At the end of the U.S. U15 Girls National Team training camp in Carson, California, last week, head coach Mike Dickey shed some light on the recruiting process that he and his staff use to build the roster.

The U.S. team that played the Loyola Marymount women to a 1-1 tie on Friday consisted of 24 players selected from clubs across the country. But the National Team roster, especially for the U15 age group, is much more fluid than most college or club rosters. The team can look totally different from year to year, or even month to month.

Coach Dickey said the turnover rate on his roster is so great because it’s his responsibility to evaluate the maximum number of players possible, so that the U.S. can field the best possible team.

“Scouting is such an essential part of the process of building a quality team, particularly for a young team like this one.” Dickey said. “We’re much better off if we are able to see 150 of the best players play over the course of a year, rather than seeing the same 24 players from month to month.”

The core of the current U15 team will likely be part of the U.S. team sent to Trinidad and Tobago in 2012 for the U17 Women’s World Cup. Mainstays such as Morgan Andrews (who has already played with the current U17s), Joanna Boyles, Miranda Freeman, Madeline Bauer, Elizabeth Boon, Amber Munerlyn, Lauren Miller and Rose DiMartino all have a reasonable shot at making the 2012 World Cup roster.

But Dickey and his staff will constantly be evaluating new talent.

He cited Kaysie Clark, a member of the current U17 roster – whose younger sister, Kaitlyn, is a solid contributor on the U15 team – as an example of the importance of quality scouting.

“We found Kaysie almost by accident. She was playing on a low-level recreational team and she just immediately caught my eye. And watching her led us to her sister, Kaitlyn, who has also been very good for us.”

Dickey commented on the fact that, though the U.S. Women have already had so much success (World Cup titles in 1991 and 1999; Olympic Gold Medals in 1996, 2004 and 2008), it’s important to keep moving forward and improving.

“As a nation, we got a bit of a head start on the rest of the women’s soccer world,” he said. “But we need to keep pressing, keep the pressure on, because we don’t want the rest of the world to catch up.”

In a country where there are millions of girls to choose from, it’s important for the U.S. scouts to keep their eyes glued to every region, every potential source of talent. That means that girls playing in every league, in every part of the country, have a chance to impress any National Team scouts that may be watching.  

So don’t be surprised if this team’s next training camp roster looks different from last week’s. It’s the best way for the U.S. women to stay ahead of the curve.