Talking Soccer

[Unregistered]

I was recently reflecting on soccer a bit - the expense of club soccer - my kids development - and looking at what happens in high school. I've got multiple kids in programs and one about to graduate - here are my observations/conclusions.

- The expectations I had when I was a younger were off base - spent way too much time thinking my kid was the next big thing.

- Fact is many kids including kids on his team that went to Revs - eventually ended up being role players on high school team or stopped playing.

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

What does this mean? Well, above all, make sure your kid is HAVING fun and that he or she ENJOYS the club they belong to!!! If they're happy, you're in a good place! If you think they would be happier somewhere else - get your kid there no matter what soccer boards say or other parents.

So make sure you get the most for your money and that your kid has fun!

The best thing to come from club soccer is confidence and friendships - some they get from being on teams but really most comes from time spent with you on Sat/Sundays at the games - learning to win/lose and all else that comes with it.

That's my take!

[Unregistered]

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

Amen, alleluia. I've seen two games this season and can't wait for high school to be over and for my kids club team to start. It's the bad U7 rec soccer I watched almost a decade ago mixed with a bunch of testosterone and sharper elbows mixed in. 95% of the kids just take a whack at the ball when it comes their way and off it goes in some random direction. I"m going to need to start taking a flask to get through it by the time the year is out. Yeech.

[Unregistered]

I was recently reflecting on soccer a bit - the expense of club soccer - my kids development - and looking at what happens in high school. I've got multiple kids in programs and one about to graduate - here are my observations/conclusions.

- The expectations I had when I was a younger were off base - spent way too much time thinking my kid was the next big thing.

- Fact is many kids including kids on his team that went to Revs - eventually ended up being role players on high school team or stopped playing.

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

What does this mean? Well, above all, make sure your kid is HAVING fun and that he or she ENJOYS the club they belong to!!! If they're happy, you're in a good place! If you think they would be happier somewhere else - get your kid there no matter what soccer boards say or other parents.

So make sure you get the most for your money and that your kid has fun!

The best thing to come from club soccer is confidence and friendships - some they get from being on teams but really most comes from time spent with you on Sat/Sundays at the games - learning to win/lose and all else that comes with it.

That's my take!

Couldn't agree more, and needed a reminder of this tonight, so thanks.

[Unregistered]

Amen, alleluia. I've seen two games this season and can't wait for high school to be over and for my kids club team to start. It's the bad U7 rec soccer I watched almost a decade ago mixed with a bunch of testosterone and sharper elbows mixed in. 95% of the kids just take a whack at the ball when it comes their way and off it goes in some random direction. I"m going to need to start taking a flask to get through it by the time the year is out. Yeech.

We must have been at the same game. There was kicking. There was running. Sometimes both! Balls in the air! Randomly directed headers! Then some weird thing where one kid kicked the ball on the ground to someone in the same color shirt out wide, and they kicked it on the ground to another kid in the same shirt, as if they were playing keep-away. I was confused so I stopped watching and yelled "KICK IT! GO FOR IT! KICK ITTT!!!!"

I turned to another parent and said "Why don't they kick it over the top to that one fast kid?" They agreed.

[Unregistered]

I was recently reflecting on soccer a bit - the expense of club soccer - my kids development - and looking at what happens in high school. I've got multiple kids in programs and one about to graduate - here are my observations/conclusions.

- The expectations I had when I was a younger were off base - spent way too much time thinking my kid was the next big thing.

- Fact is many kids including kids on his team that went to Revs - eventually ended up being role players on high school team or stopped playing.

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

What does this mean? Well, above all, make sure your kid is HAVING fun and that he or she ENJOYS the club they belong to!!! If they're happy, you're in a good place! If you think they would be happier somewhere else - get your kid there no matter what soccer boards say or other parents.

So make sure you get the most for your money and that your kid has fun!

The best thing to come from club soccer is confidence and friendships - some they get from being on teams but really most comes from time spent with you on Sat/Sundays at the games - learning to win/lose and all else that comes with it.

That's my take!

I agree completely. Parents who value their relationships with their kids and want them to be happy should consider your advice.

[Unregistered]

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

College isn't any better.

[Unregistered]

I was recently reflecting on soccer a bit - the expense of club soccer - my kids development - and looking at what happens in high school. I've got multiple kids in programs and one about to graduate - here are my observations/conclusions.

- The expectations I had when I was a younger were off base - spent way too much time thinking my kid was the next big thing.

- Fact is many kids including kids on his team that went to Revs - eventually ended up being role players on high school team or stopped playing.

- High School Soccer is a joke - quality is simply not there - kick run and run people over. It isn't the Holy Grail - and few people have an interest beyond parents and people who know the kids.

What does this mean? Well, above all, make sure your kid is HAVING fun and that he or she ENJOYS the club they belong to!!! If they're happy, you're in a good place! If you think they would be happier somewhere else - get your kid there no matter what soccer boards say or other parents.

So make sure you get the most for your money and that your kid has fun!

The best thing to come from club soccer is confidence and friendships - some they get from being on teams but really most comes from time spent with you on Sat/Sundays at the games - learning to win/lose and all else that comes with it.

That's my take!

Love this take. I have a D at U13 and it's interesting to reflect on what I've learned and how I've changed as a soccer parent over the past few years. My D is a good player and has the opportunity to become more than good due to her athleticism, but I'm no longer counting on that to get her anywhere and I'm not pushing her like I was 2 years ago. My focus has changed to making sure she is happy with the coach and team. Beyond that I want her to be the best she can be, but not at the expense of her happiness, and she is already starting to take control of her own soccer career, so in the end it's going to come down to what SHE wants and how hard she is willing to work to get better.

Being involved in team sports is super positive and being busy all the time keeps her away from bad kids and bad situations. It's worth the expense and this gets me more time with her and keeps our bond strong.

She could quit tomorrow and there isn't anything I can do about it, so I enjoy it while I can.

As for HS I wouldn't know anything about it, but it surprises me that kick ball is still being played in HS. But if it's anything like Middle School Soccer UGH! That said my D loves being part of Middle School soccer even though she knows that it sux. Because of this I expect she'll eventually want to play HS as well. UGH!

[Unregistered]

College isn't any better.

Most premier isnt any better either so let's not just pick on HS. Soccer in America simply, for the most part, is subpar.

[Unregistered]

Most premier isnt any better either so let's not just pick on HS. Soccer in America simply, for the most part, is subpar.

Can't fully disagree but if the coach is decent and the facilities allow for 2-3 days a week of practice year round, the coach is going to instill values like making an attempt to play out of the back, hitting a foot with the pass, finding and moving into space, crosses, etc. I saw none of that in the game yesterday. the passes were in the general direction of a target but usually too weak to make it to the intended target.

[Unregistered]

one part of high school soccer that has value is the experience of playing against player of different age groups that the single age group of club soccer doesn't have. The problem is the wide variation of skill that generally necessitates the use of the long ball over the top. Unfortunately that often works so there is strong reinforcement for that style of play

[Unregistered]

Can't fully disagree but if the coach is decent and the facilities allow for 2-3 days a week of practice year round, the coach is going to instill values like making an attempt to play out of the back, hitting a foot with the pass, finding and moving into space, crosses, etc. I saw none of that in the game yesterday. the passes were in the general direction of a target but usually too weak to make it to the intended target.

Not true..... I have had two kids go thru different clubs. One D is U15 with Stars and the other is U14 NEFC Boys. Both have who I consider to be good coaches thru the years. Both have been with the programs since U10. I have seen countless kids go thru there weekly trainings and still have no touch, low Soccer iq, no pace, no drive etc etc. Go to any game on a Sunday you will see lots of low level play from players that have been with a club for YEARS. Some players will NEVER become a quality player regardless of the training. Club soccer is not the answer for the majority of players.... But parents like me allow there kid to play club (and cost me an assload of money) and enable this club world to continue.

[Unregistered]

Not true..... I have had two kids go thru different clubs. One D is U15 with Stars and the other is U14 NEFC Boys. Both have who I consider to be good coaches thru the years. Both have been with the programs since U10. I have seen countless kids go thru there weekly trainings and still have no touch, low Soccer iq, no pace, no drive etc etc. Go to any game on a Sunday you will see lots of low level play from players that have been with a club for YEARS. Some players will NEVER become a quality player regardless of the training. Club soccer is not the answer for the majority of players.... But parents like me allow there kid to play club (and cost me an assload of money) and enable this club world to continue.

And this is different from any other youth sport? Seems like the level of expectation is way too high, but then again I am a realist.

[Unregistered]

Not true..... I have had two kids go thru different clubs. One D is U15 with Stars and the other is U14 NEFC Boys. Both have who I consider to be good coaches thru the years. Both have been with the programs since U10. I have seen countless kids go thru there weekly trainings and still have no touch, low Soccer iq, no pace, no drive etc etc. Go to any game on a Sunday you will see lots of low level play from players that have been with a club for YEARS. Some players will NEVER become a quality player regardless of the training. Club soccer is not the answer for the majority of players.... But parents like me allow there kid to play club (and cost me an assload of money) and enable this club world to continue.

Even at clubs like Stars or NEFC, they tend to focus on the top 2 or 3 players per team and bad habits are often not checked early or with enough vigor. for bottom half players they simply dont care and wont take the time to help them and for top players, if results are fairly positive in terms of wins and losses, then it also isnt really worth it. Most clubs are simply happy winning games in whatever realm they belong to and never try to get over the hump and on to the next level. At times, kids need to be instructed, corrected, pulled from a game for an explanation of repeated mistakes and then pulled from a half until they comply ..... I have never seen this happen on any of my kids teams (3 of them at bigger and better clubs) .... not to the weaker kids and certainly not to the "stars" who get the most touches and still make the most mistakes (the same ones all of the time). It is disheartening to see the same mistakes from the same kids week after week and they continue to go uncorrected.

[Unregistered]

Even at clubs like Stars or NEFC, they tend to focus on the top 2 or 3 players per team and bad habits are often not checked early or with enough vigor. for bottom half players they simply dont care and wont take the time to help them and for top players, if results are fairly positive in terms of wins and losses, then it also isnt really worth it. Most clubs are simply happy winning games in whatever realm they belong to and never try to get over the hump and on to the next level. At times, kids need to be instructed, corrected, pulled from a game for an explanation of repeated mistakes and then pulled from a half until they comply ..... I have never seen this happen on any of my kids teams (3 of them at bigger and better clubs) .... not to the weaker kids and certainly not to the "stars" who get the most touches and still make the most mistakes (the same ones all of the time). It is disheartening to see the same mistakes from the same kids week after week and they continue to go uncorrected.

You are absolutely correct. The only way to realize this is to have kids playing in club over a period of time. This is the sad truth. The bottom line is that the mid-lower level teams at a club are not any better than HS. The funny part is that the stronger HS coaches are having to Do the dirty that the club coaches just won’t do. That is TRAIN the weaker players because there is no star moving over from another high school team mid season.

[Unregistered]

one part of high school soccer that has value is the experience of playing against player of different age groups that the single age group of club soccer doesn't have. The problem is the wide variation of skill that generally necessitates the use of the long ball over the top. Unfortunately that often works so there is strong reinforcement for that style of play

at good clubs, age is irrelevant. Talent plays to a level where it is challenged. Most Clubs have no incentive to be good. They institute rules that are tailored to maximize revenue, not development.

Club soccer is not based on ability to play, its ability to pay. You have to approach it knowing that the onus is on your kid to maximize whatever the Club offers. Be aggressive in making sure you get vfm.

Its not my money, but so many kids/families THINK their kid is getting so much more than they really are. Basically they are paying huge sums for a circle of "friends" and some level of camaraderie. Once you leave the Club world you realize how little Clubs actually offer for the $$ spent