United Youth Soccer has a pyramid-like system for determining the best young players in the country. For each year of birth, first you’re one of the best players in your state, then one of the 400 or 500 best in your region, then you’re one of the 40 or 50 best in that region.

That last level is where Wyatt Omsberg is now for boys soccer players born in 1995. Omsberg was one of approximately 40 players chosen for the Region I Call Back Camp. Region 1 includes states from Maine to West Virginia.

“I’m excited,” Omsberg said. “I guess I’m kind of proud. I’ve worked pretty hard, so I guess it’s kind of a reward.”

Omsberg, who plays at Messalonskee, was one of four players from Maine who was essentially identified as one of the top 200 or so players in his age group in the country. Boys soccer player Gulad Hussain, and girls players Abby Pyne and Opal Curless were also selected. Pyne, a student at John Bapst, is a goalkeeper on the 1996 girls national team.

“Maine has not had much success putting players into the (Olympic Development Program) pool,” said Scott Gillespie, the state ODP director. “We haven’t had a boy in the pool in, I’d say, four or five years. We now have very high-quality players.”

George O’Neill, the Region 1 staff coach for the 1995 boys team, said it was Omsberg’s field vision and distribution that made him stand out.

“He’s got a decent cross touch on the ball and a decent range of passing,” O’Neill said. “That was the first thing that caught our attention. For his age, he did a good job.”

Those 400-500 best players in the region were whittled down to about 40 through a series of tryout camps — in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and then the Call Back Camp in Massachusetts.

“There are, on average, 12 different sets of eyes — and these are very high-level coaches — watching these players,” Gillespie said. “To be selected is a real feather in his cap. He didn’t just pass one set of eyes or get one recommendation.”

Omsberg played center midfielder, which naturally gave him a chance to show off that field vision and his distribution skills, but he was also aware of all the eyes that were on him during the different levels of the process.

“You know you’re always being watched,” Omsberg said. “You’ve just got to make sure you’re always doing the right thing. You really can’t slack off at all.”

O’Neill said the 40 or so players from Region 1 will play in inter-regional tournaments in Alabama in December, at the same site as the NCAA Division I men’s soccer final four. After that, he said, 18 players are selected to play in a tournament overseas in early 2012.

“Oh, he has a chance,” O’Neill said when asked about Omsberg’s chances to getting to the final 18. “Absolutely. Absolutely. The 40 guys that were there definitely have a chance.”

O’Neill added that, for one reason or another, the players selected for the top 18 will not be the same 18 who play overseas after the first of the year. He said usually two or three players are replaced by players from the pool of 40.

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

 

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