Parent Perspective
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Anonymous
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From my research, most of the kids from this area started out on different grassroots teams and then eventually landed with one of the major MLS Next/ECNL teams before heading to DCU, another MLS club or overseas.
Anybody ever interview the parents to find out what the blueprint was for their child? We know it is not the same for everyone but interested if there are any parent interviews available on the pathway from grassroots to pro from the DC Metro area. |
Anonymous
| There is no blueprint... I thought there was too with my first. But its very different for every kid. Learn your kid and his wants/needs... extra training on his/her skills... find the right college where they fit. That's it. Every child's success is different. Can't compare. |
Anonymous
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I think kids seem to be able to play at a high level from a few points of development.
The 1st point is that the parents push, encourage and develop the players at a young age so they start out at a high level at a very good Club with a strong program. The top kids I have seen mostly had crazy sports parents who had them master skills at an early age. These kid were already on the top team at U9. The 2nd point is that a lot parents have the resources (time, money, networking or inside connections) to pour into their kids development. A lot of pre-ecnl kids have parents who were linked to professional sports or a parent played a sport at a high level, networks and send their kid to a lot of good training other families have never even heard of. Friends of ours have a 23 year old kid playing professional in Portugal another has a kid playing at 22 in Iceland (moving to Australia soon) and both families invested well over $100k for all the soccer related training and equipment and travel to get their kids over the line. (Never-mind the fact neither of them are making much money now as "professionals" is relevant.) Point 3 is some kids are just gifted athletes who's physicality really started to shine after age 13. Also their mindset was solid to become a pro. It's one thing to bring your kid to all this training, but it will depend how bad they want it when HS rolls around to carry them forward and what kind of athlete they develop into. No amount of skills training and weights will get them there if mentality and genetics are not on their side. So, push them early, have the resources and hope you win the genetics & mental health lottery. |
Anonymous
Thoughtful response. Thanks for sharing.
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Anonymous
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This is accurate. Many of the kids now on my kids age group top teams at U15 were really the best ones at age 7. The ones who scored 10 goals a game just running down the field. Couple that with sports-aware or linked parents and a competitive spirit and bingo.
Some say kids grow into greatness but in this era of trainers, I don’t think that’s true. I have seen 5 year olds with private trainers who have insane skills already. It would be hard to catch up and surpass these kids. |
Anonymous
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All of these responses are very good and spot on.
There really is no blueprint. Every kid is different and every kid will have a different path. They develop at different rates both physically and mentally and because of this, what works for one may not work for the other...BUT, there are some commonalities in the kids that have achieved a level of success in our area. Some of which PPs have already raised and I agree with. In my view there are some baseline things that have to happen to have a chance at pro football: Between u9 and u13 your kid needs to be obsessed with the ball and mastering the ball. Why? Because these are the years where the kids have the most time to build their technical acumen. There aren't as many practices and time constraints holding back their individual development and they can really focus on themselves as individual players (not necessarily team players). This means that they need to be substantially better than their peers with the ball in these ages. If they aren't, it is really REALLY hard to catch up technically after u15. What you see often is that the early bloomers who use size and speed to gain an advantage early on, fade really fast at the older ages because technically they are just ok. Millions of just ok footballers out there. Less technically gifted ones. The reality is that as the game speeds up as the kids get older, it is the kids that can handle the higher speeds of play that succeed and this isn't a size and speed factor. It is a skill factor. Of course size and speed helps, but don't rely on this (more on this in a second). Always remember, pro clubs don't sign teams to pro deals, they sign individuals. Don't waste time or follow the pack. By this I mean, your kids window of time in the sport is very small. You don't have seasons to waste in their developmental path. Make decisions based on whatever is best for your kid, not based on what everyone else is doing. Too many parents follow what everyone else is doing and if you do that your kid will be just like everyone else, average. To be exceptional you have to train in exceptional ways and set exceptional goals for yourself and your kid. And if you have time make sure you are spending it focused on acquiring new skills and/or perfecting the ones that your kid is already good at. Educate yourself about the rules of professional football both here and in Europe and understand that the standards of European and South American football are much higher. Train to those higher standards. The rules are not straightforward and so many parents don't understand how serious football is outside of the US. Bottom line is that being a professional footballer is FAR less likely if your development journey is only through the US system. Can it happen? Of course. But our country is so far behind Europe in development it is just way harder. This means that you will need European exposure at some point in your trajectory as a player to benchmark where you are and your potential ceiling. And if you can get to Europe at early ages, do it, like yesterday. But remember the transfer rules are complex and you can't just pick up and go to Europe under the age of 18. Easier at 16. But under 16, unless your family moves for reasons.unrelated to football you can't transfer overseas because FIFA forbids it. Even if you have a European passport. Of course there are nuances and ways to work the rules but generally speaking, that is the case. Why I cringe when I hear a u9 dad saying some European outfit wants to sign his kid. Unfortunate to be ignorant here. Stress having fun. If it isn't fun for them, they won't progress as far. The kids I have seen so well have had great support networks. Remember that they are kids first. Don't let Instagram be your guide on what you should be doing. IG is literally killing youth football in our country. Dumb drills, manufactured highlights, ineffective moves that aren't really done in pro football have kids thinking the wrong things about the game. The reality is that the pros do the simple things at the highest of levels and the highest speeds. Passing, dribbling, shooting, the basics. Watch any Premier League game, Bundesliga game, serie a game and see how many of these fancy moves show up. They don't because there is just no time to execute them. Perfecting the basics is the goal. Also focusing on how to handle messy passes in the air under pressure. Kids in the US practice so much with the ball on the ground and less so with the ball in the air. When they get to Europe and play gets messy or aerial, they struggle. Good players make messy or crappy passes good ones. Remember this when your just doing cone drills on flat surfaces with no pressure.. Simulate intense pressure as much as you can. Cone drills will only get you so far. You need to practice against pressure as much as possible. I've seen many cone drill legends on IG become absolutely useless in the games because they can't stay on the ball because they aren't used to pressure or how to deal with it. If your kid is bigger and faster early on, don't let him just use that to get by...there will always be someone bigger and faster. Focus on his technical ability above all else...if he is technical and has size and speed, you have a great foundation. Size and speed with no technical ability is a recipe for failure. Focus on your son's x factor. You have to have an x factor, something that immediately sets you apart from the peer group. The sooner you understand what this is for your son the better. It will be a gift your son has that others just don't. Without the x factor, much harder to succeed because there are many others out there with similar qualities. That x factor could be many things and many things that may not be visible right away. Demand more of the football establishment in the US. The reality is that US soccer is an entrenched ecosystem that isn't nimble and is resistant to change. You have to navigate this system but also understand that there are moments where you need to demand more of it. More training than the clubs are giving, more accountability for your son's development, more metrics to show how he is developing etc etc. if you're a bystander in your kids development and not an active participant your kid will be at a disadvantage. And these clubs in our area are the ones that need to be held more accountable. Don't let them just do the minimum. Demand more and if you can't get it, move on. I have so many more thoughts on this but that is a start... hope it helps. |
Anonymous
| Always try to play at the highest levels you can get to. If you're playing at a low level at younger ages, it will be hard to match the speed of play at the higher levels because it is just something your not used to. Can a player play high school football and still be a pro? Maybe. A broken clock is right twice a day. But it is much less likely. We are talking about the best chances of success. |
Anonymous
You are only seeing the successes. Many others burn out, get injured and either switch sports or give it up entirely. |
Anonymous
Isn't the question about the successes? |
Anonymous
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All the responses so far sound like generalities and academic theories.
None sound like the parents OP wants to hear from |
Anonymous
It’s tough to know how to attribute success. Are the successful ones successful because they followed this blueprint? Or were they likely to be successful no matter which path they took because they had what it takes. Hard to say. It’s similar to how graduates from top colleges have higher paying jobs. Is it because they went to that college, or is it because that college filters for the types of kids who would perform well no matter where they went to college. The kids that start with private training, play high level early, and follow the “blueprint” is a filtering system for the types of players who were already likely to succeed. I don’t think it makes them succeed. |
Anonymous
I think the point is more about the failures of this pathway to success and to perhaps consider that. |
Anonymous
It's sports. No one is likely to succeed to top levels without the required work and sacrifice |
Anonymous
Why consider the failures? Focus on what it takes for success. |
Anonymous
Exactly. And identifying who has those attributes is very difficult to predict at young ages. Really until later teen years. |