Congratulations to Olivia Korhonen (GU13 Blue Metros) and Rebecca Tucci (GU14 Blue Mischief), who were selected to the 1996 Girls’ Virginia State Team after training all fall with the Olympic Development Program’s Northern District team. 

"Olivia and Rebecca are top contributors to their Stoddert Soccer club teams," says Travel Director Kate Samsot, an ODP coach. "They play with heart, skill and creativity, and exhibit excellent sportsmanship when competing. Their
selection to the ODP squad is a testament to the girls' work rate and character on and off the field."  

The pair join top-tier players drawn from four Virginian ODP regional pools to represent the Commonwealth in regional and national tournaments. Selection to the state squad is the first step toward making the U.S. national team, and the competition is intense. Tryouts for the state team take place over two weekends each fall, when ODP coaches select the top players to represent each state. The District of Columbia is unique, in that it does not have its own state association. Officially, DC Stoddert Soccer falls under the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) umbrella, so most players compete for spots on Virginia teams. (Players who reside in Maryland may compete for spots on the Maryland ODP teams.) Throughout the winter, state team players attend training sessions and competitive events with players from other Region I states, which stretch from West Virginia to Maine. See list below.

Each summer, a Region I team is selected from the . Its players compete against other players from the U.S. on the Region II, III, and IV teams.  The ODP process culminates with youth national teams being selected from the regions during a week-long camp. However, this all starts with player selection at the state level. Congratulations again to Liv and Rebecca for their
achievement!

 
Region I ODP includes the following state associations:  Connecticut Junior Soccer Assn, Delaware Youth Soccer Assn, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Assn, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Assn, Soccer Maine, Maryland Youth Soccer Assn, Massachusetts Youth Soccer Assn, New Hampshire Soccer Assn, New Jersey Youth Soccer Assn, New York State West Youth Soccer Assn, Pennsylvania West State Soccer Assn, Soccer Rhode Island, Vermont Soccer Assn, Virginia Youth Soccer Assn, West Virginia Soccer Assn, US Youth Soccer - Europe).

posted by MCL 12/15/09