More Than 80 Clubs Represented in NorCal’s First PDP Playdate of the Year
On January 11 NorCal Premier Soccer’s free-of-cost Player Development Program held its first Playdate of the season, with U14 teams from eight different regions playing two 75-minute matches against each other at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.
More than 700 players from 80 clubs represented their regions, with 30 PDP staff members taking charge in an event that was attended by id2 and U.S. Soccer scouts, as well as representatives from four MLS Clubs.
“The PDP Playdate was one of two annual events hosted by NorCal which provide an outstanding platform for development and exposure,” said NorCal Assistant PDP Director Justin Selander. “The event showcased all of the talent in the region, their technical ability, and the dedication that has shaped their soccer journey to this point.”
“Players were challenged to compete against some of the top talent from across the state, fostering a highly competitive and developmental environment,” Selander added. “Scouts from US Soccer, US Club Soccer’s id2 program, and several MLS clubs were in attendance, creating valuable opportunities for players to be identified and advance to the next level.”
The Playdate was one of the first in the age group for the talented youth players who participate in the recommendation-only program, but it will be far from the last.
After players are initially recommended to the program at the U13 age group, they come together for a series of talent identification camps before regional rosters are then selected to play matches against each other the following year.
Those who continue to stand out and develop may eventually earn the opportunity to play with the NorCal State Pool, which travels to international tournaments every summer to face some of the top youth clubs in the world.
For others, this may be the beginning of a journey that could lead to an invitation to join US Club Soccer’s id2 program, play for the youth national teams, or move to an MLS Academy.
“The NorCal PDP Interregional was a highly valuable event for scouting, and a great environment for the players to develop their talent,” said US Club Soccer Director of Player Development and Identification Ross Paule. “The id2 program identified many players we will continue to track in the coming years, along with several who will be invited to the id2 National Training Camp, where we bring together 102 high-potential players from across the United States.”
“NorCal PDP has built a best-with-best training and games environment that consistently showcases the top talent in Northern California, supported by coaches who are fully aligned on player development,” Paule added. “It stands as a benchmark player development program and an outstanding environment to scout some of the nation’s top emerging talent.”
In addition to scouts from US Club Soccer and US Soccer, the talent evaluators were joined by staff members from the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Diego FC, and the San Jose Earthquakes, perhaps motivated by the success they’re seeing from current MLS and US National Team players Max Arfsten and Diego Luna, who are both PDP alums.
Notable this year was the expansion to include teams from all eight regions after NorCal spent time and resources in developing inroads in Region 2 South, the area that services players in and around Monterey Bay.
This was the first year that Region 2 South sent a team on both the boys and girls side, highlighting NorCal’s goal to serve every region under its umbrella.
“This is our third year backing the movement to get Region 2 South more exposure,” Selander said. “Over the last few years, the clubs have really invested and done a great job of developing female talent in the area. As a staff, we’ve seen a huge growth, which is a testament to the great job the local clubs are doing. Their dedication has helped elevate the status of the girls side of the game in the area.”
Each region will now resume their monthly training sessions before regrouping in the spring for another series of matches.
For more information about NorCal PDP, click here.
