Class of 2018 National Letter of Intent Thread

[Unregistered]

Amen! Spot on. Crazy TS posters will scoff at your words but anyone with half a brain should be able to understand how true this is. Unless your kid is a NT prospect it should be all about the academics.

if your a NT prospect you get both. Duke, Uva, Stanford and anywhere else. You take your pick.

[Unregistered]

if your a NT prospect you get both. Duke, Uva, Stanford and anywhere else. You take your pick.

Original Poster here.

That's true. How many of those are coming out of Massachusetts? Less than 1%. The other 99% of club players have been sold (by the clubs) that they all have a chance at the Duke's, Stanford's, etc. They don't!!! The clubs prey on parental ignorance and then when the actual recruiting years start in 10 and 11th grade, reality sinks in.

[Unregistered]

Original Poster here.

That's true. How many of those are coming out of Massachusetts? Less than 1%. The other 99% of club players have been sold (by the clubs) that they all have a chance at the Duke's, Stanford's, etc. They don't!!! The clubs prey on parental ignorance and then when the actual recruiting years start in 10 and 11th grade, reality sinks in.

Wait...my kid won't be going to ND on a full ride? Instead she'll be looking at Lafayette or HC and a 25-50% scholarship, limited playing time or HWS, Union or NYU and the same % in merit $ and significant playing time?

I need to get my money back!

[Unregistered]

They sell the dream D1 ,D2 full ride and sucker fish swallow it hook ,line and sinker.It should always be academics before anything else.And if your daughter is gifted both academically and athletically kudos to her.Club soccer is about money and nothing more ,very few ,ever play after college .D1 D2 D3 doesn't matter ,study hard wherever you go.

[Unregistered]

You say "Academics" but I bet you really mean prestige and admissions selectivity.
You may not be touting a D1 designation, but you appear equally concerned with status.

Wrong - when I say academics I mean whatever school will get your child a good education in a field that they like and where they can earn a decent living after graduation. I could care less about the status.

[Unregistered]

They sell the dream D1 ,D2 full ride and sucker fish swallow it hook ,line and sinker.It should always be academics before anything else.And if your daughter is gifted both academically and athletically kudos to her.Club soccer is about money and nothing more ,very few ,ever play after college .D1 D2 D3 doesn't matter ,study hard wherever you go.

In our experience that's not entirely true. The advice early on was that it should all be about fit. Where I think they erred was in educating about the level of commitment expected from D1/D2 vs D3 and college club along with the amount of $ that's typically available for an athlete. In our view, the D1 aspirations sold to kids comes more from families than clubs.

[Unregistered]

You say "Academics" but I bet you really mean prestige and admissions selectivity.
You may not be touting a D1 designation, but you appear equally concerned with status.

Not the OP, but I'll confess that status does enter into the thought process. Depending on the industry your in, status does open some doors. Does a kid with an LA degree from Roanoke or St Mikes get the same looks as a kid from BC or UCONN?

[Unregistered]

They sell the dream D1 ,D2 full ride and sucker fish swallow it hook ,line and sinker.It should always be academics before anything else.And if your daughter is gifted both academically and athletically kudos to her.Club soccer is about money and nothing more ,very few ,ever play after college .D1 D2 D3 doesn't matter ,study hard wherever you go.

Some truth hitting home. you are right. When $$ are the motivator this is what happens. the very best players dont need most of what si offered. Its why the GDA is such a disappointment to me. it should be really geared to excellence , but that is in such short supply that it ends up being ECNL Mk2

[Unregistered]

The really comical part of all of this is, if a player is really a NT level player they end up completely bypassing youth soccer and get put on a special track that while it may intertwine with the DA at various points so parents see those kids around it’s really just for practical issues like logistics. The truth of the matter with that level player is the NT dictates what goes on with the player, not the local club. They have them competing overseas in special games that no one actually sees. If you do happen to see one of those kids playing in a DA game it’s just for practice reps. All this DA talk is really off the mark because most parents aren’t privy to what is actually going on. Doesn’t stop your clubs from sucking up all their cash though.

[Unregistered]

The really comical part of all of this is, if a player is really a NT level player they end up completely bypassing youth soccer and get put on a special track that while it may intertwine with the DA at various points so parents see those kids around it’s really just for practical issues like logistics. The truth of the matter with that level player is the NT dictates what goes on with the player, not the local club. They have them competing overseas in special games that no one actually sees. If you do happen to see one of those kids playing in a DA game it’s just for practice reps. All this DA talk is really off the mark because most parents aren’t privy to what is actually going on. Doesn’t stop your clubs from sucking up all their cash though.

With the residency program shut down USS is now relying on DA for developing future National team players. These players are now all playing DA. Not some imaginary game overseas.

[Unregistered]

The really comical part of all of this is, if a player is really a NT level player they end up completely bypassing youth soccer and get put on a special track that while it may intertwine with the DA at various points so parents see those kids around it’s really just for practical issues like logistics. The truth of the matter with that level player is the NT dictates what goes on with the player, not the local club. They have them competing overseas in special games that no one actually sees. If you do happen to see one of those kids playing in a DA game it’s just for practice reps. All this DA talk is really off the mark because most parents aren’t privy to what is actually going on. Doesn’t stop your clubs from sucking up all their cash though.

for girls you can be NT level and not selected.I could make a very strong case that NOT being selected regularly pre u-20 is preferable. The camps and trips do not really develop players. The frequency of them is far too high and a player has no time to work on stuff. The internal competition also leads to some interesting behavior.

For kids still in Club soccer, the occasional call up is good. For kids in College, if at a really top school I would trust those coaches to do a far better job of development than the USSF ones.

[Unregistered]

The really comical part of all of this is, if a player is really a NT level player they end up completely bypassing youth soccer and get put on a special track that while it may intertwine with the DA at various points so parents see those kids around it’s really just for practical issues like logistics. The truth of the matter with that level player is the NT dictates what goes on with the player, not the local club. They have them competing overseas in special games that no one actually sees. If you do happen to see one of those kids playing in a DA game it’s just for practice reps. All this DA talk is really off the mark because most parents aren’t privy to what is actually going on. Doesn’t stop your clubs from sucking up all their cash though.

The truly comical part is that you are an utter and complete joke, BTNT.

[Unregistered]

The truly comical part is that you are an utter and complete joke, BTNT.

Drinking at the keyboard on fri night

[Unregistered]

The truly comical part is that you are an utter and complete joke, BTNT.

Agree. As if advice for NT level players pertains to anyone in Massachusetts besides his daughter.

[Unregistered]

Agree. As if advice for NT level players pertains to anyone in Massachusetts besides his daughter.

And therein lies what his participation and continued participation is truly all about....you know, like when you "boil it down" and "squeeze the juice" and all. His self-esteem rides 100% on his daughter making him feel good and especially as a platform for letting us know how superior he is via some imaginary associative property.