Anonymous wrote:Ideally, I’d say go where you’re wanted and you like the coach and teammates more. Your post is very vague though. What age? How far is the drive? Under u12 I’d choose a 15 min drive over 45 min. However, since you mention D3 potential, I assume your son is HS age. Starting at u16, we opted for a club that is far away because it checked all DS’s boxes. We drive 45 min each way on a good day but we have also had 90 min drives due to traffic. It’s exhausting but worth it. I try to look at the positives. I’m getting great quality time with my son that would not be possible without the commute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS junior. They have played club since they were about 8. They like soccer. Do not love it but like it a lot.

The thing about kids age 13-17 and soccer is that most will no go on to play in college. So around age 13, 14, 15, 16 you have choice to make, and not all families (kids, parents, both) understand the risks/benefits. Soccer, especially club and travel, take up a tremendous amount of time. Time that your kid could be doing other things to make them a better college applicant (getting better grades, taking harder classes, doing more extracurriculars, spending more time on extracurriculars they already do, trying new things, etc...).

Of course, the harder you work at and the more you prioritize soccer the more likely it is they'll play in college. But it's not guaranteed except for a few stars and involves a little luck for others.

So I am not telling you what to do, but cautioning you to be mindful of this as your kid makes choices and you guide them in choices about how to spend their time in the coming years.

+111


It’s even harder for boys now with the transfer portal and roster limits. Very few will play college soccer or like my own son the offers are from schools very much beneath where he got in academically (very top student). He could have played at a handful of schools, some D1 but much much lower academic schools and we are looking at where he’ll be after college—or if they get injured or ride the bench or end up not liking the college coach—the college itself matters so much more. They can play club soccer or UPSL.

With my second son, I didn’t bother with all of the camps and time consuming self-recruiting —focused on school and took the team that was good but less of a time/travel commitment.

If you have an absolute superstar (mls academy —-(not just mlsnext) it might be a different calculation.

Soccer- varsity/club, all met, state champs, etc is not a boost for the top schools. It’s something most will have in some sport or music, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS junior. They have played club since they were about 8. They like soccer. Do not love it but like it a lot.

The thing about kids age 13-17 and soccer is that most will no go on to play in college. So around age 13, 14, 15, 16 you have choice to make, and not all families (kids, parents, both) understand the risks/benefits. Soccer, especially club and travel, take up a tremendous amount of time. Time that your kid could be doing other things to make them a better college applicant (getting better grades, taking harder classes, doing more extracurriculars, spending more time on extracurriculars they already do, trying new things, etc...).

Of course, the harder you work at and the more you prioritize soccer the more likely it is they'll play in college. But it's not guaranteed except for a few stars and involves a little luck for others.

So I am not telling you what to do, but cautioning you to be mindful of this as your kid makes choices and you guide them in choices about how to spend their time in the coming years.

Anonymous wrote:How long is the drive for each

Anonymous wrote:Convenience will matter when you get into high school and have more homework and a different schedule. Do you know the practice times of each club. If club A is a tough drive during rush hour that will be one miserable year

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS junior. They have played club since they were about 8. They like soccer. Do not love it but like it a lot.

The thing about kids age 13-17 and soccer is that most will no go on to play in college. So around age 13, 14, 15, 16 you have choice to make, and not all families (kids, parents, both) understand the risks/benefits. Soccer, especially club and travel, take up a tremendous amount of time. Time that your kid could be doing other things to make them a better college applicant (getting better grades, taking harder classes, doing more extracurriculars, spending more time on extracurriculars they already do, trying new things, etc...).

Of course, the harder you work at and the more you prioritize soccer the more likely it is they'll play in college. But it's not guaranteed except for a few stars and involves a little luck for others.

So I am not telling you what to do, but cautioning you to be mindful of this as your kid makes choices and you guide them in choices about how to spend their time in the coming years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on age. If your DC is younger, perhaps growing with the lower ranked club. Since it is same division and lower ranked, maybe your kid has more playing time too. Close drive is a major plus.

If your kid is older (which I think you were implying is in high school), maybe Club A.

In middle school. I initially encouraged Club B for the reasons you mentioned. However, Club A made him a first-round offer, and the coach made him feel genuinely wanted. Team B only extended a late offer after their first-round candidates declined. So now, we are thinking he would get more playing time with Club A, whatch is also the better team. The only factor in favor of Club B appears to be convenience, which is a big one.