RBNY RDS faced NJ Youth Soccer 's Young Olympians in a scrimmage this past Friday at Red Bulls Training Facility in Hanover, NJ. This event showcased teams from the 2003 and 2004 boys’ age group.
The sides faced off for a scrimmage divided into four 20-minute quarters. RDS 2004 faced the Young Olympians 2004 while the 2003 teams also played one another.
The journey to appear in this showcase was not an easy one. For the Young Olympians, tryouts occurred mid-November, followed by practice sessions going from then until April. Players were then picked toward the end of May.
Practice sessions continued throughout May, with an ODP (Olympic Development Program) Day Camp taking place on May 30th at Rider University. The Young Olympians is a quality program with a growing reputation for advancing soccer in New Jersey.
“Our Young Olympians Program, like the Red Bulls’ RDS, offers the advanced youth player the opportunity to venture further up the player development pathway,” said Rick Meana, NJYS Director of Coaching. “This exhibition game with the RDS Teams provided a highly competitive arena for our top Young Olympians to measure their ability against some of the top youth players in the tri state area.”
The RDS players were also put to the test various times in order to appear in this game. The players had to attend an RDS session in either Fall 2013, Winter 2013/2014, Spring 2014, or Summer 2014. Players were selected from these sessions to try out for the winter showcase that occurred in December. Players who played in the Winter showcase were then selected to play in the Summer showcase vs. the Young Olympians.
The players, and Red Bulls’ staff, know what an honor it is to be on the field for this showcase. This event is important to many who are involved.
“Our exhibition game against the Young Olympians is an event we look forward to each year. It’s an opportunity to test ourselves against another organization who prioritize player development, and gives us a unique insight into the general health of the game in our region,” said Simon Barrow, Red Bulls’ Regional Development School Manager. Not only were the games competitive, but the players were super-technical across the board – that’s a really good sign for the sport.”
