PLATTEVILLE — Platteville Power youth soccer players Andrew Barry, 11, Evan Mewhirter, 12, and Tina Muzinga, 13, have been selected, after three intense tryouts, for the 2016–17 Wisconsin Soccer’s Olympic Development Program.
This is a great accomplishment for the Platteville Power Soccer Club in general for the leadership, technical, and tactical trainings they provide to area youth soccer players and particularly for these three kids for the efforts they put forth to compete against the top players in their respective age groups.
It is important to stress that ODP is a national identification and development program for high-level players. The program identifies and develops youth players throughout the country to represent their state association, region and the United States in soccer competition.
What next?
Mewhirter, Barry and Muzinga will be put on teams formed at the state association and regional levels. Those teams will be made up of the best players in various age groups to develop their skill through training and competition. From the state pools and subsequent teams, players will be identified for regional and national pools and teams.
According to Danny Sweeney, the ODP Administrator, the year-long player development process will consist of roughly 10 contacts held around the state including 8–10 trainings and or one or two intra/interstate competitions. Athletes will be evaluated during the developmental series to be selected to the Wisconsin State team.
What’s jumps out about these three kids on the field?
Everyone who has seen Mewhirter (“Messi junior”), Barry (“Renaldo junior”), and Muzinga (“the cheetah goal collector”) playing soccer would agree that these have superior soccer skills and deserve to make the pool of players for state, regional and national pools and teams.
Mewhirter can play all soccer positions, forward, middlefield, defense, and even goalie. His soccer IQ is unbelievable at his age. He plays like the QB on a soccer team and that is the type of player every coach would love to have on his/her team.
Muzinga is a natural goal scorer, period. She is a very strong striker who annoys and confuses defenders with her tremendous speed, first touches, movements, and more importantly with her scoring instincts. Last year alone, with the Madison U13 White, she scored 80% of the team overall goals. This year, her scoring ability and strengths were enough to talk the 56ers’ tryout coaches into moving her up to play with the U16 White as a 13-year-old.
Barry is another very talented young player who plays both center forward, center defender, and desires to become goalie. He has a unique understanding of the game and is willing to play whichever position needs filling. He is only 11, but plays up with the U14 boys. This summer Barry tried out for the Dubuque Soccer Club and was invited to play on their U14 team this winter, however he chose to stay with the PPSC because of the superior coaching and great teammates.
