United States Youth Soccer Partners with WorldStrides Excel on International Soccer Tours for Olympic Development Program National Teams

Glenwood, Maryland — August 28, 2019 —WorldStrides Excel, the nation’s largest and most trusted sports travel provider, announced it is partnering with United States Youth Soccer to deliver international soccer tours for their ODP National Girls 2005 Team and ODP National Boys 2004 Team in April 2020.

The upcoming year will offer international travel and competition opportunities for 36 players. The National 2005 Girls Team will tour the Netherlands from April 3-9^th to play against top academy sides, and visit Amsterdam. The National 2004 Boys Team will attend the 19^th Annual Mediterranean International Tournament in Spain from April 5-13^th. The Mediterranean International Cup, otherwise known as the MIC Cup, has hosted clubs and national teams featuring world-class stars before they were famous, including Lionel Messi, Marcelo, Juan Mata, Neymar, Phillipe Coutinho, and countless more.

 “US Youth Soccer ODP East Region has had the privilege of working with WorldStrides for 3 years and we are thrilled to now extend our relationship to the national level. We are delighted to be working with them on the new ODP National Team programs and we are excited for the opportunities this will bring to our players and staff on the international stage.” – Katia Sarokon, National ODP Administrator

 “We are honored to be able to work with the USYS National ODP programs and bring these new and exciting programs to the international stage. We have a long and proud history of working with state and regional ODP programs and we are excited to create a top quality international experience for the National ODP Teams.” – Eric McAleer, Founder of WorldStrides Excel Sports

About US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program

The US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) was formed in 1977 to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team will be selected for international competition in order to provide high-level training to benefit and enhance the development of players at all levels and, through the use of carefully selected and licensed coaches, develop a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and curriculum to improve all levels of coaching.

 About WorldStrides

WorldStrides, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., is the largest educational student travel company in the United States. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C. and has grown to provide educational programs for more than 425,000 students annually. The WorldStrides Excel division is the leader in international tours for U.S. soccer teams and is a specialist in meeting the unique requirements of international team travel at the recreational, travel, ODP, and collegiate level. For more information on WorldStrides Excel Sports, visit www.worldstrides.com/excel.