This past July 10-13, South Valley Chivas player, Valeria Rios attended the 2014 US Youth Soccer Region IV ODP camp held on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Valeria was amongst the best 40-50 girls born in the year 1999 from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

In order to be invited into the camp players first had to make the State ODP squad, then attend numerous Sub Regional competition where Regional IV ODP scouts would later select the best 40-50 girls per year born.

A typical day at the camp consisted of waking up at 6:30, eating breakfast, then a morning training session. Then it was off to lunch and afterwards a classroom session with coaches. Afterwards there was dinner and then a game.

Valeria’s coach for the extent of the camp was UC Davis Aggies, Women Soccer Head Coach, Twila Kaufman.

When asked what was the most important thing she learned at the camp Valeria answered, “The characteristics and qualities which US National coaches are looking for which are technical abilities, tactics, mental toughness, physical tougness. She also mentioned “having a great coachability skill is what defines a better player.

Up next for Valeria is waiting to see if she is selected to participate in the National ODP championship which will take place in Florida later in the year. Making it to this level you are for sure to be called into the US National Team camps to participate in competitions around the world.

Valeria is the daughter of Chema and Irma Rios and attends Porterville High School where she had a stellar freshman year playing varsity and being the leading scorer of the team. She plays for the South Valley Chivas Academy 98G team which will be playing in the State Gold U16 Girls division of the Nor Cal Premier Soccer League. On the SVCA 98G team, she is a very versatile player playing any field position on the team dependent upon the team formation.

The US Youth Soccer ODP was formed in 1977 to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team will be selected for international competition; to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels; and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching.