This article supplements information found on page 29 of the March 5, 2001 issue of Soccer America Magazine. Here’s more of former U.S. national team coach Steve Sampson from his interview with Will Kuhns: On his work as technical director of CYSA-South: Sampson: We still hope to have greater input from club coaches in the identification of players. Certainly we do not have the resources to identify all the best players, so we must rely on the input of club coaches. On other CYSA-South projects: Sampson: I’m working with an organization to develop a 16-20 field complex in Southern California, which would have a club structure with a recreational base, competitive teams and a link to an A-League team, placing education as one of the highest priorities along with development. Even the A-League team would be comprised of individuals who wanted to continue their education. The club would assist, if not pay in its entirety as part of the contract, for the player to attend school for half the day and train the other half. It’s an option to the college experience. What we’re saying is you don’t have to eliminate education from the professional experience. … I am in favor of Project-40 and I am a firm believer that Project-40 should be Project-300, but the reality is that those players do not stay in one place long enough to pursue their education. They have no central location where they can begin to think about taking courses. They’re on the road constantly. What about you? Are you on the road a lot? Sampson: (Laughs) I am. In the last week I’ve been to England and Las Vegas. Does it wear on you? Sampson: It’s not as glamorous as people think and at times it does wear on you but it’s important, with all of the things that I’m doing, that I keep the perspective at the professional level and what’s going on nationally. Do you have to travel to Costa Rica? Sampson: At times. On working as a consultant for the Costa Rican soccer federation: Sampson: And I’ve spent too much of my life developing the American game and helping it progress. … So in brief, the program in Costa Rica is to improve the infrastructure, to support the existing national teams and enhance it with a regionalized program. There would be seven regional teams age U-12 through U-18 and those regional teams would feed into two teams overseen by the under-16 national team staff that would then travel throughout CONCACAF, Europe and Africa. They do not have an under-16 or under-18 national team right now. They have an under-17 and under-20 and an Olympic and full national team. On the women’s side, to begin a scouting process at the age of 10 to bring women’s soccer into higher exposure within the Costa Rican federation and educate coaches on how to develop female athletes. We will regionalize that program and implement U-16, U-18, U-21 and Olympic team programs on the women’s side. They have a U-21 and Olympic team, but it is very disorganized. It is a massive undertaking, but it is fascinating to me and professionally, for me, very enjoyable.