Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 15:53     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those with Q4 kids iin ECNL/GA/MLSN who will be re-age grouping in the next year (or so), how are you having those conversations? Are you waiting for the club to initiate or getting ahead of it? Has anyone seen guidance if the tryout window will be amended for those aging down?


Other parents on the team are already reaching out to the coaches (team below coach in the case of girls moving down). As disgusting as I find this part of club soccer, I don't know anyone that has been newly placed on an NL or GA team without a parent first reaching out to the club/coach, except when moving up a team within the same club and age level. As far as I know, your kid would need to absolutely torch everyone at an open tryout to get placed on a top team based on just those 1-2 sessions.

Personally, I'm waiting until at least mid-Winter to reach out to coach below. But my daughter will likely go to two other club's Winter ID sessions if they have them, and current club spy network will probably lead to a message from a coach within days of that.

This the right approach. There will be lots of team movements not just within clubs but across clubs. Do not think your player is immune to being replaced. Truth is no one knows who will show up for tryouts in the winter/spring. It will all shakeout and there will be a team for everyone eventually but best to be proactive. You want to be one of the people making an early choice and not left with whatever is left to choose in April.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 15:45     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:For those with Q4 kids iin ECNL/GA/MLSN who will be re-age grouping in the next year (or so), how are you having those conversations? Are you waiting for the club to initiate or getting ahead of it? Has anyone seen guidance if the tryout window will be amended for those aging down?


Other parents on the team are already reaching out to the coaches (team below coach in the case of girls moving down). As disgusting as I find this part of club soccer, I don't know anyone that has been newly placed on an NL or GA team without a parent first reaching out to the club/coach, except when moving up a team within the same club and age level. As far as I know, your kid would need to absolutely torch everyone at an open tryout to get placed on a top team based on just those 1-2 sessions.

Personally, I'm waiting until at least mid-Winter to reach out to coach below. But my daughter will likely go to two other club's Winter ID sessions if they have them, and current club spy network will probably lead to a message from a coach within days of that.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 15:21     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think one issue could be for August and September kids who went to school on time (VA side), now they have to repeat a year and will not play with the kids at the same grades.


I assume most clubs will treat this like grad year, as the point on the girls side is recruiting.

Theres an entire thread where people have been argueing about this for months.

One person says clubs wont care about Aug/Sept players grade in school.

The other person has been saying that younger Aug/Sept players will be grouped with their grade in school team.

I agree with you. It doesnt make sense to let players a grade older play on a team thats 99% a grade younger than they are in school.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 14:38     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
99% of the comments ignore the PP's question lol
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:55     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think one issue could be for August and September kids who went to school on time (VA side), now they have to repeat a year and will not play with the kids at the same grades.


I assume most clubs will treat this like grad year, as the point on the girls side is recruiting.


I agree with the above - it would be goofy, IMO, to have HS Seniors that are just beyond the 8/1 cutoff playing with HS Juniors. Doesn't make sense. But, if they are truly a grade behind, have them play with their current grade level even if they are not the same birth year. DD's team has a mix of these types of players. Some that are beyond the cutoff that are in the same grade, but a few that are beyond the cutoff that are a grade behind.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:54     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think one issue could be for August and September kids who went to school on time (VA side), now they have to repeat a year and will not play with the kids at the same grades.


I assume most clubs will treat this like grad year, as the point on the girls side is recruiting.


Depends on team roster size. End of the day, player has to make the team and outplay other players.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:54     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is The Conversation? Teams will form according to the new rules. It ain’t that deep.
some clubs and teams are mum as some parents won’t be happy

I'm truly trying to understand what would make parents unhappy about this? Is it just that some people are unhappy about any changes to their life in general? Otherwise it's hard to see how changing the age cutoff date by 4 months is going to be a big deal. It doesn't make anyone a better soccer player. Help me understand.

5 months of players from the older age group will come down. Some kids will be bumped down to a lower team or no longer get playing time. This isn't that difficult to understand.


At the highest level clubs, 5 months of players coming down will probably displace 90% of the kids on the team the year younger. Most elite teams are already heavy with the Jan-Jun kids, now they will be heavy with Aug-Dec, especially if MLS Next doesn't change and end of birth year bench players on MLS Next teams jump to ECNL and displace a ton of existing kids.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:42     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:I think one issue could be for August and September kids who went to school on time (VA side), now they have to repeat a year and will not play with the kids at the same grades.


I assume most clubs will treat this like grad year, as the point on the girls side is recruiting.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:33     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:I am with a MLS Next I squad. Without details on what MLS Next is doing, officially, nothing matters until that shoe drops.


Likewise. I don't think they will make any changes, they have bio banding instead.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 13:31     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
I think one issue could be for August and September kids who went to school on time (VA side), now they have to repeat a year and will not play with the kids at the same grades.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 12:13     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:I have a Q4 starter at an ECNL club as well. I have talked to the coaches for both age groups and neither one know what team my kid will be on. I'm sure it will probably depend who all comes to tryouts from other clubs. We are in a good situation because i know they will be on one of the NL teams. I expect 40-60% of the players will change for the non high school ages and probably less for older ages. I unfortunately think a lot of the Jan-July kid's parents have no idea or in denial about what is about to happen.


This is 100% the case. Especially in the younger age groups. High school level, this change is probably just annoying. But in the 2014-2015 brackets, you are going to have a ton of August-Dec 2014's who will replace Jan-July 2015's on the 1st teams for major clubs. I really don't think the Jan-July parents are ready. In my small sphere, 3 of the tops kids on my club are August-December and have the option to play down which I think they are going to do to stay 9v9 for an additional year and develop as we all have international exposure and understand that moving to 11v11 too early is a common American mistake.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 11:32     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:I have a Q4 starter at an ECNL club as well. I have talked to the coaches for both age groups and neither one know what team my kid will be on. I'm sure it will probably depend who all comes to tryouts from other clubs. We are in a good situation because i know they will be on one of the NL teams. I expect 40-60% of the players will change for the non high school ages and probably less for older ages. I unfortunately think a lot of the Jan-July kid's parents have no idea or in denial about what is about to happen.


Other Q4 poster (btw not mid atlantic so chill with trying to guess who i am) - Agree 100%
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 11:17     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids MLSN club has not said a word about it. Coach has not said anything either and I don't think he would have any info beyond what you might read here.

Kid is a Sept birthday and a starter. He is thinking about not playing MLSN next year, he sort of wants to give HS a try (he would be the absolute star of the team) so I get it...

Our local USYS club (we are still on the email list) just sent out an email about the age change with a few links to other clubs' age change info to help explain it. They are a small club but said, in the email, that they will be re-forming all teams under the new age brackets with no exceptions which is interesting. Because of the size of the club I expected them to hem and haw and talk a lot about exceptions and keeping teams together. But nope...


Small clubs always make exceptions behind the scenes. They can't fill rosters otherwise esp on the girls side.


For sure, I was just shocked they were that blunt and did not sugar coat things at all. There is still a whole spring season for them to play... As you can see from some of these threads, there are many who cannot accept the change.


They want to make exceptions based on the club's needs, not parent requests. So you tell all the parents "no exceptions" but when all the kids show up in August, there will for sure have been exceptions.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 10:44     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:I have a younger 09 player in a ECNL club, coaches already talked to us and gave us their recommendation. We have the option to play u17 again next year, but they suggested he play with the older U19 team next year.


I would play U17 again for college recruiting purposes. Unless the player is going to be a senior.
Anonymous
Post 11/12/2025 10:41     Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids MLSN club has not said a word about it. Coach has not said anything either and I don't think he would have any info beyond what you might read here.

Kid is a Sept birthday and a starter. He is thinking about not playing MLSN next year, he sort of wants to give HS a try (he would be the absolute star of the team) so I get it...

Our local USYS club (we are still on the email list) just sent out an email about the age change with a few links to other clubs' age change info to help explain it. They are a small club but said, in the email, that they will be re-forming all teams under the new age brackets with no exceptions which is interesting. Because of the size of the club I expected them to hem and haw and talk a lot about exceptions and keeping teams together. But nope...


Small clubs always make exceptions behind the scenes. They can't fill rosters otherwise esp on the girls side.


For sure, I was just shocked they were that blunt and did not sugar coat things at all. There is still a whole spring season for them to play... As you can see from some of these threads, there are many who cannot accept the change.