If it were my DC I would look for a team where they can play every minute every game. The back up should be a keeper first but if they want to play. They should learn to be a field player for their minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Through 15U most of the clubs will be splitting GKs (assuming they can roster 2 competitive keepers). By 16U, there is usually a starter and a backup. Strong GKs don’t want to be seen splitting time as they enter the recruiting years. There are some exceptions at regionally dominant clubs, but in the DMV that’s not the case. At the older ages clubs have a difficult time finding GKs that are strong.

This. If your DC has aspirations for playing on they need to be the number one GK on their team who plays against the better teams

Agree. By U16 you need to be able to call yourself the starting keeper in convos with coaches. No one at a top soccer school is looking to recruit the second keeper, especially when the colleges are recruiting possible starters only every 2nd or 3rd year. However, t are plenty of GKs recruited as practice players, but usually it’s quite clear that that’s where they’ll remain. Some of those slots may go to second keepers. If that works for your DD that is an option.

Starting is not the same as the number 1 keeper. The second half keeper in a tournament is the one doing PKs

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:two per team is 100% normal. No worry about being scouted. As an example, Jeff Cup has keeper specific training day that's an hour and a half of just keepers (usually) in front of scouts. A "great" keeper can easily go a whole game barely touching the ball if the team they play is inferior and you're a great team. Unlike majority of field players who'll get lots of action, keepers are hit or miss. There is no issue with two keepers per team and likely is smart on the coach to do so there isn't a massive gaping hole in your team if they go down. Good luck.

Because opportunities are hit or miss, a keeper should seek to play all the minutes. Splitting time cuts their opportunities to shine in half. Coaches will say they want two, but they really want one great keeper and someone to fill in when that keeper can’t play.

Bollocks. Coaches of competitive teams want one good keeper on hand for every game, regardless of circumstance or injury. The reality, especially for girls youth soccer, is that injuries occur and that means competitive teams need two good keepers on the roster. You don't have to look too far to see that is the case; you just don't see any elite youth, college, or pro teams with only one keeper. Since a big part of being good is the mental part, coaches who understand the position will rotate time equally except for when critical games are on the line. If your team isn't doing this, they either just couldn't find a suitable second keeper, the team isn't playing at a level where depth becomes important, or the coach does not understand how to develop the position.

All players and keepers are seeking to play every minute, that is a given. Nobody plays this game to ride the bench.

I get your perspective, but this leans heavily on having a coach that actually understands the position. I find that hard to come by. Most coaches have no idea what makes a good keeper other than the score line and physical attributes. Having a coach that understands which of their two keepers is actually better is like a unicorn. I've experienced many coaches who don't understand that difference and their better keeper is sitting on the bench in a close/critical game.

I disagree with your premise that a coach only carrying one keeper "doesn't how to develop the position", that they couldn't find a good second, or that they don't play at a high level. Maybe they value consistency over competition as well as stability for their defense. Having competing styles and messages from different keepers can screw up game flow and plan. I believe having 2 (or more) keepers is the norm after u13, but that doesn't mean that system is better than having a single keeper.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:two per team is 100% normal. No worry about being scouted. As an example, Jeff Cup has keeper specific training day that's an hour and a half of just keepers (usually) in front of scouts. A "great" keeper can easily go a whole game barely touching the ball if the team they play is inferior and you're a great team. Unlike majority of field players who'll get lots of action, keepers are hit or miss. There is no issue with two keepers per team and likely is smart on the coach to do so there isn't a massive gaping hole in your team if they go down. Good luck.

Because opportunities are hit or miss, a keeper should seek to play all the minutes. Splitting time cuts their opportunities to shine in half. Coaches will say they want two, but they really want one great keeper and someone to fill in when that keeper can’t play.

Bollocks. Coaches of competitive teams want one good keeper on hand for every game, regardless of circumstance or injury. The reality, especially for girls youth soccer, is that injuries occur and that means competitive teams need two good keepers on the roster. You don't have to look too far to see that is the case; you just don't see any elite youth, college, or pro teams with only one keeper. Since a big part of being good is the mental part, coaches who understand the position will rotate time equally except for when critical games are on the line. If your team isn't doing this, they either just couldn't find a suitable second keeper, the team isn't playing at a level where depth becomes important, or the coach does not understand how to develop the position.

All players and keepers are seeking to play every minute, that is a given. Nobody plays this game to ride the bench.

Just as you suggested that is exactly what we have done. She is in high school years now and is being actively recruited. Its worked for us. Maybe not for the person that found 1 primary GK to be "gross" but its proved to be invaluable for her development.

Anonymous wrote:My kid plays GK for a club that is not ECNL. She gets 100% of every minute of every game throughout the year. Twice she was offered spots on a nearby ECNL roster. She would split time 50/50 but offered to rotate time on with the other starter on the 2nd team as well to get extra reps. Both times the offer was made I turned it down.
The way I see it she gets all the time she can handle right now with her current club. They are competitive and play in a good league. She loves her team. What more can a different club offer than she is already getting.

Now some of you will argue she should of course play ECNL...
Why?
Shes happy. No one the team gets more minutes than she does. For us its the best spot for her. Obviously her team is a one GK team with a field player as a backup should it ever come to that

Parent of D1 female GK here. The minutes and the command of the field are incredibly important. if she wants to play in college, just start filming and reach out and doing ID camps early. And get private skills training on the side. GK is a unique position where IMHO it’s easier to make a case for yourself on a non-ECNL team than for field players. But even when on an ECNL team, GKs need to work hard early to get looks from colleges.

Anonymous wrote:At U13 on top level teams there should be 1 top starting GK. The back up can be a back up / field player. But your starting GK is the quarterback per say the coach on yhe field. That role cant be alternated on a regular basis. Serious coaches understand that. Please save the argument about their kids or too young. We are taking about the serious teams not rec or B and C teams.

Gross. What dumb coach carries 1x keeper and the other field player. One reason of course if injury and you have a non-keeper as keeper... you're dead. Second is with our club, keepers do about 75% of their practice with a pro keeper/coach. Then keepers join up with field players and they do either scrimmages or the 18-yard box game where shots are flying constantly. Your field player turned keeper with barely any training will die in real competition if they had to play and would destroy hopes of achieving high level success. Sure, it can happen and the coach will be taking a massive risk, but with most carrying 17-20 players per team, 2x keepers is just right and doesn't hurt field player numbers.

My kid plays GK for a club that is not ECNL. She gets 100% of every minute of every game throughout the year. Twice she was offered spots on a nearby ECNL roster. She would split time 50/50 but offered to rotate time on with the other starter on the 2nd team as well to get extra reps. Both times the offer was made I turned it down.
The way I see it she gets all the time she can handle right now with her current club. They are competitive and play in a good league. She loves her team. What more can a different club offer than she is already getting.

Now some of you will argue she should of course play ECNL...
Why?
Shes happy. No one the team gets more minutes than she does. For us its the best spot for her. Obviously her team is a one GK team with a field player as a backup should it ever come to that

Anonymous wrote:two per team is 100% normal. No worry about being scouted. As an example, Jeff Cup has keeper specific training day that's an hour and a half of just keepers (usually) in front of scouts. A "great" keeper can easily go a whole game barely touching the ball if the team they play is inferior and you're a great team. Unlike majority of field players who'll get lots of action, keepers are hit or miss. There is no issue with two keepers per team and likely is smart on the coach to do so there isn't a massive gaping hole in your team if they go down. Good luck.

Because opportunities are hit or miss, a keeper should seek to play all the minutes. Splitting time cuts their opportunities to shine in half. Coaches will say they want two, but they really want one great keeper and someone to fill in when that keeper can’t play.

At U13 on top level teams there should be 1 top starting GK. The back up can be a back up / field player. But your starting GK is the quarterback per say the coach on yhe field. That role cant be alternated on a regular basis. Serious coaches understand that. Please save the argument about their kids or too young. We are taking about the serious teams not rec or B and C teams.

Anonymous wrote:Top-level Goalies make a team record great and create opportunities for the field layers to be scouted and witnessed. Strong GK's appreciate the value they add to their team, do not worry about playing time nor blame it on other players.

Much of this post makes no sense to me. A top gk can make a team record great and certainly can elevate a mediocre team, but they aren't invulnerable especially when the team in front of them isn't great. They certainly can keep a team in a game and generate ops for field players just on that fact.

Appreciate the value? You're acting like they're a fashion accessory when in fact they carry teams. Of course they have to worry about playing time. There are a ton of coaches out there that understand zero about the position and base pt on the eye test rather than anything else. They may play one over another over a few inches in height or lack of goals against (so many factors there to count). There is no need to blame other players though on lack of play time except in the coach situation above. D in front of a gk having a bad game can cause goals to go in. That might impact cause that gk to sit next game or lose time. A good gk understands the difference between goals they are responsible for and ones they could have gotten.

Top-level Goalies make a team record great and create opportunities for the field layers to be scouted and witnessed. Strong GK's appreciate the value they add to their team, do not worry about playing time nor blame it on other players.

if you are a #2 goalkeeper and you are still pretty darn good you can still get recruited.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Through 15U most of the clubs will be splitting GKs (assuming they can roster 2 competitive keepers). By 16U, there is usually a starter and a backup. Strong GKs don’t want to be seen splitting time as they enter the recruiting years. There are some exceptions at regionally dominant clubs, but in the DMV that’s not the case. At the older ages clubs have a difficult time finding GKs that are strong.

This. If your DC has aspirations for playing on they need to be the number one GK on their team who plays against the better teams

Agree. By U16 you need to be able to call yourself the starting keeper in convos with coaches. No one at a top soccer school is looking to recruit the second keeper, especially when the colleges are recruiting possible starters only every 2nd or 3rd year. However, t are plenty of GKs recruited as practice players, but usually it’s quite clear that that’s where they’ll remain. Some of those slots may go to second keepers. If that works for your DD that is an option.

two per team is 100% normal. No worry about being scouted. As an example, Jeff Cup has keeper specific training day that's an hour and a half of just keepers (usually) in front of scouts. A "great" keeper can easily go a whole game barely touching the ball if the team they play is inferior and you're a great team. Unlike majority of field players who'll get lots of action, keepers are hit or miss. There is no issue with two keepers per team and likely is smart on the coach to do so there isn't a massive gaping hole in your team if they go down. Good luck.