Reply to At what age should you get your child into an MLS Next Team?

Forum Index » Soccer

Reply to "At what age should you get your child into an MLS Next Team?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My son is 7 years old. He plays one year up for a small club but the team he is on is not MLSN.

Now if he played his age group he would make any of these clubs first teams that eventually would become MLNS when they reach 12 years old. If he continued to play 1 year up he would most likely be on their second teams which a chance at first but that depends on the club.

My question is that do I put him onto these bigger first team (playing own age group) or even second team (playing 1 year up) MLSN clubs NOW at a young age so it’s easier for him to make the squad when he turns 12? (I have been told this is best)

Do I keep him where he is playing now at one year up and having fun for a few more years. Then we make that transition to a MLNS club? (Is it far more difficult to make the team this way)

I don’t want to make things more difficult or mess up his development.

Thx and hopefully I get some good advice. [/quote]

My kid PLAYED for a small club and now has an open invitation to any 1st team in the DMV in ECNL and MLS Next.  We first moved at U12 once my kid was no longer challenged in the small club environment and playing up.  While we lost to the major clubs in tournaments, he dominated those kids in neutral tryouts.  Development is about the individual, not team wins and losses.

Again, the key word is PLAYED. Your kid would not have to play club if he played everyday after school.  That is all that matters for the next few years.  There is no magic in the large clubs except aggregation of talent.  Talent comes from playing.

[b]My sincere advice: keep funding the 529 plan until at least U15.  90% of this board exists because folks kids looked like Messi or Marta when they were 7.[/b][/quote]

This is accurate advice.  I see it all the time, something about 6-9 year olds with their low centers of gravity and fearless nature makes parents believe they will be amazing in the future.  That is hardly the case.  Academies in Europe have never been successful in predicting future performance based on how good a 7-9 year old player is.

To answer your question I would recommend switching to your MLS Next Club now.  -I was in this same exact boat with my DD. Age 7, played 1 year up on a small club top team.  But, we stayed with the small club for 3 years.  Turned out, this was a terrible mistake.  Top clubs in our area evaluate top kids at u10 and want them in their programs.  We were essential locked out of the club we wanted by u11.   The smaller club we stayed with had less development, they played in lower leagues, the players in the club weren't that good and the coaching was not as good.  My 7 year old wonder-daughter was behind by age 10 when we switched clubs.  I was shocked at how much better the kids were and the Coaches were not interested in kids at tryouts, they had their teams selected practically 2 years in advance.  Families on these teams are doing so much extra training and skill development behind the scenes, outside of club practice, that most new players, who a very good, will have a hard time of breaking into the team and gaining the coaches confidence and trust.

100 percent correct. Switch now.

[/quote][/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics