High School Soccer is the new teen recreational soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with you all? These are kids - not professional athletes. Why on earth does it matter if the level of HS is as high as club soccer? Its fun, they bond with people, they learn to work under different coaches with different age grounds and levels. They learn to play for something larger than themselves. They learn and experience what it means to represent their school and be supported by classmates.

What's the big deal about the "level" of HS soccer?

Nobody has an issue with what you're describing.

The issues occur when primarily private school parents try to compare private high school soccer leagues with National Club Soccer leagues. Club Soccer parents know that it's BS. They also know all the tricks private high schools do (holding players back, recruiting and offering free tuition, playing against crap competition)

It's hard to explain this to someone that's paying 60k a year and fully engaged into the private school cult.

[Anonymous]

For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with you all? These are kids - not professional athletes. Why on earth does it matter if the level of HS is as high as club soccer? Its fun, they bond with people, they learn to work under different coaches with different age grounds and levels. They learn to play for something larger than themselves. They learn and experience what it means to represent their school and be supported by classmates.

What's the big deal about the "level" of HS soccer?

Nobody has an issue with what you're describing.

The issues occur when primarily private school parents try to compare private high school soccer leagues with National Club Soccer leagues. Club Soccer parents know that it's BS. They also know all the tricks private high schools do (holding players back, recruiting and offering free tuition, playing against crap competition)

It's hard to explain this to someone that's paying 60k a year and fully engaged into the private school cult.

For both schools - club is more challenging and, from what I understand, colleges only want to see clips etc. from club.

[Anonymous]

I miss the days -- 30, 40 years ago -- when high school soccer teams fielded the best kids in the county.

I played high school and club soccer in Howard County in the 1980s. Winning the county title was harder than winning a state championship.

Your high school team played against other high school teams that had kids from your club team on the roster. So whoever won the county championship had bragging rights over club teammates when club season resumed.

Kids on the best high school teams also played on the best club teams. Most of them ended up playing D1 at schools like North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Maryland, etc. A few ended up going pro eventually.

Oh well, things change.

[Anonymous]

Immediate PP here. When I say "most of them" ended up playing at D1 schools, I mean most of the very best kids on the best high school teams went that route.

It was NOT the case that most high school team players made D1 programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

Most college teams are still playing. Coaches are busy with their teams. Maybe local coaches? None are traveling distance or crossing state lines to watch high school matches. They catch these kids at the big Mlsnext showcases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

Well therein lies the rub---year after year you play the crap teams or the tiny schools with hardly any player pool. So where exactly is the competition? And, since the level is so bad all around--there is a misconception about how good that 'winning' team really is. They can win with a lower level. Take that team and play them against the top area club teams and they would be decimated. I think that is the disconnect everyone is talking about...oh 'xyz school' is so good. Really, they are not. They are goliath playing teeny schools. So all the chest beating is a little strange from the outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

I would say 'decent' is the best I've seen. I have not seen 'good' even from the #1 ranked teams. It's still slow. It's still many players without great first touch. And there is still a lot of kickball, less use of the midfield going on. Big kicks still elicit cheers from the crowd.

IF you have been playing on the top mlsnext teams against mls academy teams and top teams in the nation...the level of speed of your average HS game is painfully slow and the inability of teammates to anticipate or make runs or balls or control a ball when played to them...it's like banging your head against wood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

I would say 'decent' is the best I've seen. I have not seen 'good' even from the #1 ranked teams. It's still slow. It's still many players without great first touch. And there is still a lot of kickball, less use of the midfield going on. Big kicks still elicit cheers from the crowd.

IF you have been playing on the top mlsnext teams against mls academy teams and top teams in the nation...the level of speed of your average HS game is painfully slow and the inability of teammates to anticipate or make runs or balls or control a ball when played to them...it's like banging your head against wood.

When 'goliath' is playing these tiny schools you also don't have any pressure. Soccer can look pretty when the players have time and speed of play is low---but put them against a high pressure top team and the kickball would be going and the balls would be up in the air zooming back and forth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

I would say 'decent' is the best I've seen. I have not seen 'good' even from the #1 ranked teams. It's still slow. It's still many players without great first touch. And there is still a lot of kickball, less use of the midfield going on. Big kicks still elicit cheers from the crowd.

IF you have been playing on the top mlsnext teams against mls academy teams and top teams in the nation...the level of speed of your average HS game is painfully slow and the inability of teammates to anticipate or make runs or balls or control a ball when played to them...it's like banging your head against wood.

When 'goliath' is playing these tiny schools you also don't have any pressure. Soccer can look pretty when the players have time and speed of play is low---but put them against a high pressure top team and the kickball would be going and the balls would be up in the air zooming back and forth.

A D1 coach came to talk to my son's team recently and said that they don't want to see the plays of your taking on numerous players, blah, blah...he said when you have 21 and 22-year old players bearing down on you at full speed you are having to play 1 touch, 2 tops. It has to be quick. That fancy rainbow you like to show off...HA! You are not going to be doing that in a D1 game. You will get crushed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

I would say 'decent' is the best I've seen. I have not seen 'good' even from the #1 ranked teams. It's still slow. It's still many players without great first touch. And there is still a lot of kickball, less use of the midfield going on. Big kicks still elicit cheers from the crowd.

IF you have been playing on the top mlsnext teams against mls academy teams and top teams in the nation...the level of speed of your average HS game is painfully slow and the inability of teammates to anticipate or make runs or balls or control a ball when played to them...it's like banging your head against wood.

Can you list the high schools that you watched this year ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For certain high schools the level is good and other schools not as good and for others are mixture of club and rec level

If you want to talk about what is best for recruiting it’s obvious that it’s high level club unless your already a coveted player who is doing both and the local college coaches feel like attending a “big” match with a nice crowd because they want to watch you in person. That is for another thread though.

I would say 'decent' is the best I've seen. I have not seen 'good' even from the #1 ranked teams. It's still slow. It's still many players without great first touch. And there is still a lot of kickball, less use of the midfield going on. Big kicks still elicit cheers from the crowd.

IF you have been playing on the top mlsnext teams against mls academy teams and top teams in the nation...the level of speed of your average HS game is painfully slow and the inability of teammates to anticipate or make runs or balls or control a ball when played to them...it's like banging your head against wood.

Can you list the high schools that you watched this year ?

Every team in WCAC, DC publics, and a few other fall season privates. No publics. I can’t speak to any MD public HS which are also Fall season. My kid plays HS

[Anonymous]

Our high school just hired the biggest clown to coach the team. You can't make this stuff up.

[Anonymous]

It's all relative. At our school the local club coach (A license) was the HS coach. So coaching was decent. Really depends how each school approaches their coaching hiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's all relative. At our school the local club coach (A license) was the HS coach. So coaching was decent. Really depends how each school approaches their coaching hiring.

Ours are just teachers at the school