Dear 98 Boys’ State Team Players and Alternates,
First of all, congratulations on being selected by the Coaching Staff to continue on with the Alabama ODP. Second, I
apologize that this communication is coming a day late. For those players that have been invited as alternates, please
pay careful attention and read over the explanation of what an Alternate is at the bottom of this communication. If you
have another email address that would like to be added to this contact list, please reply and let me know your player’s
name and age group.
Please see below for the welcome letter from your coaches. Continue to work hard and come prepared for the next
training opportunity. As of right now, the next event scheduled is a State Team training session in Montgomery on
SUNDAY March 30. Mississippi ODP was unable to bring their 97-99 teams to the AL Sub-Regional Event, so we will
schedule another training session and attempt to bring in another team for a match. The schedule is also below.
Registration is not yet open, but we will have it open by the beginning of March. Once registration is open, please
register in a timely manner. For the rest of the ODP Season (which is through Region Camp this summer), please contact
your coaches regarding absences, participation, and anything related to training/the game. For all administrative items,
you may contact myself, or our new ODP Administrator Martha Disko at [email protected] (especially for registration
issues/questions).
98 Boys Coaching Staff
98 Boys
Matt "Matty"
Thorne
[email protected];
98 Boys
Matt
Williams
[email protected];
[email protected];
ROSTER- listed numerically by jersey number
Jersey #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
37
154
194
206
207
214
218
220
241
273
274
275
276
280
282
310
314
Last Name
First Name
Hometown
Pham
Kai
Madison
Pack
Anthony
Birmingham
Damron
Austin
Elmore
Holstad
Hunter
Birmingham
Berry
Christopher
Chickasaw
Bradley
Dylan
Birmingham
Chanthavane
Spence
Irvington
Davis
Carl
Birmingham
Howell
Williams
Christian
Jerome
Nelson
Richard
Montgomery
Magnuson
Mario
Madison
Harrelson
Noah
mobile
Merrill
Matthew
Semmes
Long
Levi
Birmingham
Ali
Rakim
Birmingham
Albaradei
Isaac
Northport
ALTERNATES
149 Tedford
153 Sturm
211 Hayes
278 Sulonma
313 Johnston
Opelika
Montgomery
listed numerical by jersey #
Connor
Hoover
Parker
Pelham
Garren
Huntsville
Tenisee
Mobile
Connor
Birmingham
SUNDAY MARCH 30: (97-99 STATE TEAM TRAINING)
YMCA Fields - 300 Brown Springs Road, Montgomery, AL 36117
Sunday 3/30
9-9:30 AM - State Staff Coaches Meeting
9:30-9:45 AM - Player Check-in at field.
10-11:45 AM - Age Group Pool Training
2:00-4:00 PM - Age Group Pool Training/Inter-squad Matches
Training Theme: Basic Shape of 4-3-3 and Playing Style of U.S. Soccer/Region III
Training Theme: Defensive Principles
JUNE 29: 97-01 BOYS (STATE TEAM TRAINING)
YMCA Fields - 300 Brown Springs Road, Montgomery, AL 36117
9-9:30 AM - State Staff Coaches Meeting
9:30-9:45 AM - Player Check-in at field.
10-11:45 AM - Age Group Pool Training
Training Theme: Penetration from Middle Third to Attacking Third & Finishing From Crosses
1:00-2:00 PM - Player Lecture: Topic- TBA
2:30-4:30 PM - Age Group Pool Training/Inter-squad Matches
Training Theme: Basic Shape of 4-3-3 and Playing Style of U.S. Soccer/Region III
Training Topic: Putting It All Together
JULY 10-14: 98, 99 & 00 BOYS REGION 3 CAMP
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, TUSCALOOSA, AL
98 State Team
Congratulations on making the next step of the ODP Process. We have seen your talent and that is why you have been
chosen for the next stage.
Please make sure you take this in a positive manner and keep striving to improve on all aspects of your game. The
expectations from the coaching staff will rise for the next sessions so please come with the attitude to learn and improve.
Regards,
Matthew Thorne
Head Men’s Soccer Coach, The University of West Alabama
[email protected]
Welcome and Congratulations for being selected to the 98 age group State Team. Throughout the past 6 months, you
have demonstrated to the coaching staff that you understand and can execute our specific style of play. There are a lot of
good players that aren't on this list, so make sure you continue to work and progress so you can make the most of this
opportunity. From last summer's success, the coaching staff will be expecting a lot out of this age group, so it is important
that when we are together, you are fully focused and ready to work. Make sure you do some homework on your own as
far as knowing what is expected of you in the possible positions you have played in throughout the trial process. Also, it is
imperative that when you are with the State Team your touch and fitness is sharp so we can really work on the complex
ideas and topics that is expected at this high caliber of team.
As a part of the 98 Alabama State Team, you represent yourself, your teammates, your home clubs, your home schools,
the coaching staff and most importantly the State of Alabama. It is important that you understand this and your actions
on and off the field with the State Team are always of a professional standard. The coaching staff will hold you to these
standards throughout the ODP season. We are hoping to improve on last summer's performances, both individually and
as a team. We think we have selected the right group to do just that and are looking forward to the next few months
leading in to the Region Camp.
Congrats again, from the coaching staff. You have done very well thus far and it is important that you know how well you
have done to get here. But, staying at this level is even harder and where the real work begins. See you all at the end of
March for the State Team training and play date in Decatur.
Coach Matt Williams, Head Coach, Huntingdon College
EXPLANATION OF AN ALTERNATE
As an Alternate, you are invited to continue to train with the State Team and be available should a State Team member
decline, get injured, or become unavailable for any event. The Coaching Staff felt that you were very close to making the
State Team and would benefit to continue to train. Should an opportunity arise, the appropriate alternate would be
invited.
We have a training event in March, with another training event in June, and then Region Camp in June (Girls) or July
(Boys). There are not many opportunities left on this year's calendar, unless the Coaching Staff wants to schedule an
additional practice in April or May.
Concerning player rankings vs. positions, I think that the GK position is the one that is most important as an Alternate.
Should a GK get injured or decline, the Alternate GK would then be invited to join the State Team. For field players, the
decision to rank players or to bring them in based on position is at their discretion. I asked that all coaching staffs invite
at least one alternate at each position. This season officially ends at Region Camp in June (Girls) or July (Boys). Anyone
that chooses to accept the Alternate position will automatically be invited back into the 2014-2015 State Pool next year,
just as the State Team Members. We really want the Alternates to continue to participate not only for the benefit of the
team, but also to their own individual benefit.
Finally, I like to compare the ODP process to the same process that is used to select the National Team. Essentially, ODP
is the first step towards making the National Team so our program should reflect the same environment. Players are
invited into a training camp. The players differ from event to event based on the needs of the coaching staff and the
type of event/match that is scheduled. 25-30 players may be invited to train, 22 are selected to dress out for a match,
but only a certain amount will play in the match. The process for Alabama ODP is similar, but we have to make that
process fit our environment and the youth player. I think that players that aren't selected for the State Team, should
still be benefitting from the Training Events, and from attending as players in the Sub-Regional Events. We have a set
curriculum that we follow for each training session that builds off the previous session. This is a multi-year plan based
off the U.S. Soccer Curriculum and the Region III ODP Playing Style and Philosophy. We'd like to see our Pool Players
continue to attend and train because 1)they will hopefully benefit from the program 2)they will improve their
knowledge and skills and 3) they will become a better player and could return to make the team the following year.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks,
Zac Crawford
Technical Director
Alabama Soccer Association