It has been over three years since over twenty boys with Polish roots, born in 2007-08, came to Garfield, New Jersey to present their skills to youth team coaches. Since then, the PZPN and Vistula Garfield program has developed significantly, because in addition to six subsequent editions in the USA and Canada, each summer young football enthusiasts had the opportunity to experience a wonderful football adventure in the country of their ancestors.
In the footsteps of Michallik and Warzycha – We had training camps in Miami, Toronto and Chicago, which shows that the project is constantly gaining momentum. From a substantive perspective, this is important, because each training camp allows us to see new players, including those from MLS Next clubs, in training units and in match confrontations, which shows their level – explains Bartłomiej Zalewski, coordinator of projects supporting talent development in the Polish Football Association.
This time it was Columbus, Ohio. This metropolitan area of almost a million is one of the few places in the US that does not treat football as a stepmother. It is where one of the founding clubs of the MLS Columbus Crew was founded, where the first football-specific facility was built, where the US team often plays important matches. It was also where Janusz Michallik and 47-time Polish representative Robert Warzycha played. The latter won the US Cup as a player in yellow and black, and then - as a member of the coaching staff - the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup.
- We have established a valuable partnership with Crew. The club authorities have provided us with a conference room and world-class pitches, and have sent their coaches to familiarize us with our program and help us with scouting. Ultimately, we want one of our training camps to be held at one of the MLS academies each year, to expand cooperation, scouting, and the program's reach. It is also worth noting that it is thanks to Crew coach Bryan Rodrigues that we have Zach Zalewski in the program. He is a key player in Piotr Kobierecki's U-16 team, in which he has already made 11 appearances - explains Dariusz Wesołowski, president of Vistula and coordinator of the project on the American side.
35 players born in 2010-11 from all over the US and Canada came to Ohio. Players from Los Angeles Galaxy, Orlando City, Chicago Fire, New York City FC and Philadelphia Union were present. The largest number – four each – came from Sockers FC from Chicago and Lakeshore United FC from Toronto. They trained under the watchful eye of experts from Poland and locals: Konrad Kozłowski (Florida), Tomasz Drążek and Marek Łoś (Chicago), Mateusz Majewski and Piotr Sala (New Jersey), Robert Boguś (Dallas) and Piotr and Daniel Polański (Toronto). The team also included the deputy sports director of the Polish Football Association, Bogdan Basałaj. As usual, there was a meeting and briefing on Friday, two training sessions on Saturday and friendly games on Sunday.
- For me, this is another camp in the USA in which I am taking an active part. I assess it very positively. There is no better verification of the skills of potential national team players who want to fight for the game with the eagle on their chest than a thorough, several-day live observation - said Rafał Lasocki.
The U-15 team coach revealed that initially the players were quite stressed and overmotivated, which is normal, considering their age, character and the stakes of the training camp. As time went by, however, the players got better and better and showed great skills during the test match. Julian Tyminski from Canadian Sigma FC did the best, returning home with a shirt signed by Robert Lewandowski – an award for the MVP title. – Gustav Brown (Paragon FC from Maryland), Michael Tuzel (NYC FC), Kacper Gucwa (Elite SA from New Jersey), Alex Kolakowski (Blau Weiss Gottschee from New York) and Dominik Wisniowski (Lakeshore United) will also be under observation. I hope that we will soon meet these players at the summer camp in Zakopane and Busko-Zdrój – enumerates Lasocki.
As the head of foreign scouting of the Polish Football Association Maciej Chorążyk said, the next opportunity for young footballers from North America will be to show themselves to coaches in September in New Jersey at the second edition of Talent Pro. Further GdP camps are also planned for 2026: in January in Florida and in May in Toronto.
- Our task is to determine the potential, which increases with each subsequent training camp. And this allows us to have our first successes, an example of which is Zachary Zalewski, who has been on this path from the beginning, and today has not only settled in our youth team, but is also being targeted by many clubs in Europe. It is similar with David Rutkowski, a striker of the New York Red Bulls, who has already participated in selection camps and made his debut in the U-15 national team. He is on a good track to stay in this team for longer. These two stories show that our program is fulfilling its purpose and it is worth developing it. That is why we are working on expanding the scouting network. This will allow us to better observe this large American market and invite better and better players who can play for Poland, because this is our primary goal - explains Bartłomiej Zalewski.
Pure values away from business Wesołowski spoke about the emotions connected with the performances of the numerous graduates of the program. - This is the best thank you for the entire period of volunteering for the entire team: Maciek Chorążyk, Bartek Zalewski, Tomek Drążek, Piotrek Sala, Piotrek Polański, Robert Boguś and others who work with their hearts to give these boys a chance. At the same time, it is also pleasing that in football, which is so commercial and corrupt, there is room for an altruistic project, conducted away from agents, the desire to earn money, treating football like a business. The fact that this project brings such effects is due to the fact that it is built on the right, pure values, and not the desire for profit. This is how I want to see it in the coming years and this is how I will defend it. As hard as we work on it every day - said the moved project coordinator.
Robert Warzycha, who settled in Columbus and currently trains youth at Club Ohio Soccer, also spoke favorably. The former player of Górnik Zabrze and Everton, among others, watched the control game and noted the great ambition and ennoblement of playing with an eagle on his chest. He also met former protégé Sebastian Skital, whose son Nicholas plays for Galaxy.
– Sebastian and other parents I spoke to in the stands praised the organization of the camp and were happy that their children could show themselves to people from the federation. The fact that the Polish Football Association is taking the first step towards Polish players makes them feel that someone is interested in them. This has a really big impact and will undoubtedly strengthen their ties with Poland – explains the 61-year-old coach.
Warzycha also regrets that such a program did not exist 20 years ago, because his son Konrad, who ended his career some time ago, would have benefited from it. "It's tough, but I hope that in eight or ten years my grandsons will be called up for Gramy dla Polski: four-year-old Henry and two-year-old Jonah. I love playing ball with them and I have to admit that the former in particular has great predispositions and a knack. Of course, after his grandfather!" - concludes the Columbus Crew legend.
