The USA Women’s U20s recently concluded their first assembly of 2020 with a Selection Camp held at Life University from February 14 to 17.
Camp will be used to make final selections for an international competition this Summer. Details of the competition will be announced in the coming months.
Following the weekend, Head Coach Ricardo Ramirez provided his insight and evaluation of the assembly what comes next for the U20s.
Q&A with Ricardo Ramirez
How were selections made for this camp?
There was a small group of players that traveled to the London event last year. We were able to pick up a good amount of younger players from previous Girls High School All-American events with a group which played against Canada this past winter.
We also have a group in the U20 pool that attended opportunity days last year as well as straight recommendations from coaches. It is great to see players growing in the pathway but there is always an eye out for new players that may have started later (college) and excelled.
Describe what the layout of each day looked like?
The event was four days, so we designed the sessions to be fast and simplified. We wanted to hit the base themes with a heavy focus of pushing tempo. The Players did well responding to the pace and showed a strong work rate throughout the camp.
What were the specific workons for players before they arrived in camp?
I wouldn’t say there were specific work-ons for players heading into camp. Mostly players found good preparation working with their home clubs. I feel most left with personal work-ons and that is what we wanted, self evaluation and growth.
Describe what areas improved from the point where players arrived to when they left.
We saw a good amount of improvement in adjusting to our structure, but in more improvement from the players in their own play and taking chances. We challenged forwards to get more touches and be creative with ball-in-hand and encouraged backs to look for attacking kicking situations. We want players to find their role but not be afraid of redefining it.
What key themes or traits do you see emerging across domestic U20s players?
Something I see emerging in the domestic game is players willing to learn more. The questions from players clearly show how the game is growing and this also leads to them taking more chances. A good example is the kicking game…as we see it more in international play people are learning more about everything from the mechanics to the situations to look to apply. I see it happening at every age and position.
Were there any key moments or memories that stood out to the group?
The key moments were the games in the sessions where players applied what we provided and then took it to the next level by taking chances. We saw forwards more active in open play, players using the kicks to create attacking pressure and opportunities. It was great to see a wing insert into the centers to create numbers and create space and numbers.
