Some of the best college soccer players from around the area and state will converge May 4, on Plant City’s Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, for an open trial with the VSI PDL team.
The Professional Development League is the top men’s development league in North America. PDL gives elite college players an opportunity to get a taste of the professional level while maintaining their eligibility, because the PDL season takes place during the summer.
The 2013 PDL season features 65 teams within four conferences throughout the United States and Canada, including the VSI Tampa Bay FC PDL team, which will begin its first year under the VSI Tampa Bay FC USL PRO franchise.
VSI Tampa Bay FC PDL will open its season at home against the Ocala Stampede May 17, at Plant City Stadium. All VSI PDL games are free.
“At VSI, we want our players to understand that we are preparing them to be professional players,” said VSI PDL head coach Sheldon Cipriani. “We’re trying to get them to understand that there’s a different level outside of college, so hopefully, the environment we want to create at VSI will help them appreciate what it takes to be a professional player. … They will train alongside pros daily and will probably play against the pros once a week.”
A Trinidad and Tobago native, Cipriani has been coaching for 22 years at various levels of the game, including helping current VSI USL PRO head coach Matt Weston and the Ocala Stampede win their division last year.
Cipriani joined the VSI Tampa Bay FC coaching staff for the 2013 USL PRO season and serves as an assistant for the team while serving as the head coach of the PDL team. He has been hard at work forming his group of players for the start of the season.
Several spots already have been filled on the VSI PDL roster, but Cipriani will be evaluating talent at the trial to add more talent.
“We have kids coming in from Tulsa, Monroe, Stetson and USF, along with kids from Pennsylvania and all over the country,” Cipriani said. “We have a good relationship with a lot of college coaches who have recommended very good players to us in the past, and when they tell us this is somebody we’re going to like, it’s usually a correct call, and we’ll sign those players.”
Cipriani cited several differences between the college game and the professional level, most notably the pace and speed of play.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean how fast players move, but how quickly they make decisions, how quickly they execute and how often they make the decisions,” he said.
Although elite talent exists at the college level, Cipriani said there is more turnover and more technical mistakes and tactical errors.
The goal of the PDL is to help bridge the gap and prepare players to play at a higher level, including improving decision making, consistency and technical strengths.
“At the professional level, there is a very small margin for error,” Cipriani said. “The difference with the amateur level is that you may or may not be punished.
But at the pro level, you probably are going to be punished for making mistakes, especially close to your own goal.”
Among Cipriani’s current PDL roster, there is a large presence of talent from the University of South Florida, including Jamaica native Ricardo Webb, who appeared in all 19 games for the Bulls in 2012 and had one goal and three assists.
“We’re very excited about the players from USF, because George Kiefer and his staff have an exceptional program,” Cipriani said. “They recruit some of the best players in the college game and they are very good technically and have a high soccer IQ. That’s the kind of players we want here.”
Cipriani also has a strong relationship with Monroe College coach Marcus DiBernardo. Karamba Janneh, a former Monroe College standout, is now a star and fan favorite with VSI Tampa Bay FC PRO.
While some players have been invited to the tryout, the May 4 trail is open to all.
For more tryout information and registration, visit vsi-fc.com.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.