College vs Academy

[Guest]

a majority of those players, for the first time, are not college products nor foreign-born dual nationals. Seventeen of the 26 at this World Cup came through U.S. Soccer’s controversial Development Academy.


https://sports.yahoo.com/usmnt-socce...150011102.html

Please argue. Many ways to reach pro. But Academy is the most successful route if the goal is to be a pro. College will give you life skills, no doubt and can be a pathway to pro.

[Guest]

Most the academy’s are money makers.

[Guest]

We are pretty much at a point where going to college (due to training/game restrictions) hinders the development of the professional soccer player - at least on the boys/mens side. I figure in the next couple years MLS will do away with the draft completely and players coming out of college (that aren't linked to a homegrown identifier) will simply be free agents. But it will be less and less over time. And, so we're clear, this is about the professional (MLS) academies - not clubs that say they have an "academy" because as much as they try they are amateur clubs and almost none of them can duplicate the MLS academy environment.

[Guest]

Playing at school helps a person grow to have a life after the game. If a player wants to go pro before going to school great. Look at basketball and Football. This is done every year. A player just declares that they want to go pro. But once you go pro you give up all ability to go back.

clubs blow so much smoke about bring players up early. Then blow the players ability to get s education.

how many youth get to play pro? How many get to play at a university? How many make their high school team?

It’s all about goals and preparing for life

[Guest]

clubs blow so much smoke about bring players up early. Then blow the players ability to get s education.

Stop propagating the myth that universities provide 'education' to the top athletes. Most of them just waste time attending classes where they never learn anything.

[Guest]

Stop hating on the athletes that go to college.

[Guest]

Playing at school helps a person grow to have a life after the game. If a player wants to go pro before going to school great. Look at basketball and Football. This is done every year. A player just declares that they want to go pro. But once you go pro you give up all ability to go back.

clubs blow so much smoke about bring players up early. Then blow the players ability to get s education.

how many youth get to play pro? How many get to play at a university? How many make their high school team?

It’s all about goals and preparing for life

Or, the player, when they sign their pro contract can either demand the club set aside money for education or save it themselves All I'm saying is the collegiate pathway to the pros is lessening (in soccer) every year. They don't lose the chance at an education, they lose the athletic scholarship. Some pro's just attend in the off-season - check out Garth Lagerway's path.

[Guest]

Stop propagating the myth that universities provide 'education' to the top athletes. Most of them just waste time attending classes where they never learn anything.

We're talking soccer, not American football. Stay on topic.

[Guest]

All the soccers players I know who are attending a university and playing soccer go to class. Most make it a full 4 year program.

yes a pro can pay later. But have you seen the cost of a good 4 year program right now. Most pros don’t make very much money. Yes a couple do. Most don’t.

pro sports is a pipe dream for a few. Being a college athlete is a great way to get through school. Most kids never get the opportunity. The academies have even fewer programs.

[Guest]

All the soccers players I know who are attending a university and playing soccer go to class. Most make it a full 4 year program.

yes a pro can pay later. But have you seen the cost of a good 4 year program right now. Most pros don’t make very much money. Yes a couple do. Most don’t.

pro sports is a pipe dream for a few. Being a college athlete is a great way to get through school. Most kids never get the opportunity. The academies have even fewer programs.

Whether is college or pro, the pathway is statistically unlikely. And while I agree most of the (MLS) pros don't make a lot of money, the league minimum for 2022 is $84,000, that's well above the median US Salary (about $52k: didn't use average because the high earners skew). That $84k is above most 1st year workers coming out of college (about $55k). Add to that the fact that most college soccer players aren't getting a full ride and I'm not sure that the pro track is worse than the collegiate track (assuming a player has a choice).

But I digress - the main issue here is the player's dream/desire. If you want to play professionally, then the pathway of going to college first is lessening each year. And that's good if we want to win a World Cup at some point. It all comes down to the goals. If I had a kid that wanted to be a pro, and could make an MLS Academy, we'd do it. If he was offered a contract, we'd negotiate it and find a way, one way or another, to pay for college in the off-season or do a class on-line every quarter, something achievable so that he's set up for post-play life.

[Guest]

I am sorry, but I have a hard time with the word “pro” in this context. Pro and soccer is the usa just does not seem to carry the same weight Pro as football or basketball. It seems closer to pro women softball. God bless the women, but it seems like a hard way to make a living. Any time I hear a kid talking about trying to play pro soccer, I say to myself I hope your folks are rich.

[Guest]

This thread is about kids going to Sounders Academy and feeling good about it. It's a tough road, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are THE top player in your age group. Virtually all will be cut at U-17 and headed back to ECNL trying to get to college. Your $$ stats of $84K is great if you have a first team contract (which most don't) and if you get lucky enough to get a second contract, which most don't. Defiance wages are the same as working at Chipoltle and that is where most of the "Pro's" end up.
I'll take a degree in America and take my chances as a Pro from there if there is opportunity after. Ask the many 19-20 year old kids cut recently if they agree.

[Guest]

This thread is about kids going to Sounders Academy and feeling good about it. It's a tough road, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are THE top player in your age group. Virtually all will be cut at U-17 and headed back to ECNL trying to get to college. Your $$ stats of $84K is great if you have a first team contract (which most don't) and if you get lucky enough to get a second contract, which most don't. Defiance wages are the same as working at Chipoltle and that is where most of the "Pro's" end up.
I'll take a degree in America and take my chances as a Pro from there if there is opportunity after. Ask the many 19-20 year old kids cut recently if they agree.

I'm not disagreeing with you if you are playing the odds. Chances are, even the players signed to Defiance, will never see a first team contract. All I'm trying to say is that if professional soccer is the dream, and you're offered the opportunity, you are likely going to lose the opportunity if you go play in college.

I look at it this way - if you're on the pro path and haven't seen the MLS first team by the time you're 20, you may want to consider going to college. Hopefully, you've made a bit of money and a got a quarter or two of credits under your belt in the meantime. At least you'd be able to argue you're independent on the FAFSA and maybe get some academic aid. There's a lot of ways to go to college and hitting it right after graduation, while popular, doesn't have to be the path.

It's hard, it's supposed to be. I liken the soccer pathway to minor league baseball. But if it's the dream, you'd probably just be happy to get some money to spend everyday living it.

[Guest]

I'm not disagreeing with you if you are playing the odds. Chances are, even the players signed to Defiance, will never see a first team contract. All I'm trying to say is that if professional soccer is the dream, and you're offered the opportunity, you are likely going to lose the opportunity if you go play in college.

I look at it this way - if you're on the pro path and haven't seen the MLS first team by the time you're 20, you may want to consider going to college. Hopefully, you've made a bit of money and a got a quarter or two of credits under your belt in the meantime. At least you'd be able to argue you're independent on the FAFSA and maybe get some academic aid. There's a lot of ways to go to college and hitting it right after graduation, while popular, doesn't have to be the path.

It's hard, it's supposed to be. I liken the soccer pathway to minor league baseball. But if it's the dream, you'd probably just be happy to get some money to spend everyday living it.

I'll disagree on two points, one is that college soccer is a dead end to Pro soccer. It probably is if you play four years (although the defiance signed two college seniors last year), but the better players leave after a couple and get a chance. The second is the value of a scholarship is massive. My son is will get over $200-250K paid to play college soccer (academic and athletic) and hopefully his earning potential will increase with his degree. To each his own, but in the US I will side with an education.

[Guest]

You may have helped prove my point. Is the Tacoma defiance really a pro team? I hope I got the name right.
if you are not playing outside of the USA in your teens, then college maybe a better route for you. A nice paying pro career may not be in the cards for you.