With Joan Oliva, Sporting Director, Louisiana Soccer
1. Why was it important to release the full calendar for the 2025–2026 season while the 2024–2025 season is still ongoing?
Joan Oliva: Releasing the full calendar early gives Louisiana clubs the time and clarity they need to plan ahead. By avoiding conflicts between club and ODP schedules, we ensure that top players can fully participate in both. This proactive approach promotes collaboration between the state and local clubs and helps us attract and retain the best talent for the LA Select ODP program. And with team selection complete before the next seasonal year begins, we’re confident setting the schedule months in advance will allow us to provide high quality opportunities with maximum participation.
2. What is the selection process for the coming year?
Joan Oliva:
We use a two-tiered selection process:
- U11–U16 players are identified through open tryouts held in a centralized location [Baton Rouge].
- U17–U19 players are selected based on club recommendations, where coaches nominate players they believe are ready to compete at a high level.
This structure ensures we’re casting a wide net while also relying on the insights of experienced coaches.
3. How is the 2025–2026 season different from 2024–2025?
Joan Oliva: The 2025–2026 season builds on the strong foundation established in recent years—including quality mini-camps and participation in top regional ID events like the South Interregional Combine in Tennessee and the USYS South Region Camp in North Carolina—while introducing exciting new elements to elevate the player experience.
New highlights include:
- Organizing players into consistent teams and offered regular training sessions throughout the year to promote development and team cohesion — “iron sharpens iron.”
- Having these teams participate in prestigious national tournaments such as the WAGS Memorial Tournament, Tampa Bay Super Cup, North Carolina FC Showcase, and the Scott Dymond College Showcase, giving players broad exposure to elite competition and scouting opportunities.
- Providing expanded international trip offerings to England and Spain, providing players unforgettable soccer immersion experiences in two of the world’s most passionate football cultures.
- And expanding our program services to include virtual classroom sessions, video and data analysis, and a renewed focus on the college recruitment and placement process to further support our players on and off the field.
4. What if a player can’t make the tryout dates?
Joan Oliva: We understand that scheduling conflicts happen, and we want to ensure every interested player has a chance to be seen. If a player cannot attend their scheduled tryout, they should register for tryouts and contact me to setup an evaluation. We will also be publishing a “Scout Me” form, which registered players can complete to express interest and provide additional context for evaluation.
Please remember: only players who register for tryouts will be eligible for team selection. There is no need to contact us prior to registering.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at joan@lsa-soccer.org.
5. Do we know who’s on the coaching staff for 2025–2026?
Joan Oliva: Yes—we’re thrilled to announce that Dave Lapeyrouse, LA Krewe Rush Girls’ Director, will continue serving as our ODP Girls’ Director, and Keir Hannity, LA Fire’s Boys’ Director, is joining the LA Select staff as our new ODP Boys’ Director. We’ll be announcing the full coaching staff very soon — know this, we are thrilled to bring together top-level coaches from member clubs all across Louisiana to lead our players this season.
📩 Have more questions?
Visit our ODP Tryouts Page for full details and registration, or contact joan@lsa-soccer.org with inquiries.