Keeping perspective is a high priority for the coaching staff at Chicago-area club Sockers F.C., and head coach Oleg Vatchev says this is what he has been doing with the U15 squad at the club.

“They have underachieved some in results compared to last year’s U15 (a team that went to the national finals and won the Dallas Cup), but they are becoming really solid and with a little luck they could go a long way. Our major goal though, is to get them ready for the Academy. Everything else is byproducts.”

Sockers’ approach is to keep a larger pool, 44 players in the case of this age group, together for the sake of everyone getting the same training program. The squad will be split into teams for competition purposes, but the group members are all on the same path.

“Most clubs will have 1st teams, and maybe 2nd and 3rd teams. Other clubs have satellites with a north, south, east and west, but each of these teams has their own coach and practice by themselves,” Vatchev said. “We have 40 players and they are all trained by the same coaching staff. The 40th player gets the same training as the best player, then we select them (to the various groups) based on overall ability.

“This age group is very messy,” Vatchev added. “You can have a kid who looks like he’s 17, and a kid beside him who looks like he’s still 12-years old.  You might have very skillful kids who are still skinny and small and we need to keep an eye on them.”

Vatchev said the group’s top tier is playing in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League this season in part as an added incentive for players to make the grade.

“It’s a quality competition and in a tournament format, so we thought it was good for the younger boys to get experience playing in high-level competition,” he said. “The top group plays in the Midwest Regional League and the State Cup as well.”

Along with the breakdown based on leagues and matches, the player pool includes those who have chosen to participate in high school and those who don’t. For the abstinence crowd, fall brings the Top Talent Program started several years ago by club director David Richardson. Once high school season is over, the pool is back to three training sessions a week plus strength and conditioning training and indoor games in the winter. A similar schedule is adopted for spring.

Vatchev is adamant that the pool format over 5-6 years is the best way.

"It’s player development. We don’t know the final outcome for these kids so let’s give all of them a chance,” he said. “If they are not selected for a particular event they are still part of the group and they shouldn’t be discouraged. Everyone has time to get there. With 5-6 years of training together it allows the kids who mature early to play at the level they can achieve, but it allows the kid who is not maturing that fast to keep training and get the chance to get to a higher level.”

Vatchev said this group is best known for its technique.

“Most of these kids I coached when they were 10 years old. If you look at other top teams in the country from that age group we are not in the top 5-6 teams athletically, but we are all good on the ball and that’s probably the strength that allows them to have some success at a higher level,” he said. “The families on this team are good. Whenever we schedule something, they say right away they are going to do it. They are not ‘We might do it or we might not do it.’ They are a real strength to that group.

Among team standouts are goalkeeper Nick Landsberger, forwards Tom Arns and Damien Sampson, midfielders Jason Lesch, Luke Comerouski and John Pothast, plus defenders Patrick Schultz and Charlie Giovenco.

Keeping with the club motif, youth national team player Andrew Chang is being elevated from the age group to the U16 Academy team for this spring.

The Sockers FC U15 Boys Player Pool:

Steven Murguia, Daniel Cavazos, Zachary Solarte, Jason Kayne, Niko Lappo, Daniel Campagna, Erick Angeles, Michael Hennek, Justin Marais, Andrew Obmalay, Orest Sosnivka, Matt Taflinger, Ben Beard, Connor Moynihan, Stefano Dolomas, Christopher Racz, Daniel Tovar, Sean O’Brien, Hector Alvarez, Arman Arami, Marco Cattani, Ramon Contreras, Anthony  DiNuzzo, Leo Rodriguez, Andres Peña, Ryan Toher, Tom Arns, Luke Comerouski, Zachary Conrad, Justin Gibbons, Charlie Giovenco, Ethan Jendrezejezjlk, Eric Kotylar, Jeffrey Kreutz, Jonathan Krok, Nick Landsberger, Jason Lesch, Saul Mancilla, Joey Micci, John Pothast, Damien Sampson, Patrick Schulz.