What is ODP and is it worth it?
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Anonymous
| I'm very confused by the Maryland Olympic Devt Program (ODP). Is it worth the time and the drive way over to Liberty Park? How does it compare to the good travel teams in Montgomery County? It seems like a big time commitment on top of a regular travel team schedule. Wondering about other people's experiences and if their kid liked participating (especially boys middle school age range). |
Anonymous
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Worth it? Depends.
The boys who I have seen make Maryland are Flight 1 U10’s & U11’s playing with up the U12’s. Most kids are Flight 2-4 if they U12. If you are with a Flight 1, it is probably not worth it unless you are angling towards getting to regionals where MLS Academy scouts are present and you are approaching that angle. You already get the speed of play in practice and league competition as a Flight 1. If you are at a small club and/or Flight 2-4 it is probably worth it to get a reality check of the speed of play at a higher level. I see a lot of IG posts from these parents whose kid is going against defenders who appear to have feet in cement. ODP is not near the highest levels but it is a measuring stick depending on where your kid is their journey. This only applies to U12 level. It was not worth it to us beyond U12. Search this feed as there is a lot of information already discussed. |
Anonymous
Different state but something that ODP does where I'm at is they basically don't select top defenders unless they can boot the ball a mile. Usually, it's all the kids who want to score and they end up having some of those players go on defense for the scrimmages they eventually do. So, practices and scrimmages end up being too much 1v1 and showboating. That said, it's also a good chance to have kids play with other kids who are highly motivated (and usually talented) from across a state, beyond a home club. And if your kid becomes a favorite, they can go far and get plenty of attention at higher levels. That can do well for confidence, etc. |
Anonymous
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We are on a 2nd team and I will say the ODP training has been better for us. Our kid is receiving fresh coaching and the kids are better. She is surrounded by better coaching and better players, which makes her play better.
Our current coach has been stuck in a rut with drills, and reverts to 3v3 scrimmages, and then full team scrimmages. He coach also likes to yell "run hard" when coaching the players. -Which is what she has to yell because her teammates usually can't pass the ball very well and you have to run hard to get to all the poorly played passes. But, the state training level will require a lot more commitment and time. It's a time trade off but we get more out of it and compared to there optional skills clinics/ training rackets in NOVA, it is a better price point. |
Anonymous
| Depends on the reasoning |
Anonymous
This is a very accurate assessment. Figure out how you compare to this experience to determine whether it works for you. |
Anonymous
| OP here, thanks everyone for the comments, very helpful |
Anonymous
| Its fresh coaching, fresh competition and a great experience. It also gives your kid something to put on your soccer resume |
Anonymous
| UCLA head coach just recruited a player he coached via ODP. This kid did not play for an MLS team. If you make it through to the highest levels of ODP there is real opportunity. At the regionals they have several academies come to recruit at the younger levels. |
Anonymous
| ODP is good for extra sessions. When it starts to get expensive, get out. |
Anonymous
| ODP is great for U13 and under. Get to meet all the kids, make friends with everyone on every club, get extra touches with new coaches, get some independence from mom and dad and make lifelong friends. After U13, it is valuable for kids not on top teams or fringe kids on top teams- extra touches. But that is it-extra touches. After U13, all the top kids have quit because their schedules don’t allow it. So, it is second tier competition, and for this reason, no one is watching. If you are looking for extra touches after U13, a good Futsol club is probably better. But if you are ok with ODP travel time and want extra touches, go for it. |
Anonymous
U13 schedules ( practices, school, games) are the exact same as U10, 11, 12. |
Anonymous
We are currently U12. We could make the schedule work this year and are going all in to all the events to see how far we can go. At U13, the MLS Next 1 schedule makes it really tough to maintain that same commitment. I don’t know much about ECNL except that they have all of these showcases so I imagine that is the same. I also have a Q4 U12 so we are in elementary school. U13 will add on middle school soccer as well. |
Anonymous
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It's a good program for players from smaller or lower level clubs to test themselves against tougher competition.
My DS did it for 3 years in another state and enjoyed the first two years. The final year was compromised by poor coaching as the head coach also managed a club team at the age level and stocked the team with his club players and prioritized having his DS play every minute of every game. I will second the notion that defense is optional as, at least in my state, they prioritize selecting attack minded talent over defenders. Makes it hard for GKers to shine when you have natural wingers and CAMs playing defense. |
Anonymous
| Worth it is personal and subjective to you |