Louisiana Select (LSA ODP) is designed specifically to give the elite youth soccer player an opportunity to focus on his or her personal development as a player in a highly competitive soccer environment. To this end, LA Select seeks to identify high potential players, facilitate their development, expose them to the next level of their chosen pathway, and motivate their pursuit of excellence.
Player Development+
The prime move in player development is your home soccer club. And in that context, the main vehicle for player development for clubs is the team – where focus is primarily on game results and team achievements (that is, group results). Louisiana Select adds another vehicle to the player development paradigm by giving high level players from all Louisiana clubs additional opportunities to develop and showcase their skills in both a (all-star) team setting and an individual player setting – LA Select attends showcase events as teams and sends players to intra-regional and regional combines where they compete with and against the best players from the South Region. LA Select players will hear different voices and experience different coaching styles. Generally speaking, LA Select and the ODP program are a player’s first exposure to that next level (eg, college, semi-pro, etc.) experience – new players, new coaches, uncharted territories, life-changing experiences, etc. LA Select isn’t here to replace club soccer; it is here to augment the club experience by providing additional development opportunities.
Player Identification
The US Youth Soccer State, Regional and National ODP programs are designed to scout and identify elite players who can compete at the highest level possible. This identification process starts with the Club – directors and coaches are asked to identify their elite players. LSA then brings these players into the LA Select program to learn, grow and develop with the best players in the State.
Players are scouted locally by our state staff coaches. Then they are scouted by Regional Staff coaches at inter-regional combines. And the highest level players are sent to Region Camp to compete to be named one of the top 18 players in the South Region. From there, players attend the Interregional Event in Florida for a chance to be named part of the ODP National Select team.
Finally, our players will be scouted by Regional Staff Coaches at a South Region ODP Tournament. Based on the input from all of these coaches, invitations will be sent to players to attend Regional ODP Camp in July.
In terms of player qualities- here is a link to what US Soccer utilizes in their approach to defining player qualities:
Key Qualities
For the South Region, you can read how those qualities are applied by position:
Player Positional Roles
Both documents provide insight into the qualities, roles, and responsibilities of Regional and National Team Players that State ODP Players should employ in their personal development plans.