Harsh Reality for your Beloved Soccer Player
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Anonymous
| NOVA Coach here. Here's what I have to say about all your ECNL dreams for your kid. Harsh reality is by U12 most can already make an assessment on whether your kid will be good enough for D1. This is not only from technical standpoint but from a Soccer IQ standpoint. If you watch your kid and your kid is losing the ball 50% of the time, can't beat players 1v1, can't dribble or looks to get rid of the ball quickly it's pretty much a wrap for your D1 hopes for your kid. Record your kid's stats whenever they touch the ball and you'll be shocked. |
Anonymous
| Gee, thanks. |
Anonymous
| I also feel like coaches should talk about why a D2/D3 option might yield you a better experience. My oldest was able to play at University of Akron which was a huge score for him but he didn't play much. He was use to playing constantly and that sudden drop off to bench rider was hard for him. I think he should have looked at options that would have made him "a bigger fish in a small pond". But it's all this "d1 d1 d1 d1 d1" constantly. |
Anonymous
What general age and what level do you coach? This would help some. I'm not asking this to troll because there is potential for a good topic to be discussed here. |
Anonymous
| NOVA coach again, I agree 100%. D2 and D3 is a great option and I would say most ECNL players could easily get on at a D2 or D3 college if they would like. For those schools it’s all about finding the right fit and coach. If your player wants to play at the collegiate level, D2 and D3 are great options and even sometimes the level is just as good as D1 in some respects. I didn’t mention D2/D3 because that’s all parents seems to care about as well as clubs because it “gives them clout” |
Anonymous
I’ve coached all ages, and worked with D1 college coaches who also coached in the club. My main stomping grounds have been around U12-U15 but spent a lot of time in zone 1 age group as well.. By U12/U13 you can pretty much pick out which players can be in the pool for a D1 school. Your player has to have a certain combined level of polished technique with soccer intelligence. Not to mention if your player is a struggling athletically wise it’s going to be difficult because the college game is all about athletes (which is stupid but how it is in this country) |
Anonymous
| My son grew up in Europe and he was taught not to dribble the ball - and to pass quickly. He was taught the one touch pass was the best way to go and that dribbling - unless you have a very clear field - was holding the ball and bad. Now you are saying that if he looks to get rid of the ball quickly, that is bad? Honest question because he needs to adapt to play here. |
Anonymous
NOVA coach here- Where in Europe as well as where did he play? Believe it or not, there are also plenty of crap coaches in Europe. Obviously moving the ball quickly is what you will see at the highest level but if you ever watch top matches you’ll see every player can dribble their way out of trouble if they get pressed or get into a tight situation. If you are at U12 and all your player can do is receive and pass with no dribbling ability at all, your player won’t be any different from anyone when they get older as everyone should be able to do that at the highest team. |
Anonymous
Is it possible to predict potential "late bloomers"? And if so, how do you keep the players and the parents engaged? |
Anonymous
| OMG. Who are these parents of 11 year olds worrying about whether their kid is going to play D1 soccer in college??? They are 11–let them be kids!! Live your own life so they can live theirs, as kids. |
Anonymous
Coach here again- My initial post was for the majority of players, of course there are some late bloomers. The late bloomers have to be technically sound though. Technique is something that can be taught and has no baring in athletic ability. Your player could be technical but unathletic. If this is the case your player may struggle if they are in an environment with a lot of athletes since the game will be quicker. If your player is unathletic they have to compensate with technique and extremely high soccer IQ. This is the case with pro players. You can take a lot of spanish players as examples. Players like Iniesya, David Silva are not the most athletic players but they are extremely technical and are extremely smart with and without the ball. They know how to use their body to protect the ball even against bigger opposition. If your player is technical but unathletic they also have to be extremely scrappy, “fearless” and aggressive in defense. This is a lot of info but honestly just scratches the surface for this topic. |
Anonymous
NOVA coach here- I agree 100%. Was hoping this thread could save a few kids lives ? |
Anonymous
| What about the assessment for goalies? At what age do you see Division I potential? |
Anonymous
As soon as they hit their growth spurt. |
Anonymous
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Typical NOVA coach--if your kid isn't learning from me it's because they can't not because I can't. Reminds me of the NOVA coach who about 5/6 years ago told me, "I had Andi at U12 and she was nothing special." Full ride at Stanford and top pick in NWSL draft later--nothing special.
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