Better Team or More Playing Time on the Soccer Field?

[Scrub It Kook]

Better Team or More Playing Time on the Soccer Field?

How should players and parents prioritize playing time in relation to level of competition?

traceup.com

Our player is in a situation currently that allows them the bulk of their playing time with a second time while getting experience playing with a first team as well. That may be coming to an end and just curious on anyone's experience in the past. I recognize age/maturity, personality and player goals play a major part in what's the best for any given person and that will ultimately be a major influence in our decision.

Appreciate any insight!

 

[Surf Zombie]

Age and level of play is a big factor. Sorry, but I’m confused by your post. Are you asking about one child or two? Also, comparing A to B you’d really need to factor in so many variables. Who is the coach, location, teammates, what position your child plays and what does the roster look like with other players at that position? Most importantly, if playing time is the big issue, there is a huge different between going to the top team and getting 30-35 minutes a game versus getting 10 minutes.

 

[espola]

I have long advised parents of new or developing players to get placed on a team where he/she is the weakest starter -- he will get her playing time, -plus exposure to the skills and habits of better players. Also, if the coach is any good, he will likely be conducting training at about the right level for that player.

 

[Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr]

Better Team or More Playing Time on the Soccer Field?

How should players and parents prioritize playing time in relation to level of competition?

traceup.com

Our player is in a situation currently that allows them the bulk of their playing time with a second time while getting experience playing with a first team as well. That may be coming to an end and just curious on anyone's experience in the past. I recognize age/maturity, personality and player goals play a major part in what's the best for any given person and that will ultimately be a major influence in our decision.

Appreciate any insight!

Depends on the kid and numerous other factors.

All things being equal? If your kid isn't getting playing time, IMO, you need to find a team where he or she gets the most playing time in the most competitive league while playing for the best coach you can find. That might mean a drop-off in the overall quality of the roster but I think that's worth it for playing time in a competitive league.

 

[eatcookies]

I see more improvement in my player when they play down and are a more valued player on the team. The confidence factor is huge (I realize every kid is different) but for mine, it’s an important piece.

 

[Carlsbad7]

A team parents can be aweful + the drama never seems to end.

B team parents are much easier to be around + are usually drinking margaritas on the sidelines.

As long as the B team has a good coach not being on the super team isnt the end of the world. Often A team players burn out + etc etc etc and when it happens the club will look to the B team for a replacement.

 

[Socal-Soccer-Dad]

Better Team or More Playing Time on the Soccer Field?

How should players and parents prioritize playing time in relation to level of competition?

traceup.com

Our player is in a situation currently that allows them the bulk of their playing time with a second time while getting experience playing with a first team as well. That may be coming to an end and just curious on anyone's experience in the past. I recognize age/maturity, personality and player goals play a major part in what's the best for any given person and that will ultimately be a major influence in our decision.

Appreciate any insight!

interesting point in the article about goalies... how playing on a great team can actually hurt you if you're trying to develop as a goalie since you may not see any action for long periods of time...

similarly, I think the situation differs on a player by player basis... I think playing on a better team is usually more helpful if the kid is a starter and/or at least one of the first couple of most valued bench players (in terms of playing time and impact)

in the end, I think playing style, coach's preference for your player, an ability of players around you who can positively impact your own game and style are important (i.e. as a striker, you'd want to great mids feeding you through balls or wings crossing...)

 

[Grace T.]

interesting point in the article about goalies... how playing on a great team can actually hurt you if you're trying to develop as a goalie since you may not see any action for long periods of time...

Like everything it depends on the age, which is really the key factor. At the older ages, college exposure trumps playtime, and it's inverse at the younger (if you are the second GK on a non-academy team and you aren't getting any playtime, and you are under 14, time to get out of there). At the older ages MLS academy teams, the alternate GK may not get any exposure against the other academy teams (only playing the weaker local teams or scrimmages) and if there's a third that third is going to get even less playtime.

It can also be really bad if you are the GK on the bottom teams in the division. You'll get blamed for everything by coaches, parents and teammates, even if your save rate is in the 70-80% range that the professional goalkeepers have. If your team is having 10 1v1s per game, unless you are playing way under level, you'll be giving up a minimum of 2-4 of them.

 

[DennisBergkamp]

What does it mean - A good coach?

What does that look like?

In the same way, what would a good team and a good club mean?

 

[Slobodan]

I have long advised parents of new or developing players to get placed on a team where he/she is the weakest starter -- he will get her playing time, -plus exposure to the skills and habits of better players. Also, if the coach is any good, he will likely be conducting training at about the right level for that player.

You live in a dream world. The "weakest starter"? That's almost as ridiculous as "don't go to a college ID camp if your kid isn't going to stand out." How the Hell would anyone know that?

 

[Slobodan]

A team parents can be aweful + the drama never seems to end.

B team parents are much easier to be around + are usually drinking margaritas on the sidelines.

As long as the B team has a good coach not being on the super team isnt the end of the world. Often A team players burn out + etc etc etc and when it happens the club will look to the B team for a replacement.

I would agree with this... depending on the age. The only downside is I do believe kids get better training with better players 6 hours per week.

 

[zanian]

I have seen it both ways. A weaker player getting better on a stronger team by being pushed by the quality of play and the coach. I have also seen a stronger player develop more confidence on a weaker team and get better that way. Timing is a big part of this and it also depends on their goals in why they play. At some point it probably makes sense to move to a stronger team just to continue to improve and to face better competition.

At younger ages I prefer the coaches that want to make everyone better and not just win for the sake of winning. As they get older and in more competitive leagues then development is still important but won't probably be stressed as much as winning.

 

[sockma]

I have seen it both ways. A weaker player getting better on a stronger team by being pushed by the quality of play and the coach. I have also seen a stronger player develop more confidence on a weaker team and get better that way. Timing is a big part of this and it also depends on their goals in why they play. At some point it probably makes sense to move to a stronger team just to continue to improve and to face better competition.

At younger ages I prefer the coaches that want to make everyone better and not just win for the sake of winning. As they get older and in more competitive leagues then development is still important but won't probably be stressed as much as winning.

I've seen the same. Every child is different. Know your kid's personality and let that be the guidance.
Some kids thrive when they are the leader on the team and push themselves to get better. This kid might lose all confidence and hate playing soccer as a bench player. This kid needs to be on the lower level team with lots of play time.
Some kids like the push and competition from others to get better. This kid will be complacent and too comfortable as a starter with lots of minutes, therefore not develop as a player. This kid needs to be on the tougher team.

 

[lafalafa]

Variable since every players had different expectations and objectives regardless soccer participation.

Which is better practice, training, or the games?

If practice makes perfect, what does training make? Trainings goal could be skill improvement or output improvement.

So what's better for development? Practice, training, games, or a combo but which combo works best?

Going for the best coaching, practice and training squad you can get on and hoping to earn the most amount of game minutes normally is way to go.

With everything else being equal of course playing time is seen as more important normally internally to young players vs being on a better squad but not playing much. Only young once and not getting minutes after putting in the work can get some players discouraged or frustrated longer term.

 

[focomoso]

My son has been in both situations and I've come to think of it like this: find the best team where your kid's confidence continues to grow. If they're playing up too far and never play or feel too nervous / inadequate when they do get in, that hurts their confidence. But also if they're a superstar on a... not great team, they'll figure it out eventually and their confidence can be hurt when the team gets beat up. So try to find a place where they feel good about their abilities, but are still being pushed / have to fight for their spot.

 

[Scrub It Kook]

Thanks, all great perspectives and insghts to consider.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

Better Team or More Playing Time on the Soccer Field?

How should players and parents prioritize playing time in relation to level of competition?

traceup.com

Our player is in a situation currently that allows them the bulk of their playing time with a second time while getting experience playing with a first team as well. That may be coming to an end and just curious on anyone's experience in the past. I recognize age/maturity, personality and player goals play a major part in what's the best for any given person and that will ultimately be a major influence in our decision.

Appreciate any insight!

Through a variety of fortunate coincidences, both of our boys have been able to see concurrent play time on multiple teams within a club, for quite a few years now as they have progressed - across several clubs. Typically it's when the same coach has both an A and a B team. A team time should always be more of a challenge, especially if the A team is quite strong; B team time provides additional opportunities to put into practice things they are still learning in real game situations. If they aren't starting on A over that time period, performing well on B keeps their confidence up as they work their way back to starting on A - and they always have. All kids progress at different rates over time, and the more playtime available - the more opportunities they have to practice/perform/improve. If we were forced to pick only one or the other, we'd probably recommend they stay on A - though there are plenty of pros/cons to consider. Fortunately that hasn't been necessary. If managed well, this setup can be beneficial for both teams, and a sizable number of kids whose current skills/performance puts them on the bubble between A&B.

 

[Jamisfoes]

If you worry about playing time on the A team, just sign them up for AYSO for extra minutes. Playing time is playing time, I have never seen a kid complain about scoring too many goals against lower level competition.

 

[sockma]

You live in a dream world. The "weakest starter"? That's almost as ridiculous as "don't go to a college ID camp if your kid isn't going to stand out." How the Hell would anyone know that?

Both of these advise are good but (1) you'll have to know and be realistic about your child's overall soccer ability and (2) do some research about the level of play of the teams before going to the tryout/soccer ID camp. You can go watch games or bring your kid and watch the practices for local club teams. For college, watch streamed or televised games if you're unable to attend games, then read bios of their current and previously rostered players, look at how much time each player gets, and from all this info, you should be able to make a decent judgment whether your child will stand out at the ID camp.

 

[Jar!23]

My kid guest played for his club’s top team for his age group for a bit. The coach told him that he has the skills but he has to play with more confidence. Well, sitting on the bench did not add to his confidence at all. It made him feel like trash, the worst player on the team and that he did not belong at all. At the end of the season, there didn’t seem to be any words of encouragement or positivity from the coach so it was clear there was no point in trying to get on that roster. I’m not disputing that he needed to put in a lot of work to become a starter. It’s just that he didn’t feel like a part of the team at all. He just does not have the personality type to fight for it and get maybe 10-15 minutes a game.

Now it looks like the club might assign him to another team that is not the top but still more challenging than where he was before. He’s guested with them a bit and typically he gets 30-40 minutes a game. He hasn’t started with them yet. That might change with the roster changes and I hope he get more minutes. With his current team, he always starts and plays probably 90-95% of the game. So for his development he does need to move up. So I think it really depends on what your player wants and how they handle not playing as much during games. One of the benefits of being with a bigger club is that you have varying levels to try to find the right fit.