Sonoma County Alliance Soccer Club - Two SCA coaches attend ID2 Program

SCA caught up with Gabe Rood and Matt Bernard after their experience at the regional ID2 program to ask them a few questions.

What is the ID2 Program?
Gabe: It is US Club Soccer’s version of the ODP program. The goal of the program is to identify players for the national team. US Club Soccer felt there were many players slipping through the cracks and not being identified by the current structure of identification. They created their own structure, where players are identified through scouts. It is also free to the players, so players that can’t afford to participate in the ODP program can participate in this one.

How did you get invited?

Matt: I was invited to participate in the ID2 program through the western regional representative who asked if I would be willing to work and evaluate the goalkeepers involved in the program.

Gabe: I’m currently working for Nor Cal Premier and the Player Development Program. We recommended 15 boys and 14 girls from northern California to participate in the ID2 Program. Originally, I just wanted to go down and see how our players from northern California did against the other players from across the country. I contacted the western regional representative to see if this was possible, and he told me they were looking for another coach. He told me to send him my resume. The rest is history.

What was your experience like at the ID2 Program?

Matt: My experience at ID2 was fantastic. US Club Soccer is a top notch organization and they run the ID2 program very professionally. To be entirely honest I have to say that I was a little jealous of the experience that these kids got, because I never was able to have the same experience. I went through all of the levels of ODP as a youth player and I remember the amount of time it took to get a look from the national team, it seemed like a thousand weekends of travel and a million hoops to jump through before you ever got to that level. Now it is great to see that someone is finally doing it right, getting the best players involved, regardless of affiliation and parents financial abilities. I can remember kids who couldn’t play on my state team because they couldn’t afford it, so they never got a look at the next level because they couldn’t participate. Now kids and parents don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Gabe: It was one of my better experiences in the United States as a coach. The organization of the event was very professional. The hotel, food, facilities, equipment, and coaches were all first class. What made the experience special was the event was all about the players. To see the opportunity the young players were given was amazing. To see the looks on the player’s faces as they competed, learned, made new friends, and dreamed is what soccer is all about.

What did you learn from the Experience?

Matt: I learned that US Club Soccer is truly all about the players, they spent a lot of money to allow the players to be in a professional environment. I also learned a lot from the different coaches that were there on staff. I was one of the only coaches that never made it as a pro and they had a lot of insight into the game and players abilities because they have seen and played against the best. I also found out that we have some really quality players coming out of northern California on both the boys and the girls side. Our players showed very well and were very professional while participating in the program. I also realized that there have to be some other top players out there that weren’t in Irvine this year, and that we have to make sure we do a good job as coaches identifying who should be there and get them there so they get the opportunity to get into the national team.

Gabe: I learned a great deal from all the other coaches at the event. The coaches (Christina Bell, Shawn Blakeman, Eric Dade, Ted Eck, Cle Kooiman, and Chad McCarty) had a lot of professional and national team experience. I learned a lot about the structure, organization, and problems that are occurring across the region in soccer.
I learned how good we have it at SCA. In many other parts of the country (other clubs) the pressure to win is so great, that if they don’t, players will be recruited to other clubs. The other coaches were envious of our situation, and told us they wish they could do what we are doing at our club (develop).
Also, now I can gage where players are in comparison to the top players in the region. This will be helpful for me when I work with players from SCA and the Nor Cal Premier Player Development Program.

What was your role at the ID2 Program?

Matt: My role in the ID2 program was to train and evaluate the goalkeepers in the program and communicate my feelings to the national team representative present at the trainings. I also took time to speak with each goalkeeper individually and let them know my thoughts on their abilities and what they needed to work on in my opinion.

Gabe: I coached on the boy’s side. Originally, I just wanted to help out and assist the other coaches. But they needed me to run sessions and coach in the games. Basically, I coached a team, while there were staff members from the national team (Tim Shultz and Rene Miramontes) evaluating the players.

What do you hope to bring back to SCA?

Matt: I hope that I can bring back the fire that I saw in some of the players at ID2. I think we have some very special players in our club, that have the potential to reach the highest level but some of them need to light the fire within themselves. I want to see as many of our SCA players get a chance to participate in the ID2 program that deserve to be there.

Gabe: I hope to pass all my experiences on to the players. After working with the top players, I now have a good idea where the top players are in the country. I look at the top players qualities and see which characteristics I can teach to the players at SCA.