Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re asking the wrong question because you’re assuming mlsnext clubs equal development. That’s not necessarily true.

If your kid is playing up and is the best one on the team, it’s time to move on. Great to play against bigger, stronger, faster but it sounds like you are missing development with speed of play and decision making.

We’ve had the opposite experience as a previous poster. There is a ton of movement in the middle school period. If your kid is good enough, a club will take them at anytime. You can (and should) do outside training and individual work on your own regardless of the club you play for.

Higher level teams are mostly selected prior to tryouts unless a complete stud shows up out of the blue. That’s because clubs have ID sessions over the winter and will ask outside players to attend practice during the spring before starting to send out or make verbal offers.

Ignore the badge of the club and pick a club based on good development and fit with the team. Look at the new age cutoffs, pay attention when mlsnext announces their decision, and see how it impacts your kid. Go to ID sessions of multiple clubs, practice with them, and make a decision from there.

Most importantly, have your kid work with the ball on their own at home to the extent that they want to. They have to drive the bus, not you. There are plenty of videos on YouTube to guide you, all you need is a ball and a wall. No other decision you make for them at age 9 is going to make or break their soccer career.

Sorry, age 7… are we really having a discussion as to if you need an mlsnext team at age 7/8? The badge of the club shouldn’t be any part of the decision making process at this age.

None of the kids on my sons MLSN1 U16 team were with the club at U10. Two were with the club at U12. At all the MLSN1 teams around us that I am familiar with, 90+% of the roster were not with the club at U10. Not sure what people are talking about in this thread, but there is not a 'bonus' to being loyal to a club and/or joining early. In fact, they often see the kids who have been around for a while as 'old news' and are willing to bump them down or drop them if anyone remotely interesting shows up to a practice or tryout.

Are far as development goes, none of these clubs 'develop' these players. All of that development goes on outside of the club. Anyone who has been through this a time or two knows this. So, unless the MLSN1 club is super convenient or something like that, trying to 'get in' early is a waste of time and money.

With training at the club 4 days a week and 2 games on the weekend, when are these MLS Next putting in development of significance outside the club?
Other than watching games on TV for IQ development

Also curious about this. When and where are these kids doing the extra development time outside of club activity?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re asking the wrong question because you’re assuming mlsnext clubs equal development. That’s not necessarily true.

If your kid is playing up and is the best one on the team, it’s time to move on. Great to play against bigger, stronger, faster but it sounds like you are missing development with speed of play and decision making.

We’ve had the opposite experience as a previous poster. There is a ton of movement in the middle school period. If your kid is good enough, a club will take them at anytime. You can (and should) do outside training and individual work on your own regardless of the club you play for.

Higher level teams are mostly selected prior to tryouts unless a complete stud shows up out of the blue. That’s because clubs have ID sessions over the winter and will ask outside players to attend practice during the spring before starting to send out or make verbal offers.

Ignore the badge of the club and pick a club based on good development and fit with the team. Look at the new age cutoffs, pay attention when mlsnext announces their decision, and see how it impacts your kid. Go to ID sessions of multiple clubs, practice with them, and make a decision from there.

Most importantly, have your kid work with the ball on their own at home to the extent that they want to. They have to drive the bus, not you. There are plenty of videos on YouTube to guide you, all you need is a ball and a wall. No other decision you make for them at age 9 is going to make or break their soccer career.

Sorry, age 7… are we really having a discussion as to if you need an mlsnext team at age 7/8? The badge of the club shouldn’t be any part of the decision making process at this age.

None of the kids on my sons MLSN1 U16 team were with the club at U10. Two were with the club at U12. At all the MLSN1 teams around us that I am familiar with, 90+% of the roster were not with the club at U10. Not sure what people are talking about in this thread, but there is not a 'bonus' to being loyal to a club and/or joining early. In fact, they often see the kids who have been around for a while as 'old news' and are willing to bump them down or drop them if anyone remotely interesting shows up to a practice or tryout.

Are far as development goes, none of these clubs 'develop' these players. All of that development goes on outside of the club. Anyone who has been through this a time or two knows this. So, unless the MLSN1 club is super convenient or something like that, trying to 'get in' early is a waste of time and money.

With training at the club 4 days a week and 2 games on the weekend, when are these MLS Next putting in development of significance outside the club?
Other than watching games on TV for IQ development

Also curious about this. When and where are these kids doing the extra development time outside of club activity?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re asking the wrong question because you’re assuming mlsnext clubs equal development. That’s not necessarily true.

If your kid is playing up and is the best one on the team, it’s time to move on. Great to play against bigger, stronger, faster but it sounds like you are missing development with speed of play and decision making.

We’ve had the opposite experience as a previous poster. There is a ton of movement in the middle school period. If your kid is good enough, a club will take them at anytime. You can (and should) do outside training and individual work on your own regardless of the club you play for.

Higher level teams are mostly selected prior to tryouts unless a complete stud shows up out of the blue. That’s because clubs have ID sessions over the winter and will ask outside players to attend practice during the spring before starting to send out or make verbal offers.

Ignore the badge of the club and pick a club based on good development and fit with the team. Look at the new age cutoffs, pay attention when mlsnext announces their decision, and see how it impacts your kid. Go to ID sessions of multiple clubs, practice with them, and make a decision from there.

Most importantly, have your kid work with the ball on their own at home to the extent that they want to. They have to drive the bus, not you. There are plenty of videos on YouTube to guide you, all you need is a ball and a wall. No other decision you make for them at age 9 is going to make or break their soccer career.

Sorry, age 7… are we really having a discussion as to if you need an mlsnext team at age 7/8? The badge of the club shouldn’t be any part of the decision making process at this age.

None of the kids on my sons MLSN1 U16 team were with the club at U10. Two were with the club at U12. At all the MLSN1 teams around us that I am familiar with, 90+% of the roster were not with the club at U10. Not sure what people are talking about in this thread, but there is not a 'bonus' to being loyal to a club and/or joining early. In fact, they often see the kids who have been around for a while as 'old news' and are willing to bump them down or drop them if anyone remotely interesting shows up to a practice or tryout.

Are far as development goes, none of these clubs 'develop' these players. All of that development goes on outside of the club. Anyone who has been through this a time or two knows this. So, unless the MLSN1 club is super convenient or something like that, trying to 'get in' early is a waste of time and money.

ok so 2 of them remained at U12 from U10....did the rest drop out of the sport? Or move onto other MLSN or ECNL clubs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re asking the wrong question because you’re assuming mlsnext clubs equal development. That’s not necessarily true.

If your kid is playing up and is the best one on the team, it’s time to move on. Great to play against bigger, stronger, faster but it sounds like you are missing development with speed of play and decision making.

We’ve had the opposite experience as a previous poster. There is a ton of movement in the middle school period. If your kid is good enough, a club will take them at anytime. You can (and should) do outside training and individual work on your own regardless of the club you play for.

Higher level teams are mostly selected prior to tryouts unless a complete stud shows up out of the blue. That’s because clubs have ID sessions over the winter and will ask outside players to attend practice during the spring before starting to send out or make verbal offers.

Ignore the badge of the club and pick a club based on good development and fit with the team. Look at the new age cutoffs, pay attention when mlsnext announces their decision, and see how it impacts your kid. Go to ID sessions of multiple clubs, practice with them, and make a decision from there.

Most importantly, have your kid work with the ball on their own at home to the extent that they want to. They have to drive the bus, not you. There are plenty of videos on YouTube to guide you, all you need is a ball and a wall. No other decision you make for them at age 9 is going to make or break their soccer career.

Sorry, age 7… are we really having a discussion as to if you need an mlsnext team at age 7/8? The badge of the club shouldn’t be any part of the decision making process at this age.

None of the kids on my sons MLSN1 U16 team were with the club at U10. Two were with the club at U12. At all the MLSN1 teams around us that I am familiar with, 90+% of the roster were not with the club at U10. Not sure what people are talking about in this thread, but there is not a 'bonus' to being loyal to a club and/or joining early. In fact, they often see the kids who have been around for a while as 'old news' and are willing to bump them down or drop them if anyone remotely interesting shows up to a practice or tryout.

Are far as development goes, none of these clubs 'develop' these players. All of that development goes on outside of the club. Anyone who has been through this a time or two knows this. So, unless the MLSN1 club is super convenient or something like that, trying to 'get in' early is a waste of time and money.

With training at the club 4 days a week and 2 games on the weekend, when are these MLS Next putting in development of significance outside the club?
Other than watching games on TV for IQ development

Also curious about this. When and where are these kids doing the extra development time outside of club activity?