The Road to the Super Y-League North American Finals began in the spring and will culminate in December when champions will be crowned. An ongoing series profiling the clubs and teams headed to Tampa in December, The Road to the Finals examines the path teams are taking to reach the finals and how they are developing their young talent.

USL Feature

Monday, September 12, 2011

TAMPA, Fla. - West Pines FC has its player development process down to a science. Constricted by limited field space, West Pines teams primarily focus on the technical aspects of the game. The result is a technically superior player; the type of player U.S. Soccer is looking for.

 “[We] place our emphasis on individual technical development within the framework of team building,” West Pines Director of Coaching Tony March said.

By emphasizing the importance of technical skills from an early age, West Pines FC is fitting right in with U.S. Soccer’s new youth curriculum. Introduced by new Youth Technical Director Claudio Reyna last year, the Barcelona-inspired system emphasizes technical development over cramming matches into a team’s schedule.

West Pines FC’s commitment to player development is evident in their Super Y-League success. This year West Pines FC’s U12, U14 and U16 boys teams, along with their U13 girls team, earned berths at the Super Y-League North American Finals. The event will take place in early December in Tampa, Florida.

West Pines FC is fully on board with the U.S. Soccer directive and has been for some time before the initiative was laid down.

“Individual player development has always been our first priority at West Pines, so the new U.S. Soccer mandate is in keeping with our stated philosophy,” March said. “With two attack-minded former players now at the helm of US soccer, I can only hope that the emphasis on player development covers all stages of development, including the college years.”

March firmly believes the commitment to building the basic technical skills every young player needs does not stop at a young age. Those skills need to be constantly reinforced throughout their development.

While the focus for West Pines FC is all about making improving their young player’s games, taking home a national championship will be high on the priority list too come December.