level, there are enough US Youth Soccer ODP activities each year to accomplish the goal of improving our players.

We have contact time with our players via Region Trials, Inter-Regional events, international trips, hold-over camps, state level training, sub-regional events, etc.

And many of the staff coaches at the state and regional level are also club coaches.

Hence, the residual benefits of US Youth Soccer ODP will filter down to the club level and impact many non-ODP players as well.