COPA X Racing Louisville Pro Pathway Talent ID Day Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I recognize a ton of names on this list and they are all fantastic players. Some of the names are as follows: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->