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SPORTS
Coaches see talent at championships
The West Virginia Soccer Club Elite played the Baltimore Bays during the second day of pool play for the US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championships Saturday, July 4, 2009, at the Barboursville Soccer Complex. The Elite lost 2-0.
BARBOURSVILLE -- With 4,500 players taking part in the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships, the focus of more than 200 college coaches is on the fields at Barboursville Soccer Complex and Scott Orthopedic Soccer Complex at the Huntington YMCA Kennedy Center.
For coaches, Independence Day served as a reunion of sorts on the recruiting trail as they mingled together in pods in between fields so they could check out as many athletes as possible in a short period of time.
With the 2009 season coming soon, coaches are denoting the techniques of players from the U-15 to U-18 levels in search of the next class of recruits.
"In recruiting, the process is getting so forward, meaning we are looking at 2010s, 11s and 12s with the 10s nearly done," said Paul Marco, men's soccer coach at Binghamton University in New York. "I'm looking around for a player or three."
Marco is one of several college coaches that also lead club soccer teams. He is in charge of the BC United Fusion U-17 and U-18 teams representing New York West.
Marshall University men's coach Bob Gray directs the U-15 WVSC Elite team while perusing the premises for potential recruits.
The dual roles make for a weekend that is anything but a holiday. However, the work put in this week can reap rewards for the next four years should players choose to join a program.
The importance is multiplied when considering that Gray and Marshall women's coach Kevin Long have the competitive advantage of players being able to check out the campus with the tournament in town.
"The exposure that the university got just with the opening ceremonies is key, but especially for us because kids get a free look at our campus," Gray said. "Kids who were on our list to look at, we encouraged to come down and make a visit so it's great for us."
From the University of Michigan to the University of Miami and everywhere in between, coaches from around the nation shook hands, made dinner plans and discussed the prospects.
Long, whose background at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., made him a popular man among people following Region I, played the role of gracious host, talking up the town with visitors while also offering advice on dinner choices before also checking out his fair share of players.
The area coaches were not the only ones enjoying the benefits. Area players also got the opportunity to showcase their talent on Saturday as many of the state's teams took on some of Region I's best.
Gray's U-15 team played Casa Mia Bays, ranked No. 4 in the nation, while the U-17 WVSC Goal Girls and U-19 Girls representative RVSC Shock each took on defending Region I champions.
Especially for the Goal Girls, the exposure was important as more than 25 college coaches crowded the surrounding field to check out the future juniors and seniors. No matter the result, the contest was a victory in terms of exposure for the girls on the team.
"It's bringing people and coaches to our state, so we can show them what we've got," said Jessica Beihl of the Goal Girls.
Today marks the last day of pool play and for many of the 4,500 participants, the last day to get out and make an impression for their futures. Games begin at 8 a.m. at both complexes.
