NorCal Premier Soccer and COPA STC Partner to Launch First Objective Player Pathway for Youth Soccer

Introducing first-of-its-kind Objective Player Pathway to the talent ID process for NorCal’s Player Development Program (PDP)

SACRAMENTO, CA (April 24, 2025) – NorCal Premier Soccer and COPA Soccer Training Center (COPA STC) are proud to announce a multi-year strategic partnership that reimagines how youth soccer talent is identified and developed in Northern California.

This three-year agreement introduces a first-of-its-kind Objective Player Pathway to the talent ID process for NorCal’s Player Development Program (PDP)—NorCal’s invite-only program that brings together the top U12–U17 boys and girls from across the region with a track record of supporting player graduation to collegiate and professional play.

NorCal’s PDP program is designed to identify and support the region’s most promising youth players by offering elite training and exposure opportunities in support of their development at their clubs. Traditionally, selection into PDP has relied on nominations by Directors of Coaching (DOCs) and the eyes of experienced scouts and evaluators. This partnership maintains those trusted practices while adding a new, objective entry point for players outside the traditional nomination process—ensuring that all talented players, regardless of background or visibility, have a pathway to be seen.

“At NorCal, we’ve always believed that talent can come from anywhere. With COPA, we’re giving players a chance to prove themselves with facts, not just opinions,” said NorCal President Benjamin Ziemer. “This is a leap forward for our entire ecosystem – in terms of talent identification.”

“We’re committed to making soccer more equitable, more intelligent, and more accessible,” said COPA STC Director of Talent ID & Science Barry McCabe. “This partnership ensures that high potential players—regardless of background—get seen and supported through a modern objective approach.”

ABOUT THE COPA SCORE 
The COPA Score is a comprehensive, science-backed player assessment developed by COPA STC’s internal sport science team and in partnership with global leaders like Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The evaluation spans four critical pillars of player performance:

• Technical (ball control, speed of play, passing, awareness)
• Physical (acceleration, top speed, agility, power)
• Cognitive (stress tolerance, reaction time)
• Maturation (skeletal age analysis via bone density analysis)

Every player receives a personalized report and percentile rankings that show how they compare to both calendar age peers and skeletal age peers. Players also gain the ability to benchmark themselves against over 20 competitive populations—current PDP standards, NCAA college players, MLS & European academy prospects, and professionals in the men’s and women’s games.

These contextual insights empower players to understand their strengths, identify growth areas, and map a path toward their goals—whether that’s improving their skills, making a PDP team, playing in college, or going pro. With repeat testing, players can track their progress over time and see how their development stacks up as they grow.

HOW THE OBJECTIVE PLAYER PATHWAY WORKS
As part of the partnership, COPA STC has assessed all current PDP teams (U12–U17 boys and girls), creating objective benchmarks for each age and gender across technical, physical, cognitive, and skeletal development metrics. These benchmarks form the standard against which all other players will be evaluated.

Over 300 additional PDP players will be assessed each year to ensure that PDP benchmarks remain accurate and reflective of the region’s top talent.

Through this system:

• Any player can now take a COPA Score assessment.
• Those who meet or exceed the 50th percentile benchmark (the average score of their same age and gender PDP player pool) will be invited to a quarterly NorCal Talent ID Day with PDP staff held at COPA STC. An invite is required to attend.
• Players scoring in the 90th percentile or higher compared to their same age and gender PDP team will receive a direct invitation to train with a PDP team. An invite is required to attend.

WHAT SETS THE COPA SCORE APART: SKELETAL AGE ANALYSIS
While most youth talent identification models compare players by calendar age, COPA STC introduces a critical layer of analysis: skeletal age.

Every player assessed through COPA undergoes a bone density analysis to determine their skeletal age and biological maturation status—a process that identifies whether a player is early, on-time, or late in their physical development, and where they are in compared to their predicted final adult height.

“When you see two 14-year-olds on the field, one might be in the body of a 16-year-old, and one might still be in the body of a 12-year-old,” explains Barry McCabe, COPA STC’s Director of Talent Identification. “Historically, the late maturer often gets overlooked—not because they lack talent or potential, but because they haven’t physically caught up. Regardless of development status, players should be looked at from different lenses, to ensure their potential is being nurtured as best as possible.”

The COPA process compares each player not only to their calendar age peers, but also to their skeletal age peers—ensuring that technical and cognitive high-performers who are late developers aren’t lost in the shuffle. Top performers are identified and considered through both lenses.

This dual approach aims to reduce the impact of physical maturity bias in youth soccer and opens the door for more complete and fair talent recognition.

WHY IT MATTERS FOR PLAYERS
This partnership provides a new level of access and opportunity for aspiring players:

• Equity: Players no longer need a nomination—taking an objective evaluation can earn their opportunity.
• Transparency: Performance is measured with facts, not opinions, compared against set benchmarks.
• Visibility: Top performers are identified for the PDP program and gain exposure to college and pro scouts using the COPA system.

This is not just about selection—it’s about empowering players to understand their development, set goals, and pursue their ambitions.

EARLY SUCCESS STORIES

🎥 Ricky Gonzalez (Napa United) earned a trial with TSG Hoffenheim after his standout COPA Score

⚽ Jonathan Roth (Mustang) was invited to Oakland Roots following his performance at COPA’s February Talent ID event

🚨 Mercy Karson (Mustang) and Rhea Moore (San Juan SC) were scouted for Racing Louisville (NWSL) through COPA’s women’s Talent ID pathway

KEY DATES & INFO

Additional NorCal Talent ID Days will be announced soon.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR CLUBS
DOCs, club leaders, & team managers: bring your team in for a free assessment at COPA STC before June 30, 2025. Offer includes:

• Individual reports for each player
• Team reports for coaches / club
• Post-assessment feedback session with COPA staff

🎯 Space is limited—Secure your team’s spot today.

Clubs can schedule a time to get their team assessed here: Schedule a Time for Your Team

Contact
Barry McCabe
COPA STC – Director of Talent Identification & Science
📧 assessments.wc@copastc.com

For more info, check out COPA STC’s full release here.