Hot Takes on: All American Series

[Anonymous]

Is anyone going to break to parents of U Littles that your kid was not selected, you just paid for it?

Hot Take: The same people who put their kids in that series are the parents who have an Instagram page for their U8-U11 year old.

Soccer parents are crazy. All parents are crazy.

[Anonymous]

We did it, its a fun soccer vacation with some of our friends to Myrtle Beach and Naples, FL for new years. We don't have an instagram, but a lot of parents do. We told our kid this is just for fun at the little level. She likes the hype.

Most kids are selected. I do like their skills format through.

It's cheaper than Disney by a long shot, does that make Disney parents crazier? Not really, it's just something people like to do with their money.

See, your argument is no stronger than wet toilet paper.

[Anonymous]

It’s fine for people who understand what it is. It’s like the “competitive” program DS was identified for in Spain. I knew that I was paying for a fun travel experience and nobody was being identified for a professional pathway. Anybody who could pay would be accepted. Ultimately we didn’t send him, but I didn’t see how it differed from spending money for a class trip or a soccer camp. The issue is these companies aren’t transparent and parents often don’t know. I’m in a parents group on FB and parents announce that their child was chosen for All-American as though it is meaningful. The post will for example be Congrats to Colton for being identified or someone asking for advice about ECNL/MLSN pathways and using All-American as evidence of their talent. I think these businesses are pretty shady.

[Anonymous]

They have a strong Social Media Game. They make player cards for sharing on social media... it makes the kids excited. Our extended family is excited, grandma is excited.

It's a fun experience, there are some really talented and serious players there. And there are buckets of average player also. No one is under any illusions that this is a real talent ID program of any kind... well most reasonable parents aren't anyway.