2021 Recruiting: 2002 v. 2003 evaluation

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-College coaches recruit by hs grad year.
-For college recruitment, grad year age groups make the most sense by far
-Grad year age groups for club soccer eliminate 1/3 or more players having no team or having toplay on in 8th-9th and 11th-12th transition
-ECNL would draw in more players who would love to benefit from better recruiting opportunities
-Ex: college coach needs a 2020 center back. Go to the showcases and watch the 2020 age groups play. Easily compare all the individual players - apples to apples! Done.

[Unregistered]

Lmfao. Unicorns have their special needs but their situation is a heck of a lot more advantageous than the D3 kid’s are wringing their panties hoping a coach even notices them.

Yes, very traumatic, but somehow we found our way to the other side. Btw, didn't you have a D3 kid?

[Unregistered]

Lmfao. Unicorns have their special needs but their situation is a heck of a lot more advantageous than the D3 kid’s are wringing their panties hoping a coach even notices them.

Right, **it rolls downhill

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Yes, very traumatic, but somehow we found our way to the other side. Btw, didn't you have a D3 kid?

One can only pray that PMan is a parent and not a coach. Could you imagine how much damage he could do advising newbie families? Talk about screwing up a kid’s chances.

[Unregistered]

One can only pray that PMan is a parent and not a coach. Could you imagine how much damage he could do advising newbie families? Talk about screwing up a kid’s chances.

How do you figure? Sounds like everything you've ever said about him is false.

[Unregistered]

How do you figure? Sounds like everything you've ever said about him is false.

Anyone who has navigated a kid through recuitment can tell that that particular poster has a very limited grasp over what D1 recruiting is about. He champions reaching for brand names over targeting where your kid is going to fit best on the soccer field. That logic might very well work at D3 schools where the parents are footing the bill and the kid can just quit soccer when the sledding gets tough but it’s an absolute mistake at the D1 level where it’s a job and your kid ends up out of school if they don’t meet the expectations. That particular poster has never grasped that with scholarship athletes the admissions process is more like a rubber stamp activity than the vetting process that it is at the D3 level and as such his whole valuation structure is misapplied when it comes to recruiting. The bottom line with D1 prospects is if the coaches want you, they’ll find a way to get you into the school. The trick to it all is figuring out whether or not those situations really represent the best opportunity for your kid. Usually reach situations are not where a kid is going to have the maximum success in the classroom and out on the soccer. It usually just the opposite so when it comes to D1 recruiting that posters logic usually sets a kid up to fail rather than succeed.

[Unregistered]

Anyone who has navigated a kid through recuitment can tell that that particular poster has a very limited grasp over what D1 recruiting is about. He champions reaching for brand names over targeting where your kid is going to fit best on the soccer field. That logic might very well work at D3 schools where the parents are footing the bill and the kid can just quit soccer when the sledding gets tough but it’s an absolute mistake at the D1 level where it’s a job and your kid ends up out of school if they don’t meet the expectations. That particular poster has never grasped that with scholarship athletes the admissions process is more like a rubber stamp activity than the vetting process that it is at the D3 level and as such his whole valuation structure is misapplied when it comes to recruiting. The bottom line with D1 prospects is if the coaches want you, they’ll find a way to get you into the school. The trick to it all is figuring out whether or not those situations really represent the best opportunity for your kid. Usually reach situations are not where a kid is going to have the maximum success in the classroom and out on the soccer. It usually just the opposite so when it comes to D1 recruiting that posters logic usually sets a kid up to fail rather than succeed.

100% inaccurate. Just like on the other thread.

[Unregistered]

-College coaches recruit by hs grad year.
-For college recruitment, grad year age groups make the most sense by far
-Grad year age groups for club soccer eliminate 1/3 or more players having no team or having toplay on in 8th-9th and 11th-12th transition
-ECNL would draw in more players who would love to benefit from better recruiting opportunities
-Ex: college coach needs a 2020 center back. Go to the showcases and watch the 2020 age groups play. Easily compare all the individual players - apples to apples! Done.

I think most would agree that grad year would be best, but original question was grounded in the current situation. Of all the points above, I think the biggest is that ECNL could use it as a point of differentiation.

[Unregistered]

I think most would agree that grad year would be best, but original question was grounded in the current situation. Of all the points above, I think the biggest is that ECNL could use it as a point of differentiation.

I agree with a lot of what was said. Still doesn't answer the question of what made these "younger" 2021's get recruited in higher numbers. Did their ability to standout with younger players tip the scales and make them more attractive to coaches? Were these players just developmentally ahead even though they were a few months younger? If these players had fall birthdays and played on the 02 team would they have been recruited as early?

[Unregistered]

I agree with a lot of what was said. Still doesn't answer the question of what made these "younger" 2021's get recruited in higher numbers. Did their ability to standout with younger players tip the scales and make them more attractive to coaches? Were these players just developmentally ahead even though they were a few months younger? If these players had fall birthdays and played on the 02 team would they have been recruited as early?

I am not trying to be snarky but I am a little confused. What birth month are you thinking is a "younger 2021"?

[Unregistered]

I think most would agree that grad year would be best, but original question was grounded in the current situation. Of all the points above, I think the biggest is that ECNL could use it as a point of differentiation.

No it wouldn't actually. Coaches don't have problems finding players now. The problem usually is players finding interested coaches. That's not a universal issue though and certainly no reason to change the status quo. It always comes back to targeting and understanding the "market" for a kid's services.

[Unregistered]

No it wouldn't actually. Coaches don't have problems finding players now. The problem usually is players finding interested coaches. That's not a universal issue though and certainly no reason to change the status quo. It always comes back to targeting and understanding the "market" for a kid's services.

Yup, appropriate targeting....just like all other kids including non-athletes have to do. Pretty self-evident and common sense.

[Unregistered]

I am not trying to be snarky but I am a little confused. What birth month are you thinking is a "younger 2021"?

2021 is the graduation year so as of today, we are talking about Sophomores.
For the recruiting class of 2021 those Sophomores...
born in 02 (Sep - Dec) play with the 02s which include Juniors
born in 03 (Jan - Aug) play with the 03s which include Freshman

I thought that "younger" 2021s meant those playing 03 since they are younger than the other 2021s, but as I write this, I see how one could also view the 02s as being "younger" than most of the players on their team. So yea, good question!

[Unregistered]

No it wouldn't actually. Coaches don't have problems finding players now. The problem usually is players finding interested coaches. That's not a universal issue though and certainly no reason to change the status quo. It always comes back to targeting and understanding the "market" for a kid's services.

I agree with everything you say about targeting, and I agree that no quality player is being overlooked due the BY change. With that said, ECNL would be well served to go Grad Year.

DA brand aligns with USSF and leans toward NT Pathway, ECNL aligns with college recruiting and leans on "Proven Pathway". ECNL already allows HS, changing to Grad Year would be a great 1-2 punch.

[Unregistered]

I agree with everything you say about targeting, and I agree that no quality player is being overlooked due the BY change. With that said, ECNL would be well served to go Grad Year.

DA brand aligns with USSF and leans toward NT Pathway, ECNL aligns with college recruiting and leans on "Proven Pathway". ECNL already allows HS, changing to Grad Year would be a great 1-2 punch.

The market wants to believe their kid is on an equal playing field. This thread proves - doesn't matter if they are right or wrong - that there is an existing perception that dividing recruits is bad. ECNL could tap into that