The Ottawa South United Force Academy will get the chance to compete alongside many of the best youth soccer players in North America when the Force attend their second Toronto FC Fall Invitational this month.
The Sept. 16-18 tournament features Major League Soccer Academy teams from Chicago, New York, Orlando, Columbus, Houston, D.C., and host Toronto.
“It’s fantastic that that’s the regard we’re held to – that we can go in and compete with MLS academies,” says OSU Club Head Coach Paul Harris. “The teams, the coaches, the full-time staff and the part-time staff who work with all ages: it’s a big credit to them that we are able to go and compete.
“You have to pinch yourself sometimes that you’re in that kind of class of clubs.”
Players from the Force Black 2004 and 2005 boys’ teams will compete in the event for U11 and U12 age groups. It’s the second consecutive year OSU will appear at the Invitational, having performed well enough last year to earn the return invite.
“Taking part in a high-level competition like that, it’s absolutely vital now,” highlights Harris, noting that recently-implemented travel restrictions limit the opportunity for younger players to attend tournaments outside of Ottawa.
“This is a chance to see what the next level is like, and what many of them are aspiring to – getting into these pro academies themselves,” adds the former Everton FC Academy Coach. “For the young players to actually feel it, touch it, breathe it, is important. Then they know what they can aim for. And if they are comparable, then it gives them some hope and switches them on to soccer even more.
“It’s really great for our program. We’re really fortunate that the work from some of the older groups has opened this pathway for these younger boys.”
OSU pair to join TFC in France
Amongst those older players who have impressed the TFC brass in the past are Mehdi Essoussi and Danny Assaf. On the heels of a week of training at TFC in mid-August, the pair from OSU’s 12-1 Ontario Player Development League first-place U15 boys’ squad have been invited to join TFC for a trip to France. That will include training at Clairefontaine, the French national team’s home, and a game with players from the French national soccer school.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for those two boys,” signals Harris, whose players have taken part in Canadian national team talent ID camps and Team Ontario programs earlier this year.
“These high-level opportunities are becoming the norm for them,” he adds. “This is the next step. OSU can only take you so far on the journey, and our job is to pass you on to the pro clubs, and hopefully that’s going to happen for these boys.”
OSU open fall trials upcoming
The list of OSU players who have moved on to pro academies is getting to be quite lengthy. One of the first was Kris Twardek, who recently got his first start for English side Millwall FC’s top men’s team. Twardek also played for the Canadian under-20 men’s teams in Sept. 1 and 3 friendlies, while Bella Hanisch also appeared for Canada at August’s CONCACAF U15 Women’s Championships.
Many more players are on Team Ontario and over 150 OSU alumni have moved on to university soccer, which has helped the club become the place to go locally for talented players to develop and reach for the top.
“You’ve only got to look at the players moving forward from OSU,” states Harris, whose club is hosting open fall trials in September and early October. “If you’re a serious player across the city, we feel we can help those players and obviously we’d love to see them here at OSU. Everybody is welcome to attend our trials and come and have a look at what we do.
“We have a proven track record and we’re proud of the product we put out there and what we do for our players.”