Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sophomore son is playing this weekend. I glanced the college list, they are either the top tier colleges, like Amherst and Columbia, or schools I have almost never heard of, mostly small liberal arts schools from PA, MD and VA. My son is a A-/B+ student in a public high school so schools like Amherst are way above his league, but I also don't see the point of paying to play in a college that's not well-known in the job market. I kept my thoughts to myself but I would rather him go to a decent college, playing soccer or not.

What do you think?

As others have said, I think you’ve got to be realistic about this tournament. There are EDP teams in top flights. There are Bethesda 3rd teams in top flights. There is very little incentive for college coaches to care in comparison to MLSN, ECNL showcases and tourneys like Jeff Cup. There is a significantly higher concentration of talent there.

The tourney is still large in terms of numbers but the top quality is not there.

There are a bunch of college coaches at the tournament.
https://system.gotsport.com//org_event/events/30427/college_coach_registrations

Anonymous wrote:Sophomore son is playing this weekend. I glanced the college list, they are either the top tier colleges, like Amherst and Columbia, or schools I have almost never heard of, mostly small liberal arts schools from PA, MD and VA. My son is a A-/B+ student in a public high school so schools like Amherst are way above his league, but I also don't see the point of paying to play in a college that's not well-known in the job market. I kept my thoughts to myself but I would rather him go to a decent college, playing soccer or not.

What do you think?

As others have said, I think you’ve got to be realistic about this tournament. There are EDP teams in top flights. There are Bethesda 3rd teams in top flights. There is very little incentive for college coaches to care in comparison to MLSN, ECNL showcases and tourneys like Jeff Cup. There is a significantly higher concentration of talent there.

The tourney is still large in terms of numbers but the top quality is not there.

Anonymous wrote:He doesn't stand a chance. Period.

Very few boys get recruited.

Ignore this idiot.
There are plenty of kids in this tournament that will end up playing D3, and probably a few that will be playing D1.
But you have to be proactive. Find out what schools you're interested in, and email the coach and let them know when/where your kid will be playing. Send a video package as well if you have one. If you don't, you'll need one eventually.

Anonymous wrote:He doesn't stand a chance. Period.

Very few boys get recruited.

I keep hearing this but every year some boys and more girls from our club committed to playing soccer in college, most of which I would not pay for my kid to attend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if you are relying on the Potomac Tournament for college exposure, you probably have alot to learn about the process or won't be needing to worry about college soccer anyway.

I am not relying on it for college exposure, but my son is playing, and there are college scouts coming, so I browsed the list on their website. I have to say I was not impressed by the college names. You are right I am not familiar with college soccer, but to me it's still just a phase, no matter how exciting it sounds.

First thing - the scouts/coaches that are listed there are attending, you'll see a lot of local/small colleges at these events because it doesn't cost them a lot to attend. You won't see many of the top schools there because they typically go to other tournaments and the Potomac isn't a big draw like say Jeff Cup or other big national tournaments.

Second - just because they're listed as attending, doesn't mean they're going to see your DS play. They just don't randomly walk around the tournaments watching games. Your DS will need to reach out to them, introduce himself, share some clips/highlight reel, and their game schedule, his position and number, etc. I'm not 100% on the rules right now because they changed after my DS went to college, but they may or may not respond to the email, if they don't respond it doesn't mean they're not interested, they're just not allowed to. If they are interested, you'll see them at one of your DS's games.

The list of coaches/scouts is provided so if there is a college your DS is interested in, they'll know who to reach out to. i.e. if he wants to go to Penn St and Penn St isn't showing up, then you don't have to share your tournament schedule with them because they won't be there.

Anonymous wrote:He doesn't stand a chance. Period.

Very few boys get recruited.

Isn't no chance and very few a contradiction?

He doesn't stand a chance. Period.

Very few boys get recruited.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if you are relying on the Potomac Tournament for college exposure, you probably have alot to learn about the process or won't be needing to worry about college soccer anyway.

I am not relying on it for college exposure, but my son is playing, and there are college scouts coming, so I browsed the list on their website. I have to say I was not impressed by the college names. You are right I am not familiar with college soccer, but to me it's still just a phase, no matter how exciting it sounds.

Is a scout or scouts coming to see him and already have his information?

Anonymous wrote:I think if you are relying on the Potomac Tournament for college exposure, you probably have alot to learn about the process or won't be needing to worry about college soccer anyway.

I am not relying on it for college exposure, but my son is playing, and there are college scouts coming, so I browsed the list on their website. I have to say I was not impressed by the college names. You are right I am not familiar with college soccer, but to me it's still just a phase, no matter how exciting it sounds.

chances of muldoon being rained out?

My son is interested in Business and Kinesiology, but a 16-year-old can change his mind many times, and these programs are offered in almost every college.

I think if you are relying on the Potomac Tournament for college exposure, you probably have alot to learn about the process or won't be needing to worry about college soccer anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Sophomore son is playing this weekend. I glanced the college list, they are either the top tier colleges, like Amherst and Columbia, or schools I have almost never heard of, mostly small liberal arts schools from PA, MD and VA. My son is a A-/B+ student in a public high school so schools like Amherst are way above his league, but I also don't see the point of paying to play in a college that's not well-known in the job market. I kept my thoughts to myself but I would rather him go to a decent college, playing soccer or not.

What do you think?

We are going through the same. We are keeping our options open at this time.

I don't think its a one size fits all explanation for college and what job you get. There is literally an undergrad for everyone. As long as the school offers a program in an area your son is interested in, its worth considering.

Sophomore son is playing this weekend. I glanced the college list, they are either the top tier colleges, like Amherst and Columbia, or schools I have almost never heard of, mostly small liberal arts schools from PA, MD and VA. My son is a A-/B+ student in a public high school so schools like Amherst are way above his league, but I also don't see the point of paying to play in a college that's not well-known in the job market. I kept my thoughts to myself but I would rather him go to a decent college, playing soccer or not.

What do you think?