COPA X Racing Louisville Pro Pathway Talent ID Day Preview

COPA Soccer Training Centre is a high tech training facility based in Walnut Creek, CA that is creating a lot of buzz around their approach to talent identification. They have multiple training modules that tests a player's physical, cognitive, athletic, and technical ability. After a player is done performing these modules they receive what is called a COPA Score. This score compares them to the rest of their peers and puts them in percentiles. This talent ID days taking place on Sunday March 23rd and I am looking forward to attending.   I recognize a ton of names on this list and they are all fantastic players. Some of the names are as follows:   [player_tooltip player_id='146238' first='Kendall' last='Conway']- top player out of Lamorinda. US youth national team with a ridiculous skill set. Powerful shot, fantastic engine and just seems like she's in complete control out there on the field.   [player_tooltip player_id='202653' first='Everleigh' last='Porter']- Such a fun player to watch. She's a Youth USA futsal international for good reason. Her close control and footwork is absolutely outstanding. She creates space on the dribble for a shot or through ball with exceptional precision.   Jadyn Rosenberg- Another Lamorinda up and comer. Absolute technician with the ball. Knows exactly where she's going with her first touch and scans like a seasoned pro.   [player_tooltip player_id='199883' first='Mercy' last='Karson']- Coming off a great high school season with Carondelet where she played further forward at the 6. The position change has added a different and improved dimension to her skill set. She has been at US Youth National Team events in Chula Vista and is a strong candidate to be involved the USA U-15 National Team during this next cycle.   Jocelyn (LJ) Pearcy- headed to Michigan St. for a reason Pearcy has a ferocious left foot. She is another extremely talented player developed by San Juan. She gallops across the field like a gazelle when she gets going. She can weave her way through traffic on the dribble extremely well.   Aubrey McClin- Goalkeeper supreme. She has an elite mentality, I'm not sure if there is a keeper I have come across that wants to succeed in this game more then McClin does.   [player_tooltip player_id='146239' first='Rhea' last='Moore']- Coming off an amazing couple of weeks where she took part in Angel City's pre-season. Moore is a top talent who is a part of the U16 USA Youth National Team group. Scoring 5 goals in a game at her age group is not uncommon.   [player_tooltip player_id='202683' first='Jayla' last='Swindle']- coming off a monster high school season with Valley Christian where she won league player of the year as a freshmen. Scoring an astonishing number of goals (46) against bigger, faster, stronger opponents along with providing 14 assists. She has a technical skill set unlike any other.   This technology and testing is still in its infancy. It begs the question how accurate can these tests really be at identifying talent? My take is that it clearly has a ton of value getting a base of informational data like this. Seeing some of the names on this list they clearly are doing something right. Knowing a players physical profile, as well as their mental fortitude is extremely important. The technical tests is where I find it a little harder to comprehend. I believe nothing can replace an 11v11 game when making a judgement about a player's technical abilities. However, with that being said, players whom I know are outstanding technically always seem to test well in the technical modules COPA has set up. So clearly they are onto something.   It will be fascinating to see how this technology advances the game in not only the Bay Area but the entire world. How much stock will a COPA score have to talent evaluators moving forward? In game data service providers (WYSCOUT, HUDL, etc) are also a big part of talent identification now days. Are we getting to a point where evaluating players is no longer done by watching games but by looking at statistics on a computer (COPA Score, In game Stats, Etc.)? I think many would argue yes. Fascinating times are ahead and if you have an opportunity to go get a COPA Score done I would highly recommend you do so.

COPA Soccer Training Centre is a high tech training facility based in Walnut Creek, CA that is creating a lot of buzz around their approach to talent identification. They have multiple training modules that tests a player's physical, cognitive, athletic, and technical ability. After a player is done performing these modules they receive what is called a COPA Score. This score compares them to the rest of their peers and puts them in percentiles. This talent ID days taking place on Sunday March 23rd and I am looking forward to attending.