Salt Lake City, UT (March 27, 2012) - U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV is pleased to announce that Coach Jerry Smith, Coach of the women's soccer program at Santa Clara University, has accepted the position of Head Coach for the Region IV Girls ODP Program.

"I'm honored to have been chosen to oversee the identification and development of the elite young women in the western region of the United States," said Smith. "I look forward to the many challenges that go along with this wonderful opportunity with the Olympic Development Program in Region IV."

Over the years, Jerry has supported ODP both in Region IV and nationally, recognizing it as a great stage on which promising youth soccer players can realize their potential and gain the exposure they need to advance their collegiate and national team hopes.  Jerry has served Region IV in several coaching roles in the past including that of head coach, and moves into the head coaching position with outstanding credentials, and a high level of familiarity with and commitment to the ODP mission.

Jerry has just finished his 25^th season at Santa Clara, having tallied 24 winning seasons there.  Since taking over the head coaching duties at Santa Clara in the spring of 1987, Smith has built the Bronco soccer program into a national power. For 19 consecutive seasons, his Broncos reached the NCAA Tournament prior to 2008 and have been ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. In addition, his Bronco teams have won nine West Coast Conference titles and the 2001 National Championship.

Region IV is delighted to have Jerry at the helm of its Girls ODP program and look forward to an outstanding future for our Region IV Girls in ODP.

About US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) - US Youth Soccer ODP, established in 1977, is the original Olympic development program in the United States. Formed to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team could be selected for international competition, selected players are exposed to the nation's top coaches from collegiate institutions, U.S. Soccer and the professional leagues. Programs exist in each state and with competitions such as the US Youth Soccer ODP National Championships, Interregional Training/Competition, Regional Camps and International play. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way in elite player identification and development. US Youth Soccer ODP is an approved program of the U.S. Soccer Federation.