editor: This is part 2 of a 2-part article about OCSC II. Check out part 1 here: OCSC II 2023 Season Report

As promised, our review of the OCSC II season concludes with an interview with former OCSC midfielder and head coach of the Academy team, Didier Crettenand. Coach Crettenand was kind enough to share his input on the season as well as answer some questions held by our staff.

What are your biggest takeaways from the 2023 Academy season?

“It is the way we changed the mentality of the players through the season. We are here to develop players, get them ready for the next level and of course we are also here to compete and win games. It took us three to four months to have this winning mentality. July 21st was our last loss until the Championship final on Sunday night.

With my staff we changed some players, we changed the way we were coaching them by being more demanding; no more excuses from the players and a perfect attitude. Tactically, we adjusted a few things without changing our game model. Losing the final hurts, but overall it was a big achievement from all of us, and at the end of the day I can say that we are proud of the players and the season”

Your roster consisted of a number of players who spent time with both the academy team as well as the senior team, how big of a luxury is that to have?

“The players who have the privilege to train with the first team, when they come with us they have to act and play like pros, they have to be good examples and the best on the field. It's not easy for them because mentally you have to be ready to be challenged by other players who want their spot. And it's even harder when you play games because opponents know who we are and they also want to be part of our organization.

It's a luxury, yes, but at the end of the day, we have to make sure all the players play for the team, otherwise performances won't reflect the quality of the players and we will have 11 [individuals] and not a team playing together. Sometimes it takes time but we always put players in front of the reality. If they are not performing they might lose their spot with the first team and have less playtime with the academy. It's part of the business and this is the reality of soccer. You have to perform on a daily basis”

OCSC fans have a good idea about players like Bryce Jamison and Juan Santana. Are there any players that you believe could also have a major impact in the near future?

“We have a lot of quality players in our team and a lot of them have already trained or played with the first team. Players like Ashton Miles, Ben Norris, Jonny Gomez or Nico Ruiz. These players are right there, and now it's on them to make sure the day they are called to play with the first team, they are ready and they don't let their chance go because that chance might come only once and if you are not ready that day, it might not come again.

That's our job: to prepare them for the next level, physically, technically and, even more important, mentally. When you go with a roster of 22+ players all of them are competing for a spot to play, so you have to be better than them.”

What qualities does your staff look for in a player in order to make that jump up to the USL Championship?

“It's like I said previously, it's a process. Be the best with the academy on a consistent, daily basis and you might have a chance with our first team. You need to be patient because in that specific position our first team might not need you but you need to work hard when your chance is coming.

So, it's what I tell them all the time, be patient but soccer goes fast, it's a short period of time, so work hard, get better. We of course make them work on their strengths and their weaknesses with individual programs, it's part of our process but at the end of the day, it's the player who makes the effort and it's them who are on the field. We give them the tools and they take them.”

Your team has just completed its deep playoff run to the finals, how positive do you believe the entire experience was not only for your players but also your staff?

“Great experience to live all together. Players enjoyed it and had a nice time playing with each other. Unfortunately we came short but now they can understand what it takes to be a winner and compete hard to achieve a goal we wanted together. As a staff it was mentally a long week, with organizing the week, organizing the game day, scouting the opponent and making sure players were ready for the next game. We played four games in four days, so it was very intense and not a lot of time to recover. We conceded the goal in extra time on a corner kick, so it was very close and we didn't have the legs fresh enough to make the extra effort to score one goal. We created some chances but it was not enough to score and win. Players finished the tournament exhausted, but they gave everything they had these four days. We did our best and we can be proud of what we have done”

We at the Orange & Black SoccerCast would like to extend our thanks and appreciation again to Coach Crettenand for his comments.

Likewise, this is set to be a period where the efforts of the club to develop its academy players may really come to fruition. With players like Korede Osundina and Kobi Henry already making moves to top European clubs, it is now time for local kids to make their mark. Nico Ruiz and Jonathan Gomez fit that mold, but the next star to come from the Academy is center back Ashton Miles, who signed his first professional contract with the OC senior side. The 19-year-old is the first player to officially move from the OCSC II Academy team, to a Academy Pro contract, and then to a fully professional contract with the main team.