Super Y-League Feature
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
BRADENTON, Fla. – The goal at the start of every Super Y-League ODP National Camp is for the players to learn and grow while also enjoying the experience of competing alongside top players from throughout the country.
For West Pines United’s Devon Nothard and Alliance Academy’s Carson Brinks, the past weekend certainly lived up to their expectations. As part of a squad led by Lynn University coach John Rootes, both shone defensively and were named to the camp’s U16 Select Team.
“It’s fantastic; the level of play here is phenomenal and I’m so glad to be part of it,” Nothard said. “Just being around all of these players, and the level that they’re at. I just feel happy to be a part of it.”
Nothard returned to IMG Academy as a champion, having been part of the West Pines United side that claimed the Boys U15 title last December. Led by Golden Boot-winner Alex Alexis, United put together a string of impressive performances that culminated in the club’s biggest win to date.
“I’d never won anything that big before; it was just on a whole new level,” Nothard said. “I was ecstatic; the team was ecstatic; we all just put it together. We’re coming up. We haven’t always been on that level, and it just shows when we all collaborate together our teams can come up and compete at the top level.”
Nothard’s size and ability to read the game drew attention throughout the weekend, but it was his touch on the ball and willingness to join the midfield when the chance presented it that stood out. That facet of his game allowed the team to maintain good spells of possession, and allowed Rootes flexibility in his system of play.
“That’s what I like about him,” Rootes said. “He’s big, a typical central defender, great in the air and he tackles well, closes people down well, but he does have silky touch and the ability to distribute, and he likes to play with the ball at his feet. He gave us the ability to play out of the back. He’s got a lot of composure.”
Brinks, whose regular position for Alliance is also center back, was moved to full back for portions of the weekend’s action and showed excellent positional sense in addition to good speed as he got up and down the flank. Rootes credited his squad’s ability to hit quickly on the counter-attack partly to Brinks’ ability to win possession and quickly turn defense into attack.
“He has a lot of athleticism, very aggressive, and he reads the game well,” Rootes said. “He’s very good at stepping up and winning balls and starting counter-attacks. In the three games we played, he was instrumental in creating a lot of chances from winning the ball and starting off on the counter. I liked him as an outside back because he could win the ball and distribute it and get forward on the overlap; he did very well there.”
Brinks and his Alliance squad reached the semifinals of the Boys U16 Division last December as they fell to eventual champions Real Maryland. As he prepares to enter his final season in the Super Y-League - and starts getting offers from colleges to continue his career - Brinks said he enjoyed getting the chance to compete alongside and get to know some of the top players from throughout the league.
“I think the chemistry of the team,” Brinks said. “We really bonded this whole week. I got to know a lot of these guys - we’re all from different states - and to come together and play this well, it was really cool for me.”
Which means for Rootes, the goal of the weekend’s camp was accomplished.
“What I try to do is try to create a more professional environment that would be similar to what they would experience in college, and kind of treat them the way that I would my college team in the way that we train and prepare for the game,” Rootes said. “Hopefully it gave them a little taste of what it would be like playing at the next level.”