pretty clueless at soccer at 3/4. Terrible in Kindergarten. Was passed over at the first tryout in 3rd and now on the top ECNL team as 13 as one of the top player in general.

Friends who looked naturally talented at K and made the top travel team are now playing for the mid/ lower team.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to everyone who answered my question! I appreciate it!

I also enjoyed reading the responses that had nothing to do with what I asked, like all the ones that said my 3 year old wasn’t actually good at soccer or that nothing he does matters until he is 16. Lol. I knew they were coming, DCUM, you never let me down!

I’ll come back and update in 5 years when it turns out he hates soccer and wants to be a painter.

Good to keep your sense of humor, OP!

Just keep giving the kid soccer balls and go from there.

My kid, now playing college, was pretty useless with a ball at that age, but he became obsessed and spent hours in the backyard barefoot. Forget 3, you would never have identified him as a college player at even 10. But hard work and willingness to endlessly drill, plus catching puberty at the right time, changes the equation.

Thank you to everyone who answered my question! I appreciate it!

I also enjoyed reading the responses that had nothing to do with what I asked, like all the ones that said my 3 year old wasn’t actually good at soccer or that nothing he does matters until he is 16. Lol. I knew they were coming, DCUM, you never let me down!

I’ll come back and update in 5 years when it turns out he hates soccer and wants to be a painter.

Anonymous wrote:Check back in when he's 6. Until then doesn't matter for anything.

Six? Try 16, that's when it matters.

Anonymous wrote:So his birthday is in the spring? That’s good because soccer ages are by calendar year (kids born in Oct, Nov, Dec are the youngest in each group).

Have him practice playing barefoot so he has better control and never kicks with his toes.

Really though it sounds like your kid would be good in any sport so you really need to think where you will funnel that talent. Get ready for so many practices, games, tournaments. Pick a sport you don’t mind watching and supporting. You are going to didn’t countless hours on it.

This is one of the most practical and useful responses right here, OP. Countless hours.

Check back in when he's 6. Until then doesn't matter for anything.

My kid was very coordinated and obsessed with all ball sports as a 3 and 4 year old, but too shy to join a friend in a YMCA league at 4. By 5/kindergarten he was willing to sign up for MSI’s rec instructional program with his school friends, and soccer was his main passion from that day forward. He and this same group of friends played every day during elementary school recess, joined a travel team in 3rd grade, joined a good travel team in 5th, then most of them played together on the same DA (MLSNext predecessor league) team through HS. My son and 3 others from this kindergarten cohort went on to play D1 and several more played D3.

We were lucky along the way to have knowledgeable soccer coaches and trainers notice our son’s talent and want to mentor him. We were also incredibly lucky that he had a group of nice, sports-mad friends who pushed each other to be better players and people throughout his school years. But yes, it all started with us and some other parents thinking “Hmm, my kid seems advanced at this for his age.”

Anonymous wrote:I know this will be flamed. I have a 3.5 year old who is oddly good at soccer in my opinion. He kicks the ball harder than my 2nd grader. He is also faster. He is doing a soccer shots program and the dads there make comments about how they’ve never seen a kid like him. I think they’re probably just making conversation, I have no idea what signs I might see that my kid has a real gift. Can anyone whose child grew up to be a college soccer player, etc tell me what their kid looked like at 3.5?

NP. My college soccer player was completely incompetent with a ball at 3.5. Truth be told he was a benchwarmer or third-team player until his tweens. If you had seen him at 8, you never, ever would have identified him as the only kid out of that cohort to play college soccer.

I have not read the rest of the thread and I assume you are facing nastiness. But I love the enthusiasm! Just keep giving the kid soccer balls!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere are any skills mentioned. Just being bigger, faster, and kicking harder.

So he has athletic ability but no actual soccer skill.

In other words, you could put him in any contact sport and he'd be bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive than other kids.

Soccer is all about developing fine motor skills and precision movements. Doesn't sound like his thing.

He's going to excel at some other sport.

Ok, point taken of course, but that wasn’t my question. I asked if your kid was a successful soccer player , what did he look like as a 3 or 4 year old. Could you tell me what yours looked like?

No idea if he’ll be a success but my U12 is on a top pre-MLSNext team in a major metropolitan area and could dribble the ball at less than 2 years. He dribbled in circles around everyone at every soccer class we took him to so we just put him in a club at 3 (2-3 times a week practice) and he was playing games at 4, a few years up.

Anonymous wrote:This is interesting I’ve heard Messi and Ronaldo were like this.

Training in USA may not be up to snuff for a kid of this caliber, have you considered moving to Barcelona or Lisbon?

Very funny. Again, I am not looking for any advice, snarky/ funny or otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere are any skills mentioned. Just being bigger, faster, and kicking harder.

So he has athletic ability but no actual soccer skill.

In other words, you could put him in any contact sport and he'd be bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive than other kids.

Soccer is all about developing fine motor skills and precision movements. Doesn't sound like his thing.

He's going to excel at some other sport.

Ok, point taken of course, but that wasn’t my question. I asked if your kid was a successful soccer player , what did he look like as a 3 or 4 year old. Could you tell me what yours looked like?

Can they play up on a U5 travel team?

This is interesting I’ve heard Messi and Ronaldo were like this.

Training in USA may not be up to snuff for a kid of this caliber, have you considered moving to Barcelona or Lisbon?

when kicking hard stops working and he stops scoring 8-12 goals per game, his interest in the sport will wane. In the rec leagues this will work for a while. In "travel" soccer it will work until about 13 when other kids are all fast enough to block shots and kids better at being defenders are actually playing as defenders.

Nowhere are any skills mentioned. Just being bigger, faster, and kicking harder.

So he has athletic ability but no actual soccer skill.

In other words, you could put him in any contact sport and he'd be bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive than other kids.

Soccer is all about developing fine motor skills and precision movements. Doesn't sound like his thing.

He's going to excel at some other sport.