On August 26th, 2008, Paul Arriola was announced as one of the 40 elite players to make it to the U-14 Boys National Soccer Team. He is the only one from San Diego, one of four from Cal South, one of six from the state of California, one of eight in the entire region and one of forty in the United States.
Paul was originally scouted back in February 2008 at one of his Chula Vista Ranger games during the National Cup Tournament located in Lancaster, CA. From there Paul received a letter from the Olympic Development Program inviting him to try out with 75 other players his age (13) to represent Cal South (total amount of Under 14 Boys in Cal South is approximately 8500). He tried out for 3 consecutive weekends up in Ventura, Ca. as well as Lancaster, Ca. On the last weekend they announced 36 players to move onto the next round competing for a spot on the California State Team, which is held in Oregon. Cal South picks 36 players and Cal North picks 36 players to compete for 18 spots to represent our state of California. Each of the 50 states does this so the total number of players is now narrowed down to the top 900 players in the United States.
Paul then is chosen to be 1 of the 18 spots on the State team. Paul’s next step is to return to Oregon to compete for a spot on the Regional Team. The United States is divided into 4 regions and our region (4) is made up of the 14 most western states including Hawaii and Alaska. So if the 14 states all have 18 players, Paul is now competing against 252 players fighting for a spot of the 60 openings. Paul once again is chosen during Regional Camp to stay for the next cut down to 30 players. These 30 players represent our Region 4. The Region 4 players now move onto Boston where they hold National Camp. Here they are with 120 of the top players of the United State competing for a spot out of 40 openings. Paul makes the cut and is one of the proud forty players to represent the United States.
Paul will be attending the U.S. Under-14 Boy’s National Team for their upcoming Camp November 26 – December 1, 2008 in Orlando, Florida at Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the Thanksgiving Inter-Regional Classic. Only a few elite players can say they have represented the United States at the National Team level. Paul hopes that he can move on to the next step which is making the Residency Program. If chosen to attend Residency Program, Paul as well as the other U.S. players will live on campus at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. for approximately 2 years, and train in the morning under the guidance of Cabrera and assistant coaches Paul Caffrey, Paul Grafer and Keith Fulk, who was hired before the start of the semester as the team’s third assistant. In the afternoon, the players attend classes at nearby Bradenton Preparatory Academy.
While in the full-time residency program, the U.S. not only trains daily under Cabrera, but also has access to the IMG Academy’s spacious facilities. The team regularly uses IMG’s state-of-the-art strength-training facilities, as well as some of the nation’s best sports psychologists that work at the Academy. The IMG Academy includes top-of-the-line soccer equipment, three Bermuda grass fields, an indoor dome with artificial turf, two swimming pools, newly renovated student housing and dining facilities.
Since its inception in 1999, nearly 200 players have been through the full-time Residency Program, many of whom have moved on to Major League Soccer, or professional leagues in Europe. Fifteen players have also registered at least one cap with the full MNT: Bobby Convey, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Eddie Johnson, Eddie Gaven, Santino Quaranta, Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce, Justin Mapp, Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley. (Retrieved from
http://www.calsouth.com/topstory_2008_U17MensResidency.htm on September 20, 2008)
Whatever the case is, Paul will continue to represent the Chula Vista Rangers as well as the Cal South Team, the State of California Team, the Regional Team and most importantly the United States of America Team.
