Better team vs. more play time

NotFromCali said:
It’s a smaller growing club, with some recent strong hires to grow the club. So should be good, plus 2015 still be 7v7, 2014 is 9v9 FYI
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If your small club 2014 team is not in EA, then it’s equivalent to playing in flight 3. It’s like dropping back to 2015 flight 2. You may feel good he is still playing up a year but in reality he is not because now he is playing flight 3.
 
Jamisfoes said:
If your small club 2014 team is not in EA, then it’s equivalent to playing in flight 3. It’s like dropping back to 2015 flight 2. You may feel good he is still playing up a year but in reality he is not because now he is playing flight 3.
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A lot of the incoming 2014 team is from other clubs (2014), there is a lot of change in my region. So no this move won’t be a downgrade in player talent, if it is it’s not much. So no it won’t be like the large club 2015 team. I go to all practices, games and tournaments and 16-15-14 teams play “typically” in same spot so I know the level of play pretty well
 
NotFromCali said:
A lot of the incoming 2014 team is from other clubs (2014), there is a lot of change in my region. So no this move won’t be a downgrade in player talent, if it is it’s not much. So no it won’t be like the large club 2015 team. I go to all practices, games and tournaments and 16-15-14 teams play “typically” in same spot so I know the level of play pretty well
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Move to a club where he can play at least 75%. Don't worry about anything else.
You can always move again when he develops. If you let your 9yo to continue in team playing him 10-15 min, he will quit (or not developed), then what's the point?
 
aong cangkol said:
Move to a club where he can play at least 75%. Don't worry about anything else.
You can always move again when he develops. If you let your 9yo to continue in team playing him 10-15 min, he will quit (or not developed), then what's the point?
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Thanks all. To be honest never really played much sports as a kid. Even though I really wanted to, just didn’t have the opportunity.

So things like club (2 years in), are new to me/moving clubs etc.

What you all are saying is what I was thinking, so def really appreciate the input/feedback.

Funny I had to go to a CA forum to get some real/positive advice.

You guys rock!
 
NotFromCali said:
My kid is 9 years old, playing on a 2014 team (playing up). Currently on a large Club soccer team. 2nd year playing. He currently plays 2nd line defense. During games he plays maybe 1/3 of the game. During tournaments he plays only 1/4 barely of the game. I think the lack of playing time is hurting his confidence. This club mainly wants to win and develop the top players. Contract season is up.

A newer smaller club team is now in our area (with a director from his old team joining this team). I feel like the new club will give him more playing time and play him at different positions (which he wants)

So should we move from a good team/ limited playing time to a newer club team with more opportunity?

I feel his current team isn’t developing him, just coming off bench to rest current players. We are kinda frustrated. (We my bore you with the other drama).

But isn’t the point a this age to develop?
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My DD is U17. She has been playing club since U8. When she was U10 she played on the top team in our area. For U11 a new coach came in and only played the bigger, physically stronger kids. All he cared about was winning. My DD was playing 15 minutes a game at times. We pulled her away from that coach and club for U12. She went on to spend the last 5 years playing GA/ECNL and just committed to an excellent D1 school. Several of the “preferred” girls from her U11 team don’t even play soccer anymore.

Any coach U12 and below who isn’t giving kids close to equal minutes and trying them out at different positions is a clown and anyone who keeps their child in that kind of environment is setting their child up for disappointment.
 
aong cangkol said:
Move to a club where he can play at least 75%. Don't worry about anything else.
You can always move again when he develops. If you let your 9yo to continue in team playing him 10-15 min, he will quit (or not developed), then what's the point?
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I agree and will add. When he develops, teams will recruit him at the bigger clubs. These are the "unicorns" big clubs look for when 95% of the new roster is decided before tryouts.
 
Surf Zombie said:
My DD is U17. She has been playing club since U8. When she was U10 she played on the top team in our area. For U11 a new coach came in and only played the bigger, physically stronger kids. All he cared about was winning. My DD was playing 15 minutes a game at times. We pulled her away from that coach and club for U12. She went on to spend the last 5 years playing GA/ECNL and just committed to an excellent D1 school. Several of the “preferred” girls from her U11 team don’t even play soccer anymore.

Any coach U12 and below who isn’t giving kids close to equal minutes and trying them out at different positions is a clown and anyone who keeps their child in that kind of environment is setting their child up for disappointment.
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This very much aligns with our experience and friends of ours who also recently aged out.
trying them out at different positions
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Perhaps the most understated comment on this thread. I've watched good players make bad decisions because wise coaches implemented this and, usually because of the parents, alienate themselves or fail to thrive later on. I've said this before, as have others, but when your son averages 3-4 goals a game and the coach moves him to outside back, smile and embrace it. He/she is doing your kid a favor.
 
Surf Zombie said:
My DD is U17. She has been playing club since U8. When she was U10 she played on the top team in our area. For U11 a new coach came in and only played the bigger, physically stronger kids. All he cared about was winning. My DD was playing 15 minutes a game at times. We pulled her away from that coach and club for U12. She went on to spend the last 5 years playing GA/ECNL and just committed to an excellent D1 school. Several of the “preferred” girls from her U11 team don’t even play soccer anymore.
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Talent identification is system wide problem in US soccer.
 
Play play play. My kid at 9 and 10 was playing AYSO. Didn't hit club until 11. She now plays D1 college (where she sat her freshman year, but thankfully redshirted. LOL). Try the new club for two years. Switch again if you need to. Need to play 75% of each game.
 
Slobodan said:
This very much aligns with our experience and friends of ours who also recently aged out.

Perhaps the most understated comment on this thread. I've watched good players make bad decisions because wise coaches implemented this and, usually because of the parents, alienate themselves or fail to thrive later on. I've said this before, as have others, but when your son averages 3-4 goals a game and the coach moves him to outside back, smile and embrace it. He/she is doing your kid a favor.
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This is spot on. U10-U12 mine played everywhere but GK and center back. She was scoring a ton at the younger ages, but moved around and eventually settled in as an outside back U14 to present. Going from the goal scorer to a defender at those younger ages was the best thing that ever happened to her. The more versatile you are, the more valued you are on the roster.
 
Surf Zombie said:
This is spot on. U10-U12 mine played everywhere but GK and center back. She was scoring a ton at the younger ages, but moved around and eventually settled in as an outside back U14 to present. Going from the goal scorer to a defender at those younger ages was the best thing that ever happened to her. The more versatile you are, the more valued you are on the roster.
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This is one of the fun parts of High School soccer. Playing others positions than you do in club.
 
NotFromCali said:
My wife thinks if we leave this club (probably best club around), it will ruin his chances for advancement up to High School possibly college.

But my thoughts if he’s not playing now and advancing as a player and getting better/having fun then he won’t get better/hurting his confidence.

I think we are overthinking this. Probably should just move clubs and get a fresh start. This current club is just too aggressive too early.
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Just getting caught up here…this is a tactic the big clubs use to scare parents from speaking up & advocating for their children. They want to keep cashing ALL the checks they can. As long as you keep it drama free, there is nothing to worry about.
 
NotFromCali said:
We moved clubs. Felt like breaking up with my HS girlfriend but kept it very friendly. Finger crossed 🤞 things are different but only one way to find out. Easier when my kids are this young.

Thanks again everyone
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Not to worry. By the time you want to go back, the DOC will have resigned for selling equipment out of his trunk, the top coach will have been fired for nailing the wife of board member and the uniforms will have changed 4 times.

You won't even recognize each other at tryouts.
 
Slobodan said:
Not to worry. By the time you want to go back, the DOC will have resigned for selling equipment out of his trunk, the top coach will have been fired for nailing the wife of board member and the uniforms will have changed 4 times.

You won't even recognize each other at tryouts.
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You left out coach drinking in his car, team mom performing oral on the star midfielders Dad, coach slapping little sissy or using the "B" word on her, and your kids finally getting their uniforms from two years ago when you come back in a year or two....
 
NotFromCali said:
We moved clubs. Felt like breaking up with my HS girlfriend but kept it very friendly. Finger crossed 🤞 things are different but only one way to find out. Easier when my kids are this young.

Thanks again everyone
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Sounds like you made a well-thought out decision with the best information available. Good job. Navigating these club soccer waters is tricky.

I'm hopping on this thread late, but would second almost all the feedback you're getting here in regards to playing time > club status. One other comment which is about your wife's concerns about hindering his ability to play HS or college: That is a really common concern, and one which almost every club parent wrestles with at some point or another. Having been through this once with my now college senior and about to again in another sport with my HS freshman, my advice is to hold off on any equation factoring college until about 9th or 10th grade. SOOOOO much will change between 9 years old and 15. Not just with your kid, but with the entire club landscape, and the other players he competes with. There is massive attrition and turn over during those years. Puberty is the wild card, and for boys, that won't shake out fully until well into the HS years. I can tell you that all of the dominant 9 year olds I ever saw when my kid was that age absolutely disappeared. I know of one who played one year of junior college ball. In hindsight, it's crazy that any of us parents were ever talking about college with kids at that age.

I will make a prediction, and I want you to track it. Write down the names of the 11 starters on the "big club" team he used to play for and every year, take a look at where those kids end up. I can tell you that more than half of them will quit soccer before finishing HS. Heck, most of them won't play past 8th grade. Out of the remaining ones who do play soccer all the way through HS, odds are it won't be at the highest level. The odds of any player on the entire roster, including your kid, playing any level of college ball are crazy low. And any that do won't be "full-ride," and then there's the massive percentage of college players who don't play all 4 years. This isn't a slight on any of those kids, it is just a fact of the numbers. Keep that in mind as you help your kid through the sport, too. It will keep you both grounded and allow you all to enjoy whatever does come from the journey, however long or short it is.
 
NotFromCali said:
If we leave we will leave on good terms, small world so we won’t burn any bridges.

So next year they move from 7v7 to 9v9, doubt that makes any difference, thought I would mention it.
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If he is on 2014 now isn’t he playing 9v9 already? He should be.
 
watfly said:
No offense to your wife, but this mentality is what the big clubs prey on. IMHO this mentality can lead to burnout of your child in the long run. Talent doesn't ruin chances, but FOMO can ruin passion.

Dirty little secret. By the time kids reach 15-16 the truly passionate and talented kids are at least playing at an MLS Academy. Most (not all) of the other kids left playing for non-academy MLS Next and ECNL boys teams are passionate kids with average talent, because the other athletically gifted kids have moved on to other sports.
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What about EA teams?
 
focomoso said:
People say that a lot, but many, many kids end up going to D1 programs from non-academy MLS or ECNL teams. It depends a lot on the kid and the circumstances.
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Which leagues are these kids playing in then if going to D1 if not not Academy MLS or ECNL ? Are they in EA leagues? Or other leagues?
 
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