Games People Play: Middle’s Scarpa, Farrell Selected for Prestigious Soccer Tryout

Two Middle Township youngsters traveled to Rider University in early June to display their skills for potential development and advancement to the U.S. National Youth Teams and were selected to continue their quest at a regional camp this weekend.
Braiden Scarpa, a 12-year-old goalie, and Conor Farrell, a 13-year-old midfielder and left halfback, participated in the prestigious U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (ODP) tryout camp. Both are members of Cape Express, Cape May County’s premier travel soccer program for more than three decades. Charlie Duccilli is director of coaching for Express.
“I was the ODP director about 12 years ago,” he said. “The bottom line is, these are players of the highest caliber from around the state. They are competing to make the state team and if things go well, move on to a regional squad.”
The Garden State is in Region 1 which is one of four areas throughout the country. It encompasses Maine to Virginia.
“If you make your age group, which starts at the 12-year-old pool, you then attend a regional camp,” said Duccilli. “You spend a week with ODP coaches for an evaluation of your skills and abilities. If you’re that good and fortunate, you can make the national team. This is the process used to select Olympians. Two women on the current U.S. Olympic team are from New Jersey. They went through this ODP process.”
Duccilli stressed that commitment has almost as much to do with the outcome as talent. The young athletes and their families must sign up for extensive travel and plenty of time spent training.
“When I was coaching soccer at Rutgers University, this is what I used for recruiting,” said Duccilli. “It’s difficult to spend your budget on going to various high school games to see one kid when you can catch 150 players in the ODP. And they’re competing against athletes of similar skill sets. It’s a great learning experience for them because our county’s best athletes are accustomed to being the big fish in a small pond. ODP puts them into a select pool of like-talented players and they learn an awful lot about competition.”
Duccilli credited the competitors and their parents for the rigorous training and travel schedules once they qualify for the next level. “You have to be very dedicated,” he said. “These tryouts are held every year. Training is often two hours away. And this is in addition to club and school teams.”
Duccilli said the process is one of playing, playing, and more playing as ODP officials reduce the respective age-group rosters. “They’ll cut it down from 200 to 60 in each age group,” he said. “They then cut that group down to 24 for the regional. It’s a lot of trying out. It’s dedication and commitment.”
For those who can navigate the tryouts for at least one cut or two, cherished college scholarships are the prize. These are the best young players in the state and college coaches are always watching.
Cape Express trainers identify local athletes from the club’s various teams and age groups and send those names to Duccilli. It’s an evaluation process necessary to identify those with the most technical knowledge and skill set for the game.
“My trainers have a good knowledge of the top two or three from each Cape Express team,” he said. “It’s based on them recommending players they think can compete at the next level. Players that might have a shot. I can then recommend those kids to the state and the ODP. It’s a fairly open process.”
As a net minder, Braiden, the son of Mark and Kristine Scarpa, brings a different skill set than his Cape Express buddy. Conor, the son of Jim and Shannon Farrell, patrols the field rather than working athletically between the pipes.
“They each play specialized positions,” said Duccilli. “They both have outstanding game awareness and technical skill. They know how to read the game and that helps them excel. To be identified as regional ODP competitors is truly special. The ODP staff will determine which positions the boys are best suited for when it comes to the regional level of competition.”
Scarpa, who also enjoys roller hockey, prefers goaltending because it allows him to see the entire field. He was one of only three keepers selected in his age group. He’s preparing for an early July week-long ODP camp at The College of New Jersey in hopes of being invited back.
Farrell, who also enjoys lacrosse, is especially interested in the high level of competition the locals face when they travel to ODP camps. He’s working at left halfback for the tryouts and he said he hopes to “play quicker” when he goes to the TCNJ camp.
Scarpa and Farrell are not alone in representing Cape Express on the larger stage. Lower Township’s Max Gilbert and Zach Dittus of Mays Landing are too young for the Region 1 tournament but both boys have trained with about 60 other elite New Jersey players in their age group over the past year.
Duccilli, whose own daughter went through the process, says there is a major advantage to being a younger player working within the program.
“A lot of people say they don’t know if it’s worth it,” he said. “If the child has the talent he or she should do it. If the child can make the under 14 pool, that kid has already been identified and is known in the program. He or she is in the system and that’s a positive. It’s great to have a younger level program where kids can be identified earlier.”
He also noted that from any given year to the next, a young person’s physical stature can change significantly with height, strength and increased athleticism. As he stated, “the light bulb may go on” a little later for some children.
As Scarpa and Farrell move on to regional tryouts they’ll at least be familiar with the road ahead. Duccilli models much of the Cape Express training programs after the routines of the ODP.
“A lot of our stuff is based on U.S. Youth Soccer curriculum,” he noted. “It provides a solid base as preparation for the next level. Of course, there must be some self-motivation involved as well.”