Hard pitch work pays off for soccer stars Carroll, Erickson, Mazon

Klas Stolpe
4 minutes ago
4 min read

Olympic Development Program selects Juneau’s Crimson Bears trio to western regional team

Maddox Carroll is shown playing for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé against South Anchorage at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park pitch, Friday, May 22, 2026. Carroll, Sonny Mazon and Ayla Erickson were selected to the United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Western Regional Team within the last week. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

By Klas Stolpe

Juneau Independent

Their hard work over days, weeks and months has culminated into a soccer “pitch of dreams” for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé incoming senior soccer players Sonny “Sam” Mazon and Maddox Carroll and junior Ayla Erickson.

“Making the regional ODP team has been a longtime goal of mine, and representing Alaska at this level means a lot to me,” Carroll said, referring to the Olympic Development Program. “It is something I have worked toward for years, and now it is rewarding to see that hard work pay off. I am excited for the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the country while taking another step in my soccer journey.”

Ayla Erickson (16) is shown playing for Juneau-Douglas against Service in the consolation semifinals of the ASAA girls Soccer State Championships at Colony, Friday, May 29, 2026. Erickson, Maddox Carroll and Sonny Mazon were selected to the United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Western Regional Team within the past week. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

The three were selected to the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Western Regional team to compete at upcoming inter-regional events. This is the first time Juneau players have advanced this far into the ODP program.

“I am very excited to get the opportunity to experience playing at a higher level with ODP,” Erickson said. “I love playing soccer because it’s such a creative sport and there’s always something else you can learn and try. I always have goals to work towards and ways I want to improve. I also love being able to meet new people and play on teams with some of my closest friends. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities I get.”

ODP has four regions, and each region picks its best players through state or regional club tournaments, tryout camps and athlete potential.

Said Mazon, “I am just happy the hard work is finally paying off.”

Sonny Mazon (10) is shown in action for Juneau-Douglas against South Anchorage at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park pitch, Saturday, May 23, 2026. Mazon, Maddox Carroll and Ayla Erickson was selected to the United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Western Regional Team within the last week. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

For Carroll, Erickson and Mazon, the journey started with Alaska club team play from May through August 2025. That resulted in their being selected to the Alaska state ODP team.

“What I love about soccer is more than just the games,” Carroll said. “It is the teammates, traveling around the world and the lessons that stick with me. Soccer has taught me that dedication and persistence get you somewhere, even when things don’t go the way you planned.”

That Alaska team competed in January at the Region 4 ODP National Championships in Mesa, Arizona, which brought close to 20 of the best ODP teams in the western United States to play. This is where ODP regional coaches got their first good look at players for selection consideration. Invites to regional selection camps or direct promotion to the regional team followed over the coming months.

Juneau's Sonny Mazon, Ibrahima Diouf and Maddox Carroll are shown at the US Youth Soccer ODP West Regional camp this July in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo courtesy Keegan Carroll)

The trio, along with Juneau players Ibrahima Diouf and Imanol Vera Alvarado, were selected to attend ODP camps this summer. The trio, along with Diouf, advanced this July. Mazon and Erickson received regional team selection last week and Carroll on Wednesday.

To get selected for a regional ODP team, a player must advance from club soccer through state tryouts, earn selection into a state or sub-regional training pool and stand out during regional ID (identification) camps or summer ID camps evaluated by regional staff scouts.

“The last two years have been rough for me,” Carroll said. “A major knee surgery in spring 2025 and then being largely absent from my high school season for the second year in a row. There were times it felt nothing would go my way, but I believe the adversity and my resilience also taught me more than anything else would. By staying dedicated to getting back, I made it just in time for this camp, thankfully being able to be successful during it… Now I am taking those lessons forward and giving everything I have got representing my state and the west region.”

Maddox Carroll (17) is shown playing for Juneau-Douglas against South Anchorage at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park pitch, Saturday, May 23, 2026. Carroll, Sonny Mazon and Ayla Erickson were selected to the United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Western Regional Team within the past week. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

Erickson will now compete with the girls’ ODP Western Regional team in inter-regional play in Orlando, Florida, in November. Mazon and Carroll will represent the boys’ ODP Western Region at an inter-regional camp in Orlando in January.

At those events, national coaches will be scouting players for the U.S. Soccer Youth National Team, the next potential step for this trio and a rare experience for athletes.