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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Rec until at least sixth grade.

THere's no skill development that can't be replicated by a talented middle schooler. Keeping them in the game and enthusiastic will probably make them a better (and more skilled) soccer player than putting them on a tough schedule.

Honestly, if your kid is a natural athlete who has a career in sports that goes beyond high school, they'll be best served by playing as many sports as possible, developing lots of skills, staying fit and happy. If they're a soccer player destined for greatness, they can pick it up their junior year of high school and be fine. If they're not an athlete who has D1 or pro future, no amount of expensive travel soccer in elementary school will change that. [/quote]

You have to be kidding me. No one is picking up soccer in Junior of HS. You need a reality check on the current state of youth sports. [/quote]

USMNT goalie Matt Turner didn't start playing soccer until he was 15. Probably not the ideal way to make it, but it's surprisingly common for professional athletes. There's a reason why so few Little League World Series players wind up in the majors, and none of the game's top stars were LLWS participants—because if you're a super-talented athletic freak, it doesn't matter what you're doing with your elementary school years, as long as you're active.

Join travel if your kid loves doing nothing but soccer, but don't worry about it until late ES, because the discernible improvement in skill is not worth the $3k and emotional trauma. A kid who happily plays rec until middle school will be a far better player than a kid who starts travel in 1st or 2nd grade. And if they're going to be a great, it doesn't matter when you start them. [/quote]

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