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USL Orange County SC

OCSC's Full Time Reserve Team Cements Its Place in the Pathway to Professional Model

August 4, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release


Less than a month after signing a USL Academy contract, Jonathan Gomez, 16, stepped on the pitch at Championship Soccer Stadium for his professional debut for Orange County SC. This momentous occasion in Gomez's young career was an achievement that he sought when leaving his native San Diego Surf academy to join OCSC where he felt was the best place to grow and progress to the next level.

Gomez knew that it was an opportunity to debut professionally and begin a journey to realize a dream of playing for a world-class club abroad. He committed himself to taking an early morning train from San Diego to OCSC's training facilities in Irvine to train with the first team and continue his development with the club's full time reserve team, OCSC II.

Competing in the USL Academy League classified as a U19 team, OCSC II's mission is to develop local young talent to kickstart their professional careers. A dedicated technical staff led by Sunderland and Portsmouth legend Paul Hardyman mirrors the play style and day-to-day operations of OCSC II to the first team to create a professional environment.

"At Orange County SC, we have worked so hard to put this reserve team together and create an environment where young players will develop their knowledge and skills to push them closer to reaching their dreams of becoming a professional soccer player," Hardyman said. "We will aid the players' development by using four pillars-Ball, Body, Game and Mind. Each pillar will be used to help the players with their individual learning plans. Ball is where we will focus on their technical attributes. Body is the physical area we need to help them deal with the challenges of 90 minutes of soccer. Game is where we educate them around their roles and responsibilities of the position they play, in possession, out of possession and the transitional moments of the game. Finally we work with the psychological areas of the game in Mind."

Hardyman and the coaching staff scout players that fit the OCSC mold across the premier youth clubs of Southern California extending beyond Orange County and into Los Angeles, San Diego and the Inland Empire. In the USL Academy structure, some players are still able to compete with their original club team and retain college eligibility unless they sign a full time professional contract.

The team also includes players that have been identified and brought into the club's system through OCSC II Open Tryouts held throughout the season. Brady Elliott, 17, from Wrightwood, CA was a player that stood out to the technical staff at a previous tryout and was invited to trial with OCSC II before earning a spot on the team.

"I feel like OCSC has provided me with a clear pathway to go professional, into the first team and seeing guys like Kobi Henry going to Europe inspires me," Elliott said. "I was surprised at the quality of players at the tryout as it was all high level and I was able to showcase my skills well enough to join the reserve team. I'm excited for the opportunity to train at a professional level and eventually break into the first team."

Players who are committed to OCSC II are offered an opportunity to pursue an education through the club that maximizes their time studying towards their high school diploma, training on the pitch with the club and traveling to away fixtures. Like the first team, OCSC II players have access to the club's training facilities, support staff and any necessary resources to succeed.

The intent of OCSC II is to bridge the gap between youth and professional soccer in a way that players receive the highest quality development and top-notch environment that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The recent successes of OCSC's Pathway to Professional model shows players the trajectory they could follow in their careers.

"Starting our full time OCSC II Reserve team was an essential addition to our already very successful player pathway," President of Soccer Operations Oliver Wyss said. "We now have the right structure and environment to develop future professional players that can move from our reserve to our first Team and beyond."

The record breaking transfer of defender and USMNT prospect Kobi Henry, 18, to Stade de Reims, in Ligue 1 the French first division, is the most recent success story of the progression from OCSC II to the first team and eventually to the highest level. Players, like Gomez and first team forward and USMNT U19 Korede Osundina, are waiting in the wings to become the next young talent to excel at OCSC and beyond.

OCSC II hosts another round of tryouts to find the next crop of talent that have their sights set on competing at the highest level on Friday, August 19 at the Great Park in Irvine. Players born from 2006 to 2008 are invited to learn more about the tryout and sign up here.

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