MLS next ruining high school soccer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

You knew it was more than a bit haha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The '25-'26 waiver allowed simultaneous participation in MLS Next HG and HS soccer. The '26-'27 waiver changed and does not. The clubs and high schools already know this but some have been slow to communicate the new rules. Our club (in mid-Atlantic not DC metro) already communicated that if a MLS Next HG player plans to get the waiver to play private HS soccer in the fall bc his school/scholarship requires it, he cannot be rostered for any league games until the HS season ends. The HG team will hold his spot until he can return in Nov but he can no longer play both at once. They do allow simultaneous training just not games.

this is the current process if they don't get a waiver. the waiver for next year has not been released yet and won't be released until July at the earliest to accommodate the fall seasons.

MLS Next isn't going to be tightening this rule. they already loosened it this past year and they're going to have to keep loosening it because of how many players are simplyy ignoring the rule and their clubs.

So are you saying that MLSNext won’t actually go through with tightening the rule (ie, will still allow simultaneous playing in HS and MLSNext for those who have waivers)? Our club coach also told us that the possibility had been communicated to them but until it’s in writing in the waivers, there is a possibility it’s not going to be implemented.

For us without kids at that age

Are you saying there are kids going through the excessive running fitness and physical training of HS soccer while also doing 4 days a week MLS Next team training and playing 2-4 games per week?

I made the post about the current process. You can find that in the rules manual on the MLS Next website (since there's a couple of posts continuously saying inaccurate things).

I have absolutely zero inside knowledge on what they're going to do next year. So maybe I should have said, "I don't see MLS Next tightening the rule since they have already loosened it from the previous year." My personal opinion is that the rule will ultimately go away because so many people are violating it, and there's another set of players who tend to be really good and from high quality programs who have waivers, mostly for private school leagues.

Regarding the excessive running, fitness. Yes, there are players doing this. In my opinion, the whole notion of rest is overblown for kids under say 17-18 years old. In my opinion, the thing holding back American players' development is number of touches on the ball. When players are able to essentially double their touches over a season, that works generally to that player's benefit. In my opinion, just to be clear.

Did you say you don't think kids under 18 years old should have rest and or active recovery days?

Or am I interpreting incorrectly

I think the idea of rest and recovery days is primarily due to professional sports rhythms as opposed to the needs of say a 15 year old boy. It's not that they never need to rest (injuries are different discussion in my opinion), it's just that if I take away video games and YouTube and tell my boy to go find something to do, he'll end up outside playing some kind of sport 7 days a week. So I just think the idea of managing boys minutes is overrated and primarily beneficial to adults rather than teenagers.

[Anonymous]

The idea that young athletes don't need recovery is absurd. For one, their bodies and muscles grow when they are at rest. Ask any track coach whether they recommend their athletes rest and they will tell you yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The '25-'26 waiver allowed simultaneous participation in MLS Next HG and HS soccer. The '26-'27 waiver changed and does not. The clubs and high schools already know this but some have been slow to communicate the new rules. Our club (in mid-Atlantic not DC metro) already communicated that if a MLS Next HG player plans to get the waiver to play private HS soccer in the fall bc his school/scholarship requires it, he cannot be rostered for any league games until the HS season ends. The HG team will hold his spot until he can return in Nov but he can no longer play both at once. They do allow simultaneous training just not games.

this is the current process if they don't get a waiver. the waiver for next year has not been released yet and won't be released until July at the earliest to accommodate the fall seasons.

MLS Next isn't going to be tightening this rule. they already loosened it this past year and they're going to have to keep loosening it because of how many players are simplyy ignoring the rule and their clubs.

So are you saying that MLSNext won’t actually go through with tightening the rule (ie, will still allow simultaneous playing in HS and MLSNext for those who have waivers)? Our club coach also told us that the possibility had been communicated to them but until it’s in writing in the waivers, there is a possibility it’s not going to be implemented.

For us without kids at that age

Are you saying there are kids going through the excessive running fitness and physical training of HS soccer while also doing 4 days a week MLS Next team training and playing 2-4 games per week?

I made the post about the current process. You can find that in the rules manual on the MLS Next website (since there's a couple of posts continuously saying inaccurate things).

I have absolutely zero inside knowledge on what they're going to do next year. So maybe I should have said, "I don't see MLS Next tightening the rule since they have already loosened it from the previous year." My personal opinion is that the rule will ultimately go away because so many people are violating it, and there's another set of players who tend to be really good and from high quality programs who have waivers, mostly for private school leagues.

Regarding the excessive running, fitness. Yes, there are players doing this. In my opinion, the whole notion of rest is overblown for kids under say 17-18 years old. In my opinion, the thing holding back American players' development is number of touches on the ball. When players are able to essentially double their touches over a season, that works generally to that player's benefit. In my opinion, just to be clear.

Did you say you don't think kids under 18 years old should have rest and or active recovery days?

Or am I interpreting incorrectly

I think the idea of rest and recovery days is primarily due to professional sports rhythms as opposed to the needs of say a 15 year old boy. It's not that they never need to rest (injuries are different discussion in my opinion), it's just that if I take away video games and YouTube and tell my boy to go find something to do, he'll end up outside playing some kind of sport 7 days a week. So I just think the idea of managing boys minutes is overrated and primarily beneficial to adults rather than teenagers.

Said like a true basement couch professional

Where did you get your degrees in sports medicine, physiology, orthopedics, PT, athletic training etc and how long have you been practicing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

What's with the 9th Graders hangup?

You're saying a Varsity team versus a U15 or U16 MLS Next team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

Omg the scores would be 10-0 at half time vs those top teams. Even bad HS teams would beat any MLS next U-15 6-0 strictly with kick balls(pace abuse ) and set pieces(corners and long throw ins)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

Omg the scores would be 10-0 at half time vs those top teams. Even bad HS teams would beat any MLS next U-15 6-0 strictly with kick balls(pace abuse ) and set pieces(corners and long throw ins)

Of course. It's a physical game and men vs. boys still applies. It's just like when a teenager goes to play basketball at the local gym and the "old men" end up beating their asses. Unless they have truly superior skill and really top level strength which is nearly impossible to have across 18 15/16 year olds then of course solid to good varsity soccer players are going to beat them. That's why they have age groups and JV/Varsity teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

Omg the scores would be 10-0 at half time vs those top teams. Even bad HS teams would beat any MLS next U-15 6-0 strictly with kick balls(pace abuse ) and set pieces(corners and long throw ins)

Of course. It's a physical game and men vs. boys still applies. It's just like when a teenager goes to play basketball at the local gym and the "old men" end up beating their asses. Unless they have truly superior skill and really top level strength which is nearly impossible to have across 18 15/16 year olds then of course solid to good varsity soccer players are going to beat them. That's why they have age groups and JV/Varsity teams.

I think it has far less to do with strength and way more with how they do under really defensive pressure. I’m sorry but when I watch any u-15 i question if 80% of the players are even running. Adjusting to the mental aspect of playing under pressure is a truly valuable experience for anyone and the sooner you overcome this the better player out will be. Btw some even top U-15 players never deal with this pressure well and causes them to plateau

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grade son, who is phenomenal for his club team, has really struggled with adapting to the pace of a high school game. Honestly, he has been invited to a few academies tryouts (DC, Redbulls, Salt Lake) and even though he didn't make those teams he was more successful there. He made multiple MLS NEXT teams so he probably will not play high school next year. But for someone who thought pretty low of high school soccer to begin with, I have changed my perspective quite a bit. Sure it's a little sloppy and chaotic at times, but to be a great player you must be able to stand out and dominate a high school game. I agree with some previous statements about how even the top 9th and 10th graders can get a lot of value from high school soccer. I am certainly glad my son is experiencing it and will become a better players once he is able to adjust to the pace and constant defensive pressure.

This post seems a bit off but I’ll bite. It seems as if he is not yet on an MLSNext team. But that might be the answer to why he did not get offers from the academies. Because MLSNext is very physical and there is a huge learning curve to maintain your technical skills while playing under faster and more physical conditions against similarly skilled players.

HS, regardless of freshman, JV, and varsity is very physical and athletic. My 9th grader despite having more technical skills and soccer IQ than most of the team was pretty ineffective because he’s small and not very quick. It gets really scary when someone who has definitely hit an early spurt comes barreling at you with barely any attempt to aim for the ball.

If you are MLS academy caliber player, you either don’t play HS or only play on varsity where most club standouts play.

Without naming the player due to privacy I will say one of the best 5 players in our area that is going to an ACC school next year that almost takes no freshman anymore(transfers). Played MLS next and all 4 years of high school at one of my son’s rival schools. I do not have a problem with this.

Anyway the player mentioned above was the first player off the bench his freshman year and one of that teams weak links. By sophomore year he had some big moments and was probably around the 4 or 5 best player on his team and by junior year he was probably the best player and this year he is dominant.

9th graders no matter how good are not going to look good against 18 year olds. In 6 years of watching I have only seen 1 freshman who was a top 3 player on his high school varsity team and I don’t believe that team even made regionals.

In our area, the whole MLS Next team of any club can make any HS team

The reverse is not true.

Plenty of MLS next kids only make jv. One at our school did not make varsity and decided not to play. What you say is true, the bottom players on a high school team would not make a mls next team even at lower age groups than their own. However the best high school players are so much better than any 9th graders. I would bet my life savings any div 6 that qualifies for regionals would beat any mls next full of 9th graders by at least 3 goals.

Omg the scores would be 10-0 at half time vs those top teams. Even bad HS teams would beat any MLS next U-15 6-0 strictly with kick balls(pace abuse ) and set pieces(corners and long throw ins)

Of course. It's a physical game and men vs. boys still applies. It's just like when a teenager goes to play basketball at the local gym and the "old men" end up beating their asses. Unless they have truly superior skill and really top level strength which is nearly impossible to have across 18 15/16 year olds then of course solid to good varsity soccer players are going to beat them. That's why they have age groups and JV/Varsity teams.

Freshmen aren't 16, they are 14 or 15.

[Anonymous]

Don't expect much in HS soccer, no matter how good your kid is. 9th/10th grader playing high level ball doesn't translate into standout in HS because it's 100% speed and size. Now, when your young ecnl/mlsnext player is a 11/12 grader they will dominate because the size/speed thing isn't an issue anymore.

Don't invest time into guessing why my skilled freshman isn't playing, he's prob just not fast or big enough. Keep supporting their efforts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't expect much in HS soccer, no matter how good your kid is. 9th/10th grader playing high level ball doesn't translate into standout in HS because it's 100% speed and size. Now, when your young ecnl/mlsnext player is a 11/12 grader they will dominate because the size/speed thing isn't an issue anymore.

Don't invest time into guessing why my skilled freshman isn't playing, he's prob just not fast or big enough. Keep supporting their efforts!

This is true for most but if they can figure it out and adapt to the pace at a young age they are going to be special. If you think high school is a track meet, you should really go watch the college game all these mls next player/parents want there kid to play. It is very sloppy and looks more like a high school game with extreme pressing for 90 minutes. watch the UVA vs VT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMwYpCj2WqA

[Anonymous]

Any game with VaTech in it is a shit show. They’ve played that way for years which is why they are a clown show.