Campbell Knisely, a sophomore on the Bishop O’Connell High School boys soccer team this past fall, recently was chosen a member of the under-17 U.S. Olympic Development Program National Select Team.
The squad of 18 players is training and participating in matches against top European Youth Academies this month in Italy. The selection process included progressing through district, state and regional training camps.
In Italy, the U.S. team is coached by Craig Jones, the head men’s soccer coach at George Washington University, and Taylor Thames, who coaches at La Salle University.
This past fall, Knisely was a key starting player as a wing and back for the O’Connell team that finished with a 17-5 overall record and reached the semifinals of both conference and Division I state tournaments.
Knisely was a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference second team all-league selection for his play this past fall for O’Connell.
Knisely has grown up playing club soccer locally in Northern Virginia as part of the Elite Clubs National League program.
Lawson Watt, a sophomore from the Potomac School high-school team in McLean, also was chosen to the under-17 U.S. national select team.
Off the field, both Knisely and Watt are active volunteers with the U.S. Youth Soccer Association’s TopSoccer program, which encourages children with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities to get involved in the sport.
