2011 Boys

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If this is true...good for Bloomfield to pair up with them. Should help them in the long run.

The NJ Blaze is proud to announce that the tryouts for the 2022-2023 season will take place next month at our new home location, located at Monmouth Regional High School, in Tinton Falls.

Registration portals for both open session evaluations and tryouts are now open.

NJ Blaze Staff
NJBLAZESA.COM

[Guest]

Hello fellow parents. I'm trying to gage the level of crazy and figured this forum is as good as any to judge how far out of whack our perspective is. How far are you all willing to travel for soccer practice. 1 hour? 1.5? Also is anyone willing here to move to a new town just for 11 year old soccer??? What if it's for an MLS academy like Red Bulls, NYCFC, Philadelphia Union? That's crazy right? Most kids get cut after a year or two anyways. And is there any non pro club really worth that kind of travel? PDA for high school age? Thanks all

[Guest]

Hello fellow parents. I'm trying to gage the level of crazy and figured this forum is as good as any to judge how far out of whack our perspective is. How far are you all willing to travel for soccer practice. 1 hour? 1.5? Also is anyone willing here to move to a new town just for 11 year old soccer??? What if it's for an MLS academy like Red Bulls, NYCFC, Philadelphia Union? That's crazy right? Most kids get cut after a year or two anyways. And is there any non pro club really worth that kind of travel? PDA for high school age? Thanks all

that’s a vague question. There are so many personal factors I.e parent work schedule, school schedule etc. some people don’t think 1 hour is a lot and others think it might as well be 8 hours.

an MLS club at U12 is very unstable. Unless you have a full commitment that your some will be fast tracked it sounds like a gamble. Again everyone’s situation is unique so you will get a lot of different opinions.

as far as PDA. They get little mention on the board both positive or negative. It’s my understanding that they are strict development at this age so playing time is fairly equal. The players as a whole are very sound. In a few years they bring in new kids and play to win etc. some kids move to MLS clubs, but the longer you wait for them the harder it is to get in. At least that is what I have been told. That being said their list of college commits is considerably more extensive than most other clubs.

[Guest]

Hello fellow parents. I'm trying to gage the level of crazy and figured this forum is as good as any to judge how far out of whack our perspective is. How far are you all willing to travel for soccer practice. 1 hour? 1.5? Also is anyone willing here to move to a new town just for 11 year old soccer??? What if it's for an MLS academy like Red Bulls, NYCFC, Philadelphia Union? That's crazy right? Most kids get cut after a year or two anyways. And is there any non pro club really worth that kind of travel? PDA for high school age? Thanks all

IMHO at U11 it is not worth driving more than 45min each way (1hr is a stretch) .. fundamental technical skills can be taught by most of the local clubs or private trainers.. rest is up to the individual players on how often they practice in their backyard or local township fields. and get better at the fundamentals... only reason I see why parents might choose the MLS academy teams is that they get noticed by the coaches sooner, but it doesn't mean that players from different clubs will not get noticed .. for instance NYRB has scouts everywhere and if the player is good then they get invited for training/tryouts..

[Guest]

that’s a vague question. There are so many personal factors I.e parent work schedule, school schedule etc. some people don’t think 1 hour is a lot and others think it might as well be 8 hours.

an MLS club at U12 is very unstable. Unless you have a full commitment that your some will be fast tracked it sounds like a gamble. Again everyone’s situation is unique so you will get a lot of different opinions.

as far as PDA. They get little mention on the board both positive or negative. It’s my understanding that they are strict development at this age so playing time is fairly equal. The players as a whole are very sound. In a few years they bring in new kids and play to win etc. some kids move to MLS clubs, but the longer you wait for them the harder it is to get in. At least that is what I have been told. That being said their list of college commits is considerably more extensive than most other clubs.

im sure most of the parents can go any length to have better opportunities for their kids and don't mind driving long hours.. but I'm worried about my son, would be a little too much to have him sit in a car for such long hours 3 days a week (excluding games).. would rather have him spent this time having fun kids activities with friends or have peaceful dinner time with family or even better make him get some additional touches in basement...

[Guest]

im sure most of the parents can go any length to have better opportunities for their kids and don't mind driving long hours.. but I'm worried about my son, would be a little too much to have him sit in a car for such long hours 3 days a week (excluding games).. would rather have him spent this time having fun kids activities with friends or have peaceful dinner time with family or even better make him get some additional touches in basement...

It’s a personal choice. We live in Morris County and have a lot of quality options, but our family limit the practice driving to a maximum of 30 min. Basically, the travel time should never be more than the practice time as a general rule. Our son plays high level so we travel well in excess for games and tournaments, but 3-4 days a week for practice we won’t do more than 30min. We have known lots of parents doing 1+ hours each way and its never a good situation. They always hate it and it never lasts. Quality of life is important for the player and the family.

[Guest]

Hello fellow parents. I'm trying to gage the level of crazy and figured this forum is as good as any to judge how far out of whack our perspective is. How far are you all willing to travel for soccer practice. 1 hour? 1.5? Also is anyone willing here to move to a new town just for 11 year old soccer??? What if it's for an MLS academy like Red Bulls, NYCFC, Philadelphia Union? That's crazy right? Most kids get cut after a year or two anyways. And is there any non pro club really worth that kind of travel? PDA for high school age? Thanks all

Well, you are in a U11 forum with tryouts season right around the corner. So travel time is a consideration for everyone. Every family has their own unique situation that can make travel distance THE factor in what clubs a U12 player and family select. Right now in my situation 30-35 minutes is the maximum. That's 1 hour driver plus practice time of 1-1.5 hours. I need to devote 2.5 - 3 hours 2 to 3 times mid week for training. Do you have 9+ hours per week for soccer? No chance I am moving to a town for soccer - percentage-wise the child will most likely be out of soccer during or by high school. High school age is quite different as there are some clubs that specialize in high school age showcase teams vs ECNL and MLS Next league travel requirments. The MLS Next level clubs make little sense to me from U8 through U14. Anyways 30-35 mins for me.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for thoughtful responses about travel time. Think 45 min is limit for us but will stick with around 30 if possible and definitely not move for soccer.

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for thoughtful responses about travel time. Think 45 min is limit for us but will stick with around 30 if possible and definitely not move for soccer.

Last year my son had offer for one of MLS pre-academy teams.. had to decline for the reasons that were mentioned earlier... this year he has been invited to train with academy team, dont think will have him go... if player is good then he will get noticed doesn't matter which club he plays for..

[Guest]

Last year my son had offer for one of MLS pre-academy teams.. had to decline for the reasons that were mentioned earlier... this year he has been invited to train with academy team, dont think will have him go... if player is good then he will get noticed doesn't matter which club he plays for..

we're considering CSA Bergan, TSF, and PDA as the next stop to get in early for MLS Next. I agree that all players are still scouted wherever they are.

[Guest]

Okay Pep Guardiola … It is because of their coaching they can hang in the top flight. If you were their coach or some others I witnessed I’m sure they would not be where they are now. A good coach encourages good and struggling players, even when they are not performing at their best. Liverpool coaches have been professional, fair and most of all ENCOURAGING based on my experience. I’m assuming you are that parent who criticizes all coaches including your own son’s coach. Let that sink in.

ps: The talented players comment was appreciated ;)

Question: How do you measure success at this age? If the player and the team are on the right track or not. Do you look at team record, flight, tournaments they join, talent they attract (how did this years try outs turn to be vs. last years) are you attracting better talent, or you are the team that always has to worry about finding players for your coach, is the team getting better, moving the ball better, communicating better or acquired new skill sets? What’s success to you and your son?

[Guest]

Question: How do you measure success at this age? If the player and the team are on the right track or not. Do you look at team record, flight, tournaments they join, talent they attract (how did this years try outs turn to be vs. last years) are you attracting better talent, or you are the team that always has to worry about finding players for your coach, is the team getting better, moving the ball better, communicating better or acquired new skill sets? What’s success to you and your son?

For me all of these things are important and add player’s passion for the support, his/her soccer IQ, team morale.

[Guest]

Question: How do you measure success at this age? If the player and the team are on the right track or not. Do you look at team record, flight, tournaments they join, talent they attract (how did this years try outs turn to be vs. last years) are you attracting better talent, or you are the team that always has to worry about finding players for your coach, is the team getting better, moving the ball better, communicating better or acquired new skill sets? What’s success to you and your son?

you mean question(s).. ;-) .. anyway at this age a lot of these are not under you/players control .. definitely my son is not playing with professionals nor his coach is Pep G.. lol.. so why fret about how many games his team is winning.. I would rather focus on his development, like his touches, soccer IQ, handling of pressure, team player (as opposed to ball hogger) etc., if he is not getting any better then it means nothing to me even if his team is a top team

[Guest]

Question: How do you measure success at this age? If the player and the team are on the right track or not. Do you look at team record, flight, tournaments they join, talent they attract (how did this years try outs turn to be vs. last years) are you attracting better talent, or you are the team that always has to worry about finding players for your coach, is the team getting better, moving the ball better, communicating better or acquired new skill sets? What’s success to you and your son?

A lot of these things for us. My sons team meets most of these things and we are happy. At the end of the day No team will have everything.

[Guest]

Any good matchups this weekend?