With few exceptions the team(s) you try out for at ID selection will offer your child a spot. It is all about revenue. If the A team is MLS Next and they field a NAL team and get 100 kids at a ID tryout they will create one or two more EDP teams.
Game day rosters are limited to 18. And often only 11-13 kids will get playing time.
In my example above there are clubs/academies in NJ that have 100 kids for 4 teams. That means 25 kids a team or 7 kids a team not making the roster – 7x4 is 28 kids. 28 kids with parents paying an average of $2,500-$4,000 to not suit up let alone pay.
Here are the questions you need to ask before joining any team: (1) which team and (2) what league are they playing in? (3) Who is the coach? (4) Is my child projected as a “starter”? These questions are answerable especially in June when you need to make a final decision.
If you are at a club and or academy and are unhappy – and your child is a good player – skip the ID sessions completely for other teams. Why? One, if your club finds out your child can get benched and or you will get a lot of questions. They will justify the “benching/lack of playing time” by stating they need to develop players that are committed to the club in the long term.
I suggest you just look up the Director of Coaching for clubs you are interested in and email the DOC and ask if your child can attend a practice or two. This is much better. ID sessions are poor way of evaluating talent. ID sessions are about revenue and perhaps finding a rare talent in the 100s in attendance. Practice sessions allow your child and you to understand the club, the players and the coach sees your child vs one of 100 in an ID session. Most DOCs will email the coach of your son’s age group and arrange a practice to attend.
If possible do not pay to play for any team that is lower than its B team – and even in those cases the B team needs to be in a competitive league like NAL. The A team will play at the highest level of the club and get the resources – best coaches, training times, supplemental training etc.,
This is not sour grapes. My child is an MLS Next player starting for an MLS academy. He is about to decide to go pro or college. I am writing this because I have seen too much BS with “academies and clubs” with MLS Next badges and or ECNL (which MLS Next is going to essentially terminate by mandating academies and clubs must end ECNL affiliation) suck the joy of the game for parents and kids.
Game day rosters are limited to 18. And often only 11-13 kids will get playing time.
In my example above there are clubs/academies in NJ that have 100 kids for 4 teams. That means 25 kids a team or 7 kids a team not making the roster – 7x4 is 28 kids. 28 kids with parents paying an average of $2,500-$4,000 to not suit up let alone pay.
Here are the questions you need to ask before joining any team: (1) which team and (2) what league are they playing in? (3) Who is the coach? (4) Is my child projected as a “starter”? These questions are answerable especially in June when you need to make a final decision.
If you are at a club and or academy and are unhappy – and your child is a good player – skip the ID sessions completely for other teams. Why? One, if your club finds out your child can get benched and or you will get a lot of questions. They will justify the “benching/lack of playing time” by stating they need to develop players that are committed to the club in the long term.
I suggest you just look up the Director of Coaching for clubs you are interested in and email the DOC and ask if your child can attend a practice or two. This is much better. ID sessions are poor way of evaluating talent. ID sessions are about revenue and perhaps finding a rare talent in the 100s in attendance. Practice sessions allow your child and you to understand the club, the players and the coach sees your child vs one of 100 in an ID session. Most DOCs will email the coach of your son’s age group and arrange a practice to attend.
If possible do not pay to play for any team that is lower than its B team – and even in those cases the B team needs to be in a competitive league like NAL. The A team will play at the highest level of the club and get the resources – best coaches, training times, supplemental training etc.,
This is not sour grapes. My child is an MLS Next player starting for an MLS academy. He is about to decide to go pro or college. I am writing this because I have seen too much BS with “academies and clubs” with MLS Next badges and or ECNL (which MLS Next is going to essentially terminate by mandating academies and clubs must end ECNL affiliation) suck the joy of the game for parents and kids.
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