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[quote=Anonymous]Short version:

95% of travel soccer programs are ONLY about getting your money and playing off your egos to do so. They're full of coaches who lie to themselves more than they do to you about the quality of their teams and their real player development skills. And they do it mostly without truly realizing their full of BS and are simply protecting their way of life out of pure human nature.

5% of travel soccer programs are staffed with coaches and leaders who have actually been in the pro game and are truly plugged in to the global game and network of teams and agents, and who know the skill sets required of players to succeed. They work every day hoping they can get just one player ever couple of years to turn pro, but knowing that while they may be able to teach the skills necessary to all of their players, they can't teach the grit it really takes to succeed as a pro. And they know there's is a HUGE element of luck that leads to that one makes it.

Please ask yourself why you bother to spend money and time on travel soccer for your kids?

A) Is it the same reason you mow your lawn nicely, buy a new car, or post pictures of european vacations? In other words - is it because it's human nature to show off your success? And no matter how good your DD/DS really is or what they really want out of life, it's better that they are on a travel team (drive a nice car)?

B) Is it because your son or daughter is truly gifted, works very hard to improve, spends more time on their own working on skills and soccer IQ than they actually do at organized practices, and tells you every day their dream is to play in a World Cup? Are they competitive at everything they do well beyond soccer?

If your answer is A, then you should really really really think about some self reflection..... and saving your money. You are being preyed upon by adult men who have determined their most valuable life skill is convincing parents of slightly above average skill that they should spend the equivalent of an Ivy League education chasing an unnecessary and impossible dream.

Myth 1 - Your kid plays travel soccer in order to get a college scholarship. But does your kid really want to play soccer in college? Most don't when it gets right down to it. They won't get the scholarship or won't actually play 4 years if they weren't the kid in scenario B above in the first place.

Myth 2 - Your kid plays soccer so they can get called in to play with the National Team and hopefully play in a World Cup? You are literally talking about 1% of 1% of 1% of all the kids who play travel soccer. News flash, if your kid is not playing with 18 year olds by the time they are 14, this isn't happening.

Fact 1 - If your kid is scenario B above, and wants any shot at Myth 2, the experience of professional soccer is what should be their goal. Most college scholarship players never get drafted, and most of the ones that do, don't get a contract. Boys and Girls. Pro soccer's peak age is 24, and most American kids who go the college route are 22 or 23 by the time they even get a chance on a pro field. The goal needs to be to go pro at 18 or 19 to have any real shot.

Fact 2 - 98% of youth soccer travel coaches have NO IDEA how to develop players to succeed at the pro level as a 19 or 20 year old. One very basic requirement is that the coach actually knows what it takes to be a pro. They must either have played at that level, or have worked many years with other coaches who have. Players can't spend their whole lives playing "on age", get to 18 and be thrown into a grown up world and expect to be near ready. Only programs that endeavor to push younger players up in age or find training opportunities with college age player or pros for their 16 and 17 year olds should even  be able to say "we develop players". Everything else, everyone else, is just making a living off parents egos.

Say what you will about DC United or WS academies. Compare your U15 team results to their teams. Boast about he one time you played them in a tournament and won. It doesn't mean crapola to the truly professional coaches and clubs. What matters to them is nothing more than if they are producing 2-4 18 year olds every year that have a shot at succeeding as a pro within the next 3 years. And by definition, the other 6-8 high school seniors on those teams will get those college scholarships and still be equipped for a potential professional future.

Why do you do it?

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