Montana is, theoretically, a difficult place to establish a soccer network. Harsh winters, limited facilities and a small player pool all contribute to a state that doesn’t seem conducive to building a sporting powerhouse.

But the Montana Youth Soccer Association is developing a burgeoning soccer scene, with a series of teams leading the charge. And the best will be on show in full force at the TopDrawerSoccer Veterans Day Showcase in mid November.

“We're starting to see better coaches, and having the athletes actually getting to [college soccer] level,” Katja Andrew, Registrar for Montana Youth Soccer, said.

The Montana ODP sides are assembled meticulously every summer. Hundreds of players try out for the team and are whittled down to the best 24 by a group of watchful coaches. That cohort — consisting of boys and girls sides from U13-U18 — then goes on tour every winter.

“Our whole try out process and everything is just a little different,” Andrew said. “We’re just trying to get the kids to be noticed.”

It’s a crucial period in the recruiting cycle, with club soccer season yet to truly hit its stride. Showcases represent the best chance to get seen, with hundreds of watchful college coaches on the sidelines. And it’s those moments that Montana’s ODP system prepares its players for. They’re encouraged to train, stay fit and reach out to college programs. But they’re also trained by an increasingly talented group of in-state coaches, ones that prepare them for the game at the next level.

The goals of ODP players are admittedly fluid. Some want to have a shot at Division III or II soccer, with a goal of getting a solid education while perhaps playing at a slightly less intense level. But there are some more — a growing group — of those that have loftier goals, dreaming of play at some of the top Division I programs in the country.

That all starts with success at the youth level, Andrew said. That means ensuring that its ODP teams perform against top clubs from other states. It’s an admittedly tough task. Montana can dip into a soccer-playing population of around 1,500 — about 10 percent of the pool that states such as California, Texas and New York might utilize. But there’s some real talent among that reasonably small group.

Missoula Strikers — a club based near the Idaho border — sent star ‘07 Brady Reed to ODP National training camp in Boca Raton, Florida. He was one of 36 players in the west region chosen. There have been moments of promise on the girls' side, too. Josslyn Jones, a promising 2010 who plays for Montana Surf, is also missing the November event to play in Florida.

Options are available closer to home. Montana colleges have some good teams in their own right. The state’s flagship university, for one, has enjoyed recent success on the women’s side, appearing in the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons. There are also a number of smaller schools that can offer Division II or Division III play.

But some Montana natives have eyes to a footballing future beyond the confines of state borders. Montana soccer has set itself up for those players to multiply, for more talent to emerge from the state. They see an ever-expanding player pool, better coaching and a more selective system that can help the best talent in the state find their dream soccer school. And they might just get there, one showcase, one try out at a time.

“We are working hard like to get the kids that want to be seen, and want to take soccer on into the next level,” Andrew said.

Those players will be