My son is 9 and plays on a flight 1 team and has for a few years. I feel like everyone around us on our team and even our other soccer friends are already looking towards college and scholarships and what they can do from now to make that more of a reality. So other boys will play futsal, play other indoor leagues, play on teams out together by some dads and enter other tournaments, play in Santa Ana teams, do private trainings during the week then do private group trainings and so on. And I feel like I am not doing enough.
1. Are college scholarships given to a lot of southern CA soccer male players more so than from other states?
2. How and when do you judge if it’s something attainable for your son?
3. Did I miss something along the way about preparing kids to get scholarships that these parents had?
4. Do boys playing on MLS next teams and ECNL only get scholarships and not the ones playing EA?
5. And if this is something you want for your kid to have a shot at do you need to do extra trainings etc.?
A scholarship isn't going to motivate your son through the hours of training and games necessary to be good enough to get in the conversation to play college ball. I would not make that a focus for him OR you. Foster a love for the game for him, and get him access to training. Futsal is great. Private or small group trainings with likeminded kids are also great. At 9, he should be focused on his foot skill, IMO. Don't worry about position at this point. Make him part of this process and include him on the "why" you are making certain training available to him. Make the right moves to the better leagues available to you when he's ready. Steer him away from toxic coaches. I can't stress the last part enough. After games and practices, focus on him being a good teammate and applaud that along with some of the nicer moves he might have made in the session. For example, scoring is great, but goals probably represent 1-2% of the touches in most games. Congratulate him on settling a ball out of the air, a good turn, or moving into space. Emphasize how that will help him at the next level he plays at, and how his training got him to make those advanced moves at a young age. Kids will dig that praise, and it elevates their thinking about the game.
Yes: if your boy plays on an MLS Next or ECNL team, he is more likely to have more eyeballs on him than if he plays EA, ECRL, NPL, etc. But to get to those top leagues, he needs to put in work. Even with all that work, full scholarships are hard to come by for boys and girls. Soccer, though, is a great way to get into schools where, based on grades alone, your boy might not have as great a chance. But those leagues are a few years away from where your boy is at right now. Chart out a course in pencil, but be ready to change it up with an eraser when different opportunities (positive or through setbacks) arise.
Finally, it isn't a linear process. Very few kids have a nice, clean progression to some of the better leagues. There are a lot of twists and turns. Just keep playing, grinding, and moving forward. That kind of resilience comes from a place that isn't motivated by academic money.