How do you see through the marketing efforts to know what a club is really like?

[Guest]

We are in the process of doing ID sessions right now for my son and at each one, the other parents of players who are also doing ID sessions (this is the season and there are always more than one player trying out a team) each talk about their player's options, their own opinions, etc.

My question is, when looking at rankings and deciding where to play, the level of team (MLS Next, ECNL, etc.) for a certain age bracket may have nothing to do with how good they are or what they promote on their site. If an MLS next is ranked below the ECNL teams, then will the player get the most exposure to college scouts at that MLS Next team, or would the continually higher ranking ECNL team be best? Similar to how FA is top in state, yet they do not compete at the MLS Next or ECNL levels - yet they have great teams.

The websites all promote college commitments, yet what else is important? Do you play for a team who ranks well or one which is at a higher level of play? My son is currently ECNL and we are considering MLS Next, yet are not sure what direction to go in.

-Overwhelmed

[Guest]

Lets start by saying that there is no defined path here. There are numerous factors that play into all these decisions. The most important being what does the player want to do? What is most important to them?

U12 and below, its about maximizing the development of your player. Finding a good coach and a team where your player is not the best on the team, but also plays significant time. They should be challenged, but not overchallenged or underchallenged. U13 and older, good players will be found almost anywhere. Yes, there are advantages at exposure at MLS Next and ECNL vs USYS generally speaking. However, being on an MLS Next team you better not be player 19-28 on the roster. You don't get exposure and recruitment based on the team name. ECNL teams don't tend to have as large of rosters, but the exposure also comes from being on a good ECNL team and actually competing in the national tournaments.

Team rankings are a tool to use in any evaluation, but not anything that should be used as the primary reason for making a decision. ID sessions are fine, but you should really be contacting the Coaches directly and have your player attend an actual practice, hopefully several if available. Get an idea of what type of training they do and see how the Coach and players interreact. Attend the practices yourself and try to speak to other parents.

[Guest]

Ask people in real life who have kids at clubs you're looking at. What have their experiences been like/are they happy etc?

Go watch games or practices. Watch how the coaches interact with the players. Chat up parents on the sidelines

Ask for your kids to go to a few practices - again watch the coaches, talk to parents


Relying on a website is foolish. No one does that.