Anonymous wrote:tiro pants by adidas are very in with the slim kids, and not something a poor family can afford.

I ordered some of these for DS from Amazon yesterday, the black/white ones were on sale.

I'd get new shoes, if you know the size and some athletic clothing.

My 11 year old nephew wants cool soccer socks (he's into the crazy designs). My sister also suggested a gift card from some online soccer shop - soccer.com I think?

OP here! All awesome suggestions. Thanks so much.

Good gloves and a skull cap - kids play year round. Inexpensive Goalie gloves. A size 1 ball for indoor fun and footwork practice. A Messi jersey. A good quality water bottle. Fleece-lined warm up pants. Shin guards.

There's a really great game from England which we all had growing up, and they still make, called Subbuteo. Not sure whether you'll be able to find it here (check Amazon I guess) - my football/"soccer" crazy son is obsessed with this when he can't go outside to actually play.
Agree with other PPs that if you plan to buy football kit, buy something from one of the famous foreign teams as described because if he lives here he probably has a favourite US team and if you don't know what it is, it's risky to just buy any old kit.

tiro pants by adidas are very in with the slim kids, and not something a poor family can afford.

I would get a jersey. Maybe DC United, but something more "exotic" would also be popular. Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. My son has an Arsenal jersey that his dad brought from England. You can get some on Amazon or Dick's.

DC United Jersey? My soccer-crazed nephews are very into certain socks, but I don't know what they are.

Our family is sponsoring a 10 year-old boy for the holidays. His description says he is "crazy about all things soccer". My 11 yo DS is all about Basketball so has no idea. We will definitely get him a soccer ball, but he also indicated a need for a sweatshirt and/or t-shirt. I would like to get both, with soccer team maybe. Ideas? A little overwhelmed by Amazon.