U.S. Under-14 National Program

In recent years, the United States’ play at the Youth National Team level has confirmed its status as the top youth nation in CONCACAF and one of the most improved in the world. In existence since 1997, the U.S. Under-14 National Team program is a major reason for the increasing quantity and quality of young players vying for spots in the U.S. Youth National Teams program.

• Manny Schellscheidt Discusses the U-14 National Team Program (listen)

“One thing we have always tried at these camps is to make the game itself the teacher,” said U.S. Under-14 Boys Technical Director Manny Schellscheidt. “We let the game and the situations guide the teaching. Just to see the talent of some of those 14-year-olds is amazing. With programs like this we are putting ourselves in a position where the young players coming through our Youth National Team system can play with any other youth players in the world.”

In the summer of 2006, two Under-14 Identification Camps were held as the U.S. continued to focus on its commitment to identifying the top players and developing them to help them move up the national team ladder. Schellscheidt, led 120 boys at the Boys’ camp in Concord, Mass., from July 30-August 5. The Under-14 Girls’ Identification Camp took place at the same time in Ponoma, Calif., as 100 girls were directed through the training sessions.

The players for the Under-14 Identification Camp are selected by regional USYS ODP coaches, with each region sending at least 20 players and sometimes as many as 35 to the weeklong camp. At the national camp the players receive instruction and play games for a week, while being watched, evaluated and directed by U.S. Soccer’s National Staff coaches, U.S. Soccer coaches and other regional and state coaches.

At the Boys’ Under-14 Identification Camp the teams play twice a day, training in the morning and playing matches in the evening. The coaches at the camp stressed problem-solving within the game, speed of play and competing in competitive environments.

From the U-14 Boys’ Identification Camp, 36 players were selected for a camp in late November of 2005, taking part in the USYS ODP Thanksgiving Interregional Event in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The U-14 Boys’ National Team then went on their first trip out of the country when they traveled down to Guadalajara, Mexico, in January 2007, for a weeklong training camp that included matches against Mexican youth teams. There will be at least one more training camp for the Under-14 boys in 2007, which will most likely take place at The Home Depot Center in May.

This interaction at the Under-14 level between National, State and Region coaches and administrators has not only helped in the development of players, but it has also improved the lines of communication between the coaches. The eight National Staff Coaches (four Men and four Women) scour the country, creating scouting networks to discover the top young players in the nation. The NSCs are responsible for selecting many of the players who are brought into the Under-14 program.

Although the program started in just 1997, it has already helped to produce almost a dozen professional players and has put many more on the path to professional soccer. Bobby Convey, who played in World Championships at the Under-17 and Under-20 level before turning 19 and is now a regular with the full Men’s National Team, was a participant at the very first U.S. Under-14 camp in 1997.


Under-14 Boys’ National Camps
1997 – ARCO Olympic Training Center – Chula Vista, California 67 players
1998 – ARCO Olympic Training Center – Chula Vista, California 63 players
1999 – ARCO Olympic Training Center – Chula Vista, California 93 players
2000 – Deerfield Academy - Deerfield, Massachusetts 116 players
2001 – Middlesex Prep - Concord, Massachusetts 116 players
2002 – Middlesex Prep - Concord, Massachusetts 120 players
2003 – Middlesex Prep - Concord, Massachusetts 120 players
2004 – Middlesex Prep - Concord, Massachusetts 120 players
2005 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 120 players
2006 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 120 players

Under-14 Girls’ National Camps
1999 – ARCO Olympic Training Center – Chula Vista, California 80 players
2000 – University of Montevallo - Montevallo, Alabama 80 players
2001 – Deerfield Academy - Deerfield, Massachusetts 100 players
2002 – Deerfield Academy - Deerfield, Massachusetts 100 players
2003 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 100 players
2004 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 100 players
2005 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 100 players
2006 – Middlesex Prep – Concord, Massachusetts 100 players