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[quote=DCUdad][quote=bdubmd]This is all super helpful. My son wants to be a professional soccer player and at the very least play in college.[/quote]
If this is true, you need to take action ASAP. He's not remotely on a track for doing either of those things, but there is still time. You need to move to a larger club that has spectrum of teams, so he has the ability to move up over a season or two (e.g. Bethesda, Arlington). He probably won't make the top team the first year, but that's ok. Next, he needs to supplement official practices with ball work on his own (or with an outside coach). Juggling, dribbling, first touch, both feet -- it almost doesn't matter what it is if he's got the ball on his feet. Also, watch real soccer: watch Premier League, but also college soccer or your club's top U15 team. He needs to see the level required to get where he wants to go (and learn some tactical stuff by watching better players who are already good technicians). To reiterate, technical skills on the ball is 80% of what will determine his path over the next few years. Focus relentlessly on that.

By U12, or at least U13, he needs to be playing for the top ("academy") team on one of those bigger clubs. After that, it's harder and harder to break in to the top teams; but at U12-U13 there's still a lot of movement. Ultimately, only that top team is sending anyone to D1 soccer, probably even D3. And only the top 2-3 players on that top team have a shot at becoming a pro, probably by switching to a professional academy by U15.

Obviously, his priorities might change over time, which is fine. But if he wants to be a pro or play in college, you've got to change the trajectory right away. I didn't know a lot of this stuff for my older son, but my younger son has benefitted as we learned from our mistakes.[/quote]

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