I had one of my most exciting opportunities arise from playing soccer. I was honored with the opportunity to travel to Cocoa, Florida for the 2008 Super-Y League (SYL) National ODP Camp, January 16-19. The purpose of this camp is to showcase the top players from all the different SYL Divisions across North America and chose players for national ODP programs and a SYL National Select Team. College coaches were also in attendance in hopes of recruiting players for their schools. This is my story.
Going into camp I had no idea what to expect; no clue of where we were staying, what the players would be like, how we would be getting there or for that matter, what we would be doing.  When we arrived at Cocoa Expo, the facilities we’d be staying at for the weekend, we received all our training and match gear, room assignments and schedules. The format of the weekend was appealing, each player was assigned a team and then your team played a series of 35 minute games in order to observe players where it really matters, game situations. In addition there would be a little training for field players to get to know their team and a bit more training for goalkeepers, to more accurately asses our skills.
We were done registering by 5:00PM and then we were to have dinner, attend the opening ceremonies and our team meetings, which were followed by our first training session. This was thrilling, it was the next level of expectations, it is crucial to be able to travel and bring your A-game right away. Even though they said it was just a night to loosen up and get ready for the next three days, first impressions last forever. After our training sessions in morning it was game time, when the real learning and real play started.
    If you put over 200 highly motivated, skilled players from all over North America and tell them they are competing to be recognized as some of the best players in the country and a possibility to play all over the world, you get some fierce competition. Imagine the top players from the top teams you play each season, playing together.
The thing I noticed right away, in our first game, was the speed of play. There is no longer time for a receiving touch and then decide what to do with the ball.  Unless you do something with the ball on your first touch, either play one touch or move it out of pressure and play quickly or beat a defender, you’re going to lose the ball. It is high paced, and if you don’t come into matches physically and mentally fit you will be left behind. The defensive pressure hard and immediate, the offensive players are aware of the field and know where they are going before they get the ball, which enables them to play quickly and retain possession.
 I also noticed the ability, of all the players, to be able to hit a 50 yard ball across the field on a rope to his teammate, who is going to receive it on his chest. While, still knowing where he is going with it next and play himself into a position where this is possible. This allows a team to advance the ball with long balls effectively, not just knock balls in a general direction and run onto it.
 Another observation I made was their willingness, drive, and desire to shoot and score. The players want to take the outside shot. As soon as they get the tiniest inch they’ll exploit it and take their shot. Their determination to score it is not limited to shooting; it is their fierce competitive nature in the box by all players, offense and defense. They recognize the urgency of the situation, and there will be four guys in the box to receive a cross almost every time and they will fight like none other to get up, win it and put the ball in the back of the net.
 The players there also had an immense knowledge of the game. My team was a group of players from California, Colorado, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and yet after only two and a half hours of training with each other we were able to step on to the field and play as a unit. The players realize that one man is not going to do it alone. They read the game and make a decision of whether to pass or beat a man but all action is with intent. Not merely movement to buy time to make a decision because they weren’t aware enough to know what to do, so they just dribble. I guarantee that every single forward, midfielder and most of the defenders on my team could take a man or two on and beat them but they did not keep the ball themselves. They moved the ball and then when the opportunity arose they took full advantage. They used those foot skills to find room for a service or shot and put it where they want it.
As a keeper, I was in the perfect position to observe all this play and be able to see what the next level is like. The one most important thing I learned as a keeper is game management. This aspect has a couple components, foot skills, crosses, physical fitness and field presence. First, I want to stress foot skills, something that is often forgotten in goalkeepers but an absolutely necessary part of an elite goalkeeper. You must be able to distribute the ball as part of the attack as well as be a link in your team’s possession. This allows your team to keep possession and does not put your team under pressure after a save. Second is handling crosses. This is vital since it is controlling your area. The keeper must be not only the keeper of the goal but also of the entire box. Third is physical fitness. As a goalkeeper you have to be one of the fittest players on the field, the most explosive, the quickest and the most agile. Goalkeepers cannot afford to slack off, especially at the elite level. They work twice as hard to make sure they can control their area. I think most importantly is a keeper’s presence on the field. A keeper must have a positive and assertive presence on the field, both physically over the opposing team but especially verbally encouraging and organizing his team to stop attacks before they even begin. These four abilities are central to being a goalkeeper: lead your team, control your area and prevent attacks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   
At this point you may be saying, “We’ve heard it all before, play fast, shoot, want to score, pass the ball, blah, blah, blah. That’s what everyone says.” However, it is all true and has to be stressed, verbally and visually, over and over. It also should be seen in person because TV distorts the speed of play and hides the constant communication. It also makes it all seem just like only the pros do this, but, the beginnings of this “next level” are right there at the top level of youth soccer. Overall, this intense weekend opened my eyes up to that next level of soccer.  These are the things that are in the next level of this game and are crucial to becoming a better player. The most important thing I took away from this experience is that no one got there because of pure natural talent. Everyone there is working and training outside of regular team practices and that is what is necessary to reach the next level.