A soccer-filled summer for Cadet center back Noah Gill ’28 included taking in two World Cup games in Boston, being selected for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) East Coast Regional ID event in Connecticut, and excelling there enough to be the only soccer player in Central Virginia invited to the U.S Youth National Soccer Team tryout in Florida in January. That tryout, January 14-18, puts Gill ’28 one step away from playing for the United States team internationally next spring.

Local media carried the exciting story. WWBT Channel 12’s Sarah Chakeles filmed a story about Gill on campus, and wrote an article which ran on their website along with the filmed story. The article is included below in its entirety, followed by a link to the filmed story. Local sportswriter Robert Fletcher also wrote about Gill's news for The Goochland Gazette, and his article is presented below in its entirety as well. 

Benedictine soccer coach Bob Marcellus cited Gill’s various skills and composure as standout attributes which give him “a great shot to be representing the country by the springtime.” 

The Midlothian teen is the only player in his age group from Central Virginia selected for the national camp

By Sarah Chakales

Link to video:

Published: Aug. 6, 2026 at 6:15 PM EDT

GOOCHLAND, Va. (WWBT) - Noah Gill, a 17-year-old rising junior at Benedictine College Prep in Goochland, has been invited to a four-day U.S. Youth National Soccer Team tryout in Florida in January — the only player in his age group from Central Virginia to receive the invitation.

Gill, a center-back who stands 6′4″, earned the invitation by advancing through the Olympic Development Program, or ODP.

He was named an all-star at the East Coast Regional ID event in Connecticut before being selected as one of approximately 60 players nationwide invited to the national camp.

Gill joined the ODP state team last year, around December or January, with the help of Head Varsity Soccer Coach Bob Marcellus, who has spent roughly 15 years working with ODP staff in Virginia.

“Coach Bob helped me out a lot with that,” Gill said. “He introduced me to the state team and he has a lot of connections with the coaches.”

From there, Gill attended practices and games with the state team before being called up to the East Coast Region ID event — a three-day evaluation in Connecticut.

About a week after that camp, he received his invitation to the national event.

“I was amazed, honestly,” Gill said. “I mean, that’s a crazy opportunity for me to have. And I feel truly blessed.”

At the Florida camp, Gill will train for four days in front of the national team coaching staff.

From that group, 20 players will be selected to represent the United States on a European tour in the spring, competing against other national teams in their age group.

Marcellus said players who make the national team roster could also be called up for additional matches, including friendlies against visiting international teams.

“He’s got really a great shot to be representing the country by the springtime,” Marcellus said.

Marcellus, a 34-year coaching veteran in his second full season at Benedictine, said the camp will also draw significant attention from college programs.

“There are going to be a ton of top college coaches at that ID event with the national team,” Marcellus said.

Gill said making the team would open doors beyond high school.

“I think it would mean a lot,” Gill said. “I think it would open up a lot of opportunities for me, especially at the next level.”

The Olympic Development Program is organized from the state level up through four national regions, with the goal of identifying players for U.S. youth national and Olympic teams. Marcellus said the under-23 national team serves as the U.S. Olympic team.

“ODP is designed to have a higher level of coaching and accountability,” Marcellus said. “The objective of the Olympic Development Program is to identify the best players and hand them off to the national team coach for each age group.”

Marcellus said Gill’s invitation came through the ODP process — not through his club team — and that Benedictine recommended and supported Gill’s participation in ODP sessions in addition to his school schedule.

Marcellus also said Benedictine alumni are contributing to fund Gill’s travel to Florida for the tryout.

Marcellus described Gill as coordinated for his size, with the ability to defend against fast players, win aerial duels, and score from distance.

“He’s one of those kids where you go to the stadium, you’re in the nosebleed seats, you look down and go, I don’t know who that is, but that’s a player,” Marcellus said. “He’s got the composure of a 26-year-old.”

Gill plays in a 3-4-3 formation as the center defender among three backs. He said the team aspect of soccer is what drives him.

“I love being held accountable in soccer because I feel like it’s a team sport,” Gill said. “If one player steps out of line or is not doing their job, they get held accountable by the team.”

Gill said he has been preparing for the January camp by practicing nearly every day, including two-a-day sessions for the high school season.

Marcellus also credited Benedictine’s military-style environment as a factor in Gill’s development.

“They have their faith and the brotherhood here makes for such a rich experience and helps set a stage for guys to do well here and go on,” Marcellus said.

Gill said he would like to thank his coach, his family, and God for the opportunity.

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By Robert Fletcher 

Aug 2, 2026

One of Benedictine’s top soccer players just took a massive step toward reaching U.S. Soccer’s national team pipeline.

Noah Gill, a junior center back for the Cadets, has had a busy summer, recently being selected to compete in an Olympic Development Program (ODP) interregional camp in Orlando, Florida in January, where the USA men’s national U-19 coaching staff will be selecting the final squad to travel to Europe next spring to represent the country.

The ODP for each state is the official U.S. Youth Soccer pathway to identify American soccer talent for the youth national and Olympic teams. Players are evaluated by their soccer intelligence, technique, character, work rate, and overall game speed.

Gill’s inclusion in the interregional camp represents the third phase of the ODP process, which begins with a first phase of players trying out within local state associations for an All-State squad. Players from those state squads can then be selected to compete in regional tournaments and summer ID camps.

Gill was one of five Cadets to be selected to the Virginia ODP state team. His coach, Bob Marcellus, who is also an ODP scout, told him it was a chance to up his game, and from there he took on talented players from states like Maryland and West Virginia, impressing at that level to move on to the next step of the ODP process.

Entering the second phase, he was selected to compete in the East Regional ID camp in Farmington, Connecticut from July 10-12, competing in a pool of 50 players and emerging out of that pool for a chance to receive national consideration when he competes in Orlando from Jan. 14-18.

"I was really excited to see how the competition would be because even at the state level it was pretty good,” Gill said. “I was a little nervous, but I just wanted to go out there, and I knew that at my level, I think I'm good enough to compete with anyone my age."

Gill said a lot of the feedback he received after the ID camp centered around his ability to play out of the back and to dominate through the air, something that was featured heavily on corner kicks and set pieces for the Cadets this past season.

Gill admits the pressure of the moment was inescapable in Connecticut, especially with a chance to enter the national team pool, but once he fired off a few passes, he says he quickly gained his usual on-field confidence.

"Once I got out there and I started playing, making a few passes, I gained my confidence and went on from there,” he said.

Those selected to the ODP national teams will reach the final stage of the pathway. From there, the top players will be selected to compete in ODP National Select Events, representing U.S. Youth Soccer in domestic and international competition. This past March, for instance, the 2010 and 2011 boys ODP team traveled to Lisbon, Portugal for the IberCup Cascais tournament that gathered players from over 50 countries.

Gill will have a few months before he reaches that next step of the ODP process, but in the meantime, he’s centering his attention on the high school season ahead. A junior that’s part of the Cadets’ “leadership committee” that has a say in mid-game adjustments and formation changes, Gill has put a greater focus on being a vocal leader during the team’s recently-started two-a-day preseason training.

"As a center back, you really have to command a lot of players around you, and I've been really trying to work on my leadership because this past year, we had a lot of good players and they were really good leaders, so once they left, they really needed someone to step up, so I've been trying to better myself."

For now, Gill's attention is on helping Benedictine chase a state championship. Come January, he'll have the chance to take another step toward wearing the colors of the United States.