He's only 13, but Drew Donoghue is going national.

A stopper on Northern Steel's boys 13-and-under Phantoms club soccer team, Donoghue has been selected to participate in the inaugural id2 national training camp July 25 through 29 in Raleigh, N.C.

Donoghue is one of 120 boys selected nationwide and is the only one from Western Pennsylvania.

"I can't say I'm surprised he was selected," Phantoms coach Kevin Wilhelm said. "Drew definitely has the ability. But we have two or three other players capable of receiving similar honors.

"The (national) coaches spotted Drew. He was playing well and they picked him."

Id2 is U.S. Club Soccer's new player identification and development program. Its goal is to provide a quality learning and training environment for the participants and to identify the qualified invited players for inclusion in U.S. Soccer's U-14 national team.

Besides travel to and from Raleigh, all expenses are paid for the players at the camp.

"I've set my goals to make that team," Donoghue said. "I'm dedicated to doing this. If I can get myself on that team, I feel like I can cover anything in life."

The Phantoms recently won the state championship and are 53-9-7 combined over the past fall, winter and spring seasons. The team played an indoor schedule during the winter.

All nine of the losses are to out-of-state opponents, including a 2-0 defeat to Gold Star (N.C.), ranked No. 2 in the nation.

"That's our only loss by more than a goal," Wilhelm said.

The Phantoms compete in a tournament in Rochester, N.Y., this weekend, then head for regionals in Fort Wayne, Ind., the following weekend.

"It's great competition and a great club," Donoghue said. "I know it's made me a better player."

Donoghue wasn't a bad player to begin with. He began playing soccer at age 5 and has already played every position on the field.

As a seventh-grader at Butler Junior High last year, he played for the Golden Tornado freshman team. He will play for the freshman squad again this fall.

"He has good skills, he's very calm and he works hard," said Butler High School boys soccer and Northern Steel coach Malcolm Cook. "He's good in the air (heading the ball) and that's rare for someone his age."

Donoghue went to California last year to visit his father and attended the Major League Soccer championship game. He began playing travel soccer at age 10.

"My Dad has the soccer channel and I watch it 24-7 when I'm at his house," Donoghue said.

Wilhelm described Donoghue's role as a stopper as 60 percent defensive and 40 percent offensive.

"He doesn't score a lot of goals because he's involved in a lot of possession of the ball," the coach said.

"He's pretty solid. He's always had the technique and he'll continue to get stronger and faster as he grows."

"Drew is quick and he reads the game well," Cook said. "He has the talent and knowledge of soccer that could take him a long way."

"He's very deserving of this honor and he's determined to make the most of it."