The U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Region II ‘95 Girls are voyaging across the pond for a weeklong international trip to Holland and Belgium from March 11-19.

Under the leadership of Wisconsin Head Coach Paula Wilkins, the Region II girls will face the U18 KNVB academy team, travel to Belgium to play the Belgium U17 National Team, and return to Amsterdam for a final match against The Netherlands' U17 National Team.

“We want to expose our players to different playing environments,” said Wilkins. “One thing national team coaches emphasize is that they like players who can handle stress under different circumstances, and playing the Belgium and Netherlands' national team is big.”

For some players chosen for this trip, it won’t be their first time playing abroad. In previous years ODP groups have been exposed to the international game, including last year’s trip to Costa Rica, and Wilkins wants to build the team around the experience of those players.

Elizabeth Bartels, Micaela Powers, and Kylie Schwarz were some players who Wilkins pointed out are expected to have the leadership qualities to help the team be successful in Europe.

“They have to mature enough to play in this environment and adapt,” she said. “They have to deal with the nuances of playing abroad and mature with it.”

Dealing with the gamesmanship of the international game will be the biggest obstacle, not just for the three players, but the entire squad. It is a common concern expressed by coaches that American youth players aren’t trained to manage the game correctly.

“The biggest thing these players can learn is to have a better sense of the game in terms of movement, spacing, and time management,” Wilkins said. “Foreign players are exposed to the game more, they watch more, and because they are in that environment, they have a better sense of the game.”

U.S Youth Soccer Region II ODP Holland Trip Roster (Courtesy of U.S. Youth Soccer Region II):

Goalkeepers: Haley Gribler, Kelly Neeb
Defenders: Rachele Armand, Zoey Goralski, Jessica Kjellstrom, Marisa Oleksiak, Jenna Romero, Kylie Schwarz
Midfielders: Kaitlyn Clark, Gianna Dal Pozzo, Meegan Johnston, Rose Lavelle, Alex Lowes, Micaela Powers, Savannah Trujillo
Forwards: Elizabeth Bartels, Lauren Knight, Gracie Lachowecki, Destinie Graves-Truax