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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Soccer at high levels means requiring the footskills at the critical learning ages 8-12.  You just can't be an expert on the ball if you pick it up later.  It is very heavily skill-based.[/quote]

It is, at least in terms of any sort of very high-level play.

That said, I've seen kids pick up soccer at age 12 who are good enough to play for high school teams. I know that's a shock to people who signed their kids up for U7 WonderFootSkill class so they'd be "ahead," but some people simply have that much athleticism and aptitude to pick up skills.

And many soccer pros -- in the U.S., sure, but also elsewhere, including people who've played at Premier League level -- played other sports as well (usually basketball, a good complement to soccer) until they were roughly 14.[/quote]

It is not a shock that kids that start soccer at 12 can play in HS. HS soccer is in a bit of flux in regards to who play. Many high level club players are discouraged from playing HS soccer so it is a little more open than some other sports are. Some high level players do play HS for the experience of it but [b]you do not need to be a soccer All Star to play in HS. [/b]But you do need to know how to play. [/quote]

You really can't refer to HS soccer generically around here.   The reality is that at some area high schools -- specifically the largest public and private/Catholic schools -- you DO need to be a good travel player on a competitive year round travel team in order to play on the varsity.    If you are talking about smaller high schools, then sure -- you don't necessarily need to be playing on a travel team from U9 onward to make those varsity teams.  [/quote]

Put another way -- a lot of travel soccer players do NOT make their high school soccer teams.[/quote]

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