Anyone like to guess the name of the "not yet but soon to be" announced league?

[The Outlaw *BANNED*]

I'm new to the club scene as my son is playing his first year in club at 7 years old. With the DA turning into a league of MLS youth teams only, do you reckon they will have the same pay to play model as all other clubs or will they be strictly tryout only and take the best kids that are worthy of developing in their academy?

In addition, what age does the youth teams normally begin for MLS teams? 12U? or 13U?

Don't fall in love with the logo. Many girls did that and you saw what happened with the DA. I have a friend whose son plays for an academy and, frankly, they don't develop better than anybody else. Especially at 7-years old... your son needs a coach that will help him transition to the different format... in other words, making "work" fun, because that's the biggest different between (w)rec(k) and comp soccer. The amount of tedious work that's put in and 7-year olds just want to ball. A great coach will introduce the work aspect and still have your kid wanting to practice tomorrow. At his age, IMO, that is the most important factor. There's a ton of time to play with the "right" club when he's older. Marathon... not a sprint. You should tell people here where you are, geographically, so they can give you recommendations.

 

[Giesbock]

Don't fall in love with the logo. Many girls did that and you saw what happened with the DA. I have a friend whose son plays for an academy and, frankly, they don't develop better than anybody else. Especially at 7-years old... your son needs a coach that will help him transition to the different format... in other words, making "work" fun, because that's the biggest different between (w)rec(k) and comp soccer. The amount of tedious work that's put in and 7-year olds just want to ball. A great coach will introduce the work aspect and still have your kid wanting to practice tomorrow. At his age, IMO, that is the most important factor. There's a ton of time to play with the "right" club when he's older. Marathon... not a sprint. You should tell people here where you are, geographically, so they can give you recommendations.

I’d add that making sure he gets solid instruction in fundamentals is the key. 7 year olds in German academy setting are learning to juggle and pass the ball properly. They don’t scrimmage or play that young. Good model for the next gen American players.

 

[Edouble]

Don't fall in love with the logo. Many girls did that and you saw what happened with the DA. I have a friend whose son plays for an academy and, frankly, they don't develop better than anybody else. Especially at 7-years old... your son needs a coach that will help him transition to the different format... in other words, making "work" fun, because that's the biggest different between (w)rec(k) and comp soccer. The amount of tedious work that's put in and 7-year olds just want to ball. A great coach will introduce the work aspect and still have your kid wanting to practice tomorrow. At his age, IMO, that is the most important factor. There's a ton of time to play with the "right" club when he's older. Marathon... not a sprint. You should tell people here where you are, geographically, so they can give you recommendations.

He really dislikes practicing as it is so I think finding a coach that will make it fun and have him looking forward to practicing the next day is definitely what I need. This will most likely be the last year I have him in club since the fees are really high, I figured I could use the same money to invest in a personal trainer to work with him one on one. There's no shortage of games he can play out here since I've had about 3 coaches asking if he could play for them during the week and weekends.

I’d add that making sure he gets solid instruction in fundamentals is the key. 7 year olds in German academy setting are learning to juggle and pass the ball properly. They don’t scrimmage or play that young. Good model for the next gen American players.

I've worked on his passing which has shown major improvement, however juggling is something we just started when quarantine began which he's up to averaging 3-4 at the moment. Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Giesbock]

3-4 will turn to 10-15...then 20 will be within reach and onward! Some people scoff at ability to juggle but it teaches touch and weight of the ball! If your 7 or 8 yo can juggle, they’ll be in great demand somewhere

 

[focomoso]

I'm new to the club scene as my son is playing his first year in club at 7 years old. With the DA turning into a league of MLS youth teams only, do you reckon they will have the same pay to play model as all other clubs or will they be strictly tryout only and take the best kids that are worthy of developing in their academy?

In addition, what age does the youth teams normally begin for MLS teams? 12U? or 13U?

The MLS Academies and many of the non-MLS Academies were fully funded, aka, free. I expect this new league to be the same, which will work fine for the MLS clubs, but be a struggle for the non-MLS clubs as they'll have to use the rest of their teams' revenue to pay for the... thing that the DA becomes.