The first afternoon games kicked off promptly at 3:00 PM. The U16 match-up between Indiana University’s Todd Yeagley and the Vancouver Whitecaps Steve Meadley contained some of the top talent in the age group and drew the eyes of several other university coaches scouting the event.

“A couple of the players we were looking to scout mentioned they would be attending the Super Y- League ODP National Camps,” said George Gelnovatch of the University of Virginia. “This was a good opportunity to come watch them play. The level of play in the Super Y-League is great. We certainly get a lot of players from the Super Y- League.”

As expected the talent on the “Holland,” field sizzled and an evenly contested, multi-goal affair seemed to fly by. After the first 35 minute session, teams walked to one of the adjacent fields of the sprawling Cocoa Expo Center to take on their second team of the evening.

“There is one or two kids here in the upper echelon of the U16 ranks,” said Indiana’s Yeagley. “For the most part those players are already in the U.S. U17 National Team Residency Camp. The purpose of the Super Y-League ODP National Camp is to find the ones that are missing, or those who have really come on strong in the past six months. This event helps broaden the web of U.S. National Team scouting. It is important to provide opportunities like this. It helps the development of our kids.”

The ‘88/’89 games ran 5:00 – 6:30 PM under the same schedule. Players had an hour of free time before attending a Question & Answer session with several college coaches. The Q&A session was held at the Cocoa Expo Stadium at 7:30 PM. The topics included the specifics on completing a ‘letter of content’ for college commitment, challenges players face over the course of a college career, and the basic rules of recruiting. Penn State University’s Mike Parsons also explained the uses of the ‘college clearinghouse,’ which is used to relay a player’s academic background and amateur status to prospective colleges and universities.

“I got a lot of information out of the Q&A session with college coaches tonight,” said ’90 Triangle FC defender Dalton Hadlock. “Coming into the SYL ODP National Camp I expected the top players because there is a selection process to get in. These are all the top players from the best clubs in the country.”

“I prefer the Super Y-League selection process over the regional [US Youth Soccer] ODP process because it happens over the course of the Super Y-League season,” added Hadlock. “A lot can go wrong in a one day tryout but in the Super Y-League you are selected because of your performance over the course of a season. It works. Here we are surrounded by players who know the game and have remarkable talent.”