North soccer player makes adidas camp again
By: Bob Nuse
Being invited to attend the adidas Elite Soccer Program can be an intimidating experience for a high school soccer player.
But when you’re going back for a second straight year, a little bit of the intimidation factor goes away. West Windsor-Plainsboro High North senior Kyle Grato is one of the few players who has had that second chance to attend the prestigious camp.
A year ago, Grato was one of the 150 players from around the nation invited to the camp. This year, he was invited back a second time to show his skills in front of college coaches from around the nation.
"I was there last year, which as a sophomore, is kind of rare," said Grato, who attended the camp in Wilmington, N.C. earlier this month. "There were a few players there this year that were at the camp last year as well. It is mostly made up of players who are going into their senior year.
"It’s pretty intense playing in front of 300 college coaches from all around the country. They are there to see how you play against the best competition. There are only 150 players invited and a lot of the players are national level or regional level players."
In fact, 48 of the 150 players invited to the camp this year have national youth team experience, while 117 of the players have Olympic Development experience. In addition to the intense play on the field, the players at the camp also participated in classroom sessions and received lectures from the likes of Columbus Crew coach Greg Andrulis and U.S. National Team goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
The technical director for the camp was Jurgen Klinsmann, who was part of Germany’s World Cup championship team. Coaches from Bayern Munich and AC Milan also were involved with the camp.
"We were broken up into 10 teams and then we played a lot of games," said Grato, who plays center back for his club team, the PDA United. "At the end of the camp they pick all-star teams and have a game. I didn’t get picked for that game this year, but I was picked last year.
"The level of competition the whole week is high and intense. You’re spending the whole week playing with the best players in the country. And the coaching there is incredible. It’s all top of the line."
Grato was one of just eight players from New Jersey selected for the camp, one of which was his PDA United teammate Ryan Breznitsky of Scotch Plains. He was also in that rare class of player who has had two chances to perform on the big summer stage.
"It was easier having been there before," Grato said. "You know what to expect going in and what the competition is going to be like."
Grato is certainly no stranger to top competition. After returning from Wilmington he was off to Binghamton, N.Y., for the Regional ID camp. He’s been selected to the ODP state team the last two years and has played in tournaments around the World with PDA United.
After two intense weeks of soccer, he’ll spend this week at the Rutgers University Soccer Camp.
"It’s been pretty much all soccer and training for camps, especially the ESP and regional camps, this summer," Grato said. "We’ve been to a lot of college showcases with PDA. You have to be playing well at these camps to show everything you have.
"With these camps, a lot of your future is on the line. Whether or not you get money for college depends a lot on how you play. You want to be at your best."
Once the camp season is over, Grato will concentrate on preparing for his senior year at WW-P North. He’ll be playing for the varsity for the fourth straight year, hoping to help the team make the next step.
"We’ve played better each year and hopefully that will continue this year," said Grato, who is one of the Knights’ captains.
When training with the Knights begins, Grato will come in having faced some of the best competition in the country. But for him, that’s nothing new.
"Playing in the camps is a great experience," Grato said. "This year I actually had a day of rest between the two camps. Last year I went right from one to the other. It’s been fun."