Anonymous wrote:

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For boys that are not students, it may be the way to get into one of the those low tier academic schools and a good thing to get them to actually get a degree.

For the stellar students, I would never sacrifice or take a hit in academic trajectory/potential for soccer.

True Story:

Colleague #1 played for Radford University and obtained degree
Colleague #2 could have played at RU, but decided to pursue academics at UVA. Graduated.

10 years later;

Both work at the same job, same pay grade, same professional path. Is not always about the best school is what I learned from this situation.

I hate how coaches in ECNL continuously "sell" you the college path. I would never sacrifice academics for soccer either.

What makes you believe a kid would be sacrificing academics for soccer?

Abby Wambach's autobiography.

(OK, that's an extreme example.)

Lets stop talking about National Team caliber players. They are the types of players who are going to College for Soccer but that is such a small slice of the pie. Comparing them to the regular student body is like comparing Joe Burrow to the regular student body.

Top ten programs participating in rigorous majors is not possible but there are a lot of very good schools and programs where students/athletes can find some balance. D1 plus school is extremely challenging but it doesn't automatically mean a player sacrificed academics.

It is possible to participate in rigorous majors at many schools with top D1 programs, but it’s certainly not easy. I was at the mens Final Four in 2019 and they recognized some of the players with excellent academic records. There was a goalkeeper from Stanford with a 3.9 something GPA majoring in Engineering Physics—that sounds pretty rigorous. If you go through the rosters of top teams, there are usually a few computer science or engineering majors listed, though you have to dig deeper to see if those players are getting a lot of playing time. It is certainly the case that you will not have time for much else if you have a tough academic schedule and a demanding coach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounsoccer.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2666305

http://www.arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/travel/college-placement/college-commitments/

https://alexandria-soccer.org/programs/academy/college-placement/

https://www.soccerwire.com/club/virginia-development-academy/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

https://www.soccerwire.com/recruiting/boys-2021-college-commitments/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIiwibWV0YS5pc19jb21taXR0ZWQucmF3IjoiMSIsIm1ldGEuZ3JhZHVhdGlvbl95ZWFyLnJhdyI6IjIwMjEiLCJtZXRhLnN0YXRlX3Byb3ZpbmNlLnJhdyI6IlZBIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

OOF....given the sheer number of boys playing soccer in the DMV those lists are incredibly underwhelming.

I meet so many delusional parents. I keep my mouth shut, but the false belief some of them have and have been sold. When my neighbor's son made a DA team in middle school (with a very large roster) he told us this meant he would get a USMNT spot. Others talk about positioning themselves for college scholarships thinking they will be getting one from Duke or UCLA, etc.

At some point around the Fall of Senior year they wake up. If they are lucky, they will see it around Freshmen year and the kid will branch out and be able to take up some other activities at school while pulling back on the soccer travel ,etc.

Completely agree. I can't explain the level of delusion I hear from parents every year. It's insane, but people believe some crazy stuff out there so who knows. My son plays on an ECNL team and I had a new parent last year tell me that he came to ECNL because he heard that nationally 80% of kids playing ECNL get "full rides" to D1 schools. I realized he wasn't the kind of person that was worth educating or talking to so just said, "Oh really, I didn't hear that, but it sounds like a lot of kids." This is the same guy who has instagram pages for 3 kids (2 are under 10) so they can start "getting exposure". People like that are one of the many reasons youth soccer in this country is so annoying.

I run into these parents ALL of the time. It’s let you a bit with my U16/17 son’s friend’s parents because the reality of it all starts setting in, but the sidelines of my 13-year old son’s teams are filled with these parents. I don’t engage it. Just kind of smile and know not to put my chair near them next game.

The girl parents are the craziest IMO, but, there are plenty of boy parents who don't get that if your kid isn't on the top team or is sitting the bench on a top team, they are not going to be getting $$ for soccer. I know a family who paid a "recruitment specialist" to help explore finding a college team for their 2nd string goalie who played on a mediocre high school team. Anybody will take your $ for something.

Anonymous wrote:Before concerning themselves with college, parents need to consider if there are there even enough spots on a typical High School team!

Despite years of travel soccer, my nephew initially made the Wilson JV team but never the varsity. So much competition in this area!

Some high school teams are very competitive and very hard to make. Part of the problem in this area is that anybody can play "travel soccer". Your nephew probably would have been well-served playing rec, but everyone moves their kid to "travel" (whether they are good or not) because they want to brag to other parents.

A high school team is far easier to make than a top club team.

Before concerning themselves with college, parents need to consider if there are there even enough spots on a typical High School team!

Despite years of travel soccer, my nephew initially made the Wilson JV team but never the varsity. So much competition in this area!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounsoccer.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2666305

http://www.arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/travel/college-placement/college-commitments/

https://alexandria-soccer.org/programs/academy/college-placement/

https://www.soccerwire.com/club/virginia-development-academy/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

https://www.soccerwire.com/recruiting/boys-2021-college-commitments/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIiwibWV0YS5pc19jb21taXR0ZWQucmF3IjoiMSIsIm1ldGEuZ3JhZHVhdGlvbl95ZWFyLnJhdyI6IjIwMjEiLCJtZXRhLnN0YXRlX3Byb3ZpbmNlLnJhdyI6IlZBIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

OOF....given the sheer number of boys playing soccer in the DMV those lists are incredibly underwhelming.

I meet so many delusional parents. I keep my mouth shut, but the false belief some of them have and have been sold. When my neighbor's son made a DA team in middle school (with a very large roster) he told us this meant he would get a USMNT spot. Others talk about positioning themselves for college scholarships thinking they will be getting one from Duke or UCLA, etc.

At some point around the Fall of Senior year they wake up. If they are lucky, they will see it around Freshmen year and the kid will branch out and be able to take up some other activities at school while pulling back on the soccer travel ,etc.

Completely agree. I can't explain the level of delusion I hear from parents every year. It's insane, but people believe some crazy stuff out there so who knows. My son plays on an ECNL team and I had a new parent last year tell me that he came to ECNL because he heard that nationally 80% of kids playing ECNL get "full rides" to D1 schools. I realized he wasn't the kind of person that was worth educating or talking to so just said, "Oh really, I didn't hear that, but it sounds like a lot of kids." This is the same guy who has instagram pages for 3 kids (2 are under 10) so they can start "getting exposure". People like that are one of the many reasons youth soccer in this country is so annoying.

Our kids' Club was announcing commitments to Community Colleges. Is that a thing ????? Do they even have teams that play in D2 or D3? I was not impressed at all with any of their commits over the past 5 years my boys were with the Club. Not a single college I would want my kids to attend, to play soccer or not, with award $$ or not.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For boys that are not students, it may be the way to get into one of the those low tier academic schools and a good thing to get them to actually get a degree.

For the stellar students, I would never sacrifice or take a hit in academic trajectory/potential for soccer.

True Story:

Colleague #1 played for Radford University and obtained degree
Colleague #2 could have played at RU, but decided to pursue academics at UVA. Graduated.

10 years later;

Both work at the same job, same pay grade, same professional path. Is not always about the best school is what I learned from this situation.

I hate how coaches in ECNL continuously "sell" you the college path. I would never sacrifice academics for soccer either.

What makes you believe a kid would be sacrificing academics for soccer?

Abby Wambach's autobiography.

(OK, that's an extreme example.)

Lets stop talking about National Team caliber players. They are the types of players who are going to College for Soccer but that is such a small slice of the pie. Comparing them to the regular student body is like comparing Joe Burrow to the regular student body.

Top ten programs participating in rigorous majors is not possible but there are a lot of very good schools and programs where students/athletes can find some balance. D1 plus school is extremely challenging but it doesn't automatically mean a player sacrificed academics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For boys that are not students, it may be the way to get into one of the those low tier academic schools and a good thing to get them to actually get a degree.

For the stellar students, I would never sacrifice or take a hit in academic trajectory/potential for soccer.

True Story:

Colleague #1 played for Radford University and obtained degree
Colleague #2 could have played at RU, but decided to pursue academics at UVA. Graduated.

10 years later;

Both work at the same job, same pay grade, same professional path. Is not always about the best school is what I learned from this situation.

I hate how coaches in ECNL continuously "sell" you the college path. I would never sacrifice academics for soccer either.

What makes you believe a kid would be sacrificing academics for soccer?

Hey, I'm not the coach, but they sure think/sell it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounsoccer.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2666305

http://www.arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/travel/college-placement/college-commitments/

https://alexandria-soccer.org/programs/academy/college-placement/

https://www.soccerwire.com/club/virginia-development-academy/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

https://www.soccerwire.com/recruiting/boys-2021-college-commitments/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIiwibWV0YS5pc19jb21taXR0ZWQucmF3IjoiMSIsIm1ldGEuZ3JhZHVhdGlvbl95ZWFyLnJhdyI6IjIwMjEiLCJtZXRhLnN0YXRlX3Byb3ZpbmNlLnJhdyI6IlZBIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

OOF....given the sheer number of boys playing soccer in the DMV those lists are incredibly underwhelming.

I meet so many delusional parents. I keep my mouth shut, but the false belief some of them have and have been sold. When my neighbor's son made a DA team in middle school (with a very large roster) he told us this meant he would get a USMNT spot. Others talk about positioning themselves for college scholarships thinking they will be getting one from Duke or UCLA, etc.

At some point around the Fall of Senior year they wake up. If they are lucky, they will see it around Freshmen year and the kid will branch out and be able to take up some other activities at school while pulling back on the soccer travel ,etc.

Completely agree. I can't explain the level of delusion I hear from parents every year. It's insane, but people believe some crazy stuff out there so who knows. My son plays on an ECNL team and I had a new parent last year tell me that he came to ECNL because he heard that nationally 80% of kids playing ECNL get "full rides" to D1 schools. I realized he wasn't the kind of person that was worth educating or talking to so just said, "Oh really, I didn't hear that, but it sounds like a lot of kids." This is the same guy who has instagram pages for 3 kids (2 are under 10) so they can start "getting exposure". People like that are one of the many reasons youth soccer in this country is so annoying.

I run into these parents ALL of the time. It’s let you a bit with my U16/17 son’s friend’s parents because the reality of it all starts setting in, but the sidelines of my 13-year old son’s teams are filled with these parents. I don’t engage it. Just kind of smile and know not to put my chair near them next game.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.loudounsoccer.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2666305

http://www.arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/travel/college-placement/college-commitments/

https://alexandria-soccer.org/programs/academy/college-placement/

https://www.soccerwire.com/club/virginia-development-academy/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

https://www.soccerwire.com/recruiting/boys-2021-college-commitments/?filter=eyJzb3J0X2J5IjoibWV0YS5pc19mZWF0dXJlZC5yYXciLCJzb3J0X2RpcmVjdGlvbiI6ImRlc2MiLCJxdWVyeSI6IiIsInNlbGVjdGVkRmlsdGVycyI6eyJtZXRhLmdlbmRlci5yYXciOiJtYWxlIiwibWV0YS5pc19jb21taXR0ZWQucmF3IjoiMSIsIm1ldGEuZ3JhZHVhdGlvbl95ZWFyLnJhdyI6IjIwMjEiLCJtZXRhLnN0YXRlX3Byb3ZpbmNlLnJhdyI6IlZBIn0sInNlbGVjdGVkUmFuZ2VGaWx0ZXJzIjp7fSwiY3VycmVudFBhZ2UiOjF9

OOF....given the sheer number of boys playing soccer in the DMV those lists are incredibly underwhelming.

I meet so many delusional parents. I keep my mouth shut, but the false belief some of them have and have been sold. When my neighbor's son made a DA team in middle school (with a very large roster) he told us this meant he would get a USMNT spot. Others talk about positioning themselves for college scholarships thinking they will be getting one from Duke or UCLA, etc.

At some point around the Fall of Senior year they wake up. If they are lucky, they will see it around Freshmen year and the kid will branch out and be able to take up some other activities at school while pulling back on the soccer travel ,etc.

Completely agree. I can't explain the level of delusion I hear from parents every year. It's insane, but people believe some crazy stuff out there so who knows. My son plays on an ECNL team and I had a new parent last year tell me that he came to ECNL because he heard that nationally 80% of kids playing ECNL get "full rides" to D1 schools. I realized he wasn't the kind of person that was worth educating or talking to so just said, "Oh really, I didn't hear that, but it sounds like a lot of kids." This is the same guy who has instagram pages for 3 kids (2 are under 10) so they can start "getting exposure". People like that are one of the many reasons youth soccer in this country is so annoying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For boys that are not students, it may be the way to get into one of the those low tier academic schools and a good thing to get them to actually get a degree.

For the stellar students, I would never sacrifice or take a hit in academic trajectory/potential for soccer.

True Story:

Colleague #1 played for Radford University and obtained degree
Colleague #2 could have played at RU, but decided to pursue academics at UVA. Graduated.

10 years later;

Both work at the same job, same pay grade, same professional path. Is not always about the best school is what I learned from this situation.

I hate how coaches in ECNL continuously "sell" you the college path. I would never sacrifice academics for soccer either.

What makes you believe a kid would be sacrificing academics for soccer?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the link posted above (https://scholarshipstats.com/soccer ) is really helpful and interesting. I’ve followed the updates for years. The first time I came across it, I was puzzled by the numbers because I knew, or knew of, scores of kids from here playing in college. In later updates, the author added this caveat: “The odds vary significantly depending on where you compete in High School. The odds of playing D1 are notably higher for players from the Mid-Atlantic states, but much lower for players in many other areas. The odds are especially low for states without NCAA I schools that sponsor men’s and/or women’s soccer.”

It’s really not nearly so hard to get recruited and play in college for boys or girls from our area as people on DCUM make it out to be. Another factor that’s helpful on the boys’ side is the recent increase in professional opportunities for men’s soccer. Compared to few years ago, a very significant number of players have opted to skip college and instead try their luck in Germany (or elsewhere), MLS teams are signing more homegrown teenagers, and other kids choose USL. This obviously opens up more spots at all the colleges that would have loved to recruit such talented players.

My advice to anyone who thinks their kid may want and be able to play in college? See if you can talk to the parents of kids in your club or community whose kids ended up at the level you are looking at. I get the sense that there are only a few of us on DCUM who have been through the process for boys, and there are some weird takes on these threads.

Good, sane post.

that source looks at high school athletes. There are plenty of kids playing high school with no desire or chance to play in college. I'd like to see the same stats for MLSnext/ECNL/GA. The odds still probably aren't great, but they are probably a lot better

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. I admit that it has been a couple years since I followed the HS age groups in the local scene closely, but I am under the impression that BSC, Baltimore Armour, and DC United still have MLSNext teams for U17 and U19. No? I’m not trying to sell anyone on anything. I just don’t want parents who don’t have friends at their club to feel like playing in college for boys is a hopeless goal because of cynical people like you. Do you not know a lot of male players at D1 and D3 schools? If you don’t, why are you posting here?

You listed 2 Clubs in Maryland and an actual MLS Academy. Not the 101+ travel clubs across just NoVA selling false college dreams for males. I think the point is that: no. the Clubs have this data and there are very little academically worthy or even 'name recgonition' schools for commits, and even those are a complete scarcity.

It's not a scare tactic. It's realism. It is a dose of reality to those that have no idea what they are chasing and what is actually available (vs what they are told at U11//12/13/14/15, etc.). It can save some male players a lot of heartache and start to plan alternatives (keeping up those GPAs!!) if they realized this.

I’m really not convinced that there are significant numbers of coaches in this are telling U11 or U12 players they are likely to be able to play in college, or significant numbers of parents who think you can project where kids will end when they are in elementary school. They are too young to evaluate at that age. I have no problem with a coach telling a U15 year old that he or she has the talent to play in college if they keep working hard. Coaches told my son that starting around u14, and every single one of them told him he needed to keep his grades up as well as putting in the soccer work Some of his friends were slower to develop and these talks with coaches happened later in HS.

Parents and kids need to be realistic and do their due diligence. They need to understand that a club’s claims that they can help kids play in college mean only that they have had at least some success in getting one or more kids get recruited. If your kid is never promoted to the top team, you can assume that the club’s message is not directed at you, and the same may be true if the top team is not competitive or you are always on the bench. Questions like the OPs are helpful because the club’s commitment list shows that some clubs actually do place a decent number of kids on their top team or two in college, while others it’s more like a kid or two every few years. And as I said earlier in the thread, parents who think their kid may have what it takes need to talk to other parents who have been through the process and not blindly trust messages from clubs or coaches. But in any case I don’t know of any families delusional enough to think it’s fine for their son to put all his eggs in the soccer scholarship basket and stop focusing on academics and grades. You can do very well in school and soccer at the same time as long as you don’t party or goof off too much, and focusing on academics is always the top priority if you want good college options. Which person likely to be reading DCUM doesn’t understand this?

Anonymous wrote:a friend of mine was recruited to Boston University, sat most of freshman year, and after the sophomore season dropped off the team and joined a frat

A friend of mine played intramural and another didn’t play sports at all. Relevance?

Anonymous wrote:I think the link posted above (https://scholarshipstats.com/soccer ) is really helpful and interesting. I’ve followed the updates for years. The first time I came across it, I was puzzled by the numbers because I knew, or knew of, scores of kids from here playing in college. In later updates, the author added this caveat: “The odds vary significantly depending on where you compete in High School. The odds of playing D1 are notably higher for players from the Mid-Atlantic states, but much lower for players in many other areas. The odds are especially low for states without NCAA I schools that sponsor men’s and/or women’s soccer.”

It’s really not nearly so hard to get recruited and play in college for boys or girls from our area as people on DCUM make it out to be. Another factor that’s helpful on the boys’ side is the recent increase in professional opportunities for men’s soccer. Compared to few years ago, a very significant number of players have opted to skip college and instead try their luck in Germany (or elsewhere), MLS teams are signing more homegrown teenagers, and other kids choose USL. This obviously opens up more spots at all the colleges that would have loved to recruit such talented players.

My advice to anyone who thinks their kid may want and be able to play in college? See if you can talk to the parents of kids in your club or community whose kids ended up at the level you are looking at. I get the sense that there are only a few of us on DCUM who have been through the process for boys, and there are some weird takes on these threads.

Good, sane post.