Anonymous wrote:My daughter was playing for a GA team this past year.

She tried out for four clubs for next year. Two GA and two ECNL.

She received offers from two GA and one ECNL and took the ENCL.

Some will claim superiority for the ECNL choice, but we made it on proximity balanced with proof of coaching. We did tryouts and a couple of additional practices before getting an offer and deciding it was the better choice.

One ECNL club ghosted us and the two GA teams were in flux.

Left TSJ for FVU?

My daughter was playing for a GA team this past year.

She tried out for four clubs for next year. Two GA and two ECNL.

She received offers from two GA and one ECNL and took the ENCL.

Some will claim superiority for the ECNL choice, but we made it on proximity balanced with proof of coaching. We did tryouts and a couple of additional practices before getting an offer and deciding it was the better choice.

One ECNL club ghosted us and the two GA teams were in flux.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Ugh!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Curious, is it better to play for a lower level team or bench and practice with higher level team and try to win a spot?

I have no direct example to give, so may opinion is not backed-up by a 1st hand example above u13. But, if the kid's goal is to play in college, I would stick with the higher team and ride the bench more. Have the conversation about playtime for everyone at showcases events. It is my understanding that ECNL, GA & MLS Next, all players on the team that attend the showcase events get as much play time as possible in front of college coaches...which is the big end goal for those leagues. If you are on a lower team, but playing as much as you like, it is harder to get seen and to play for the school you might want to go to.

I did know a family whose kid made onto a big ECNL club roster who decided not to go back the next year as it was too much of a time commitment and she rode the bench a lot. (The coach said she would have to put in a lot more work to become a starter.) -She decided to go back to a regular travel club. She likes it more and is developing well, but her dad said she gave up the idea of playing soccer in college, so that also drove the decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Curious, is it better to play for a lower level team or bench and practice with higher level team and try to win a spot?

depend on the club and who the coach is. sometimes it's better to play rec than to be on top team with horrible coach and training.

Coaches when they judge you in the tryouts. No matter what you do, you will still get benched. Unfortunately that is how youth soccer is. So it is better to go with someone who appreciates you even if it is lower level.

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the age and ultimate soccer goals. Care to share more?

U13 and wants to in environment to help them best prep for a potential higher level starting spot next year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Curious, is it better to play for a lower level team or bench and practice with higher level team and try to win a spot?

depend on the club and who the coach is. sometimes it's better to play rec than to be on top team with horrible coach and training.

Depends on the age and ultimate soccer goals. Care to share more?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Curious, is it better to play for a lower level team or bench and practice with higher level team and try to win a spot?

Anonymous wrote:Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

This was our experience. I even brought it up when they offered a spot later than everyone else, and they made many promises and proceeded to bench my kid all season. Not going back.

Usually if you don’t get an offer within 24 hours (ideally 24 hours), forget it and try a different club. Because the kids who get offers with 48 hours usually become starters. Even you get an offer later, your kid may get benched unless he really likes the team and wants to work hard to get a starting spot later on. No communication usually means no interest.

Depending on the club, probably the later. Some clubs send out a Decline if they are not interested.

Anonymous wrote:If there is no communication, does it mean there will be no offer or does it mean roster is still not confirmed so they have't sent out declines yet?

It could mean either of those or your kid is on the bubble and they are waiting to see if anyone declines before offering to your kid. The kids they really want usually get an offer within 48 hrs of tryouts finishing.

If there is no communication, does it mean there will be no offer or does it mean roster is still not confirmed so they have't sent out declines yet?