MLS next team questions for dummies

[sigmabody]

We are trying it now in middle school so we can determine if it's something he wants to continue in high school. Academics is the primary focus. If MLS Next interferes with academics then we leave.

I have the same opinion with respect to my son (although in my case it's more academic, if you're excuse the double-meaning, because he's not playing at nearly the highest level, so it's not even a concern about missing out on anything promising soccer-wise). If I thought that soccer was significantly impacting academics, he'd be out immediately, even if that meant leaving mid-season and eating the rest of the annual club dues.

I'm also sorta conflicted on whether or not, as an academic argument, I'd want him to play at the highest level (ie: MLSN or equivalent) even if he was capable. I don't want him to feel like it's a job, and it certainly wouldn't have priority over things like academics. For better or worse that's not a call we've needed to make, since he's not that good, but it would not be clear cut for me, and I know some other parents who also struggle with this (eg: one of the other kids in the club, who plays NPL, and has been invited to attend some international events, with expenses paid; his parents do what they can to support him, but I know some of those are harder decisions).

 

[Grace T.]

My son currently plays U13 MLS Next in socal. Honestly I expected better competition and play at this level. There were EA/E2 teams we played last year that are better than some of the MLS next teams this year. Three or 4 top teams including the academies are really good. The rest are average to mediocre depending on population density and what they charge players.

It takes a lot of time. Practice 3 to 4 days a week plus 1 or 2 weekend games and travel leave little time for other activities. You will travel outside the state 4 to 6 times.

We are trying it now in middle school so we can determine if it's something he wants to continue in high school. Academics is the primary focus. If MLS Next interferes with academics then we leave.

He has a clear mandate. No straight As no soccer. He has held up his end of the deal so far.

Well remember now days in high school not all As are created equal. A B+ in certain AP classes is actually worth more than an A in the normal counter part.

The other thing is that college admissions really is two separate tracks (three if you count the arts). One is the athletic recruited track for which (dependent on the sport for the particular college) you might get some leeway with the mean GPA but still need to meet their minimum threshold. The other is the academic for which one of the things they look at is if you are well rounded, but playing MLS Next doesn't really give you any more creed than playing AYSO...it just checks the athletic box in being well rounded. For the Ivies and some other non-tech/non-military high level privates they want you well oblonged-- to have school extracurricular, a sport, a service, some leadership, and a social life (a lot of people leaning nerdy sometimes get tripped up on this last one) but the most critical thing is being one thing you are passionate about that matches up with what you want to do in college...if you aren't going to do soccer, playing MLS Next doesn't count for that and on top of that is draining a bunch of your time.

From a purely getting into college perspective (setting aside professional aspirations, scholarship requirements to private schools, loving it, personal goals, trophy chasing, needed for military academies etc), playing something as demanding as MLS Next is a bit of a waste if you aren't trying to go the athletic recruited track. I'd say the same for all secondary level and lower club soccer except high school sports have become so competitive (as illustrated by another thread here where some high school kid went off on his school's soccer program) that to play varsity at many schools you kinda have to.

 

[watfly]

Well remember now days in high school not all As are created equal. A B+ in certain AP classes is actually worth more than an A in the normal counter part.

The other thing is that college admissions really is two separate tracks (three if you count the arts). One is the athletic recruited track for which (dependent on the sport for the particular college) you might get some leeway with the mean GPA but still need to meet their minimum threshold. The other is the academic for which one of the things they look at is if you are well rounded, but playing MLS Next doesn't really give you any more creed than playing AYSO...it just checks the athletic box in being well rounded. For the Ivies and some other non-tech/non-military high level privates they want you well oblonged-- to have school extracurricular, a sport, a service, some leadership, and a social life (a lot of people leaning nerdy sometimes get tripped up on this last one) but the most critical thing is being one thing you are passionate about that matches up with what you want to do in college...if you aren't going to do soccer, playing MLS Next doesn't count for that and on top of that is draining a bunch of your time.

From a purely getting into college perspective (setting aside professional aspirations, scholarship requirements to private schools, loving it, personal goals, trophy chasing, needed for military academies etc), playing something as demanding as MLS Next is a bit of a waste if you aren't trying to go the athletic recruited track. I'd say the same for all secondary level and lower club soccer except high school sports have become so competitive (as illustrated by another thread here where some high school kid went off on his school's soccer program) that to play varsity at many schools you kinda have to.

Well said, and just a couple points. Most schools don't look at your weighted GPA (ie the inflated grades from taking AP and Honors courses), only your un-weighted GPA. They do take into account how rigorous your classes are, so a B in an AP can look better than an A in college prep, but its not an absolute. Not all kids are the same and some can handle a full load of AP and Honors classes. However, for most normal kids a balance of AP/Honors and College Prep might be the better way to maximize their unweighted GPA with easier classes in College Prep and saving the maximum effort for the most important AP classes.

SAT and ACT are becoming more important again. During Covid a lot of schools went test optional, or test blind. Although, what they didn't tell you was that a good test score could help you with scholarships. Now SAT and ACT are coming back as an admission factor.

Yes, well rounded is a huge factor, or what colleges call a "holistic approach" to admissions. Most students can muster up a generic well rounded resume, but for the top schools you really need to be different, or more importantly "have a story". A story from a protected class is even better.

Admissions is a crap shoot to some extent and a lot depends on who reviews your application.

(At the end of the day, kids have far too much pressure to attend a top school. In most cases it really doesn't matter where you get your degree.)

 

[Grace T.]

Well said, and just a couple points. Most schools don't look at your weighted GPA (ie the inflated grades from taking AP and Honors courses), only your un-weighted GPA. They do take into account how rigorous your classes are, so a B in an AP can look better than an A in college prep, but its not an absolute. Not all kids are the same and some can handle a full load of AP and Honors classes. However, for most normal kids a balance of AP/Honors and College Prep might be the better way to maximize their unweighted GPA with easier classes in College Prep and saving the maximum effort for the most important AP classes.

SAT and ACT are becoming more important again. During Covid a lot of schools went test optional, or test blind. Although, what they didn't tell you was that a good test score could help you with scholarships. Now SAT and ACT are coming back as an admission factor.

Yes, well rounded is a huge factor, or what colleges call a "holistic approach" to admissions. Most students can muster up a generic well rounded resume, but for the top schools you really need to be different, or more importantly "have a story". A story from a protected class is even better.

Admissions is a crap shoot to some extent and a lot depends on who reviews your application.

(At the end of the day, kids have far too much pressure to attend a top school. In most cases it really doesn't matter where you get your degree.)

Well said right back to you.

There's a bit of a record scratch also going on with the sat. Many students are finding the new dynamic one difficult. They say it wasn't designed to be more difficult, and it's too early to tell if there's a significant variation in score distribution. But an unusual number of kids we know have been taken by surprise with it and what they got. At a minimum, it seems the days of just picking up a workbook or sample hard copy test and doing practice questions are over. Because of the renewed emphasis on testing, and because of the nuance of the dynamic testing, test prep is already making a hard come back. My kid is trying out one of the new AI test programs which mimics the dynamic testing and that (rather than going back to the old Kaplan sit in a classroom prep classes) seems to be the future.

 

[Mosafie]

Do you think MLS next parents know that scholarships are almost never a full ride and their child is likely to go to a worse academic school than they would other wise get in on academics alone? I feel most people only find out about how little scholarships are available when their kids are applying for schools.

The only reason to play MLS next is for the bragging rights. There is no other reason.

Partial true if parents ignore academics.

However exceptional athletes with stellar grades can write their own ticket to schools they would otherwise not get into. They are not part of the general application pool.

My family has used athletics with academics to get into Harvard, Stanford, USC, Cal, Notre Dame, etc. They have all basically used the same academic/athletic plan.

The preparation for college starts in middle school. Kids must skip ahead in math to be ready for AP classes and SAT prep. Current California math track is behind.

My son currently takes 7th grade math in 6th. Tested out of 6th. He will take 8th grade math in 7th. Geometry at local high school in summer after 7th. Then go to the high school for math in 8th grade. He is the only student in his district on this track. He will have a year to prep for the PSAT when most student haven't even finished the content covered.

 

[Grace T.]

Partial true if parents ignore academics.

However exceptional athletes with stellar grades can write their own ticket to schools they would otherwise not get into. They are not part of the general application pool.

My family has used athletics with academics to get into Harvard, Stanford, USC, Cal, Notre Dame, etc. They have all basically used the same academic/athletic plan.

The preparation for college starts in middle school. Kids must skip ahead in math to be ready for AP classes and SAT prep. Current California math track is behind.

My son currently takes 7th grade math in 6th. Tested out of 6th. He will take 8th grade math in 7th. Geometry at local high school in summer after 7th. Then go to the high school for math in 8th grade. He is the only student in his district on this track. He will have a year to prep for the PSAT when most student haven't even finished the content covered.

This is definitely true but it's assuming a kid with high SAT score, fairly high number of AP classes, and good enough out of MLS Next to be a starter or immediate sub, and being able to juggle all that in high school. For California schools, it's really just Stanford, Cal and UCLA that are in the mix (a kid like that has a shot anyways at USC so I'd put that borderline).

 

[maestroFRSM]

My boy has learned grit, determination, resilience, and value of hard work playing MLSN, along with teamwork and leadership. He loves soccer. We support him and are not concerned about the relative merits of various extracurriculars in college acceptance. We hold no disillusions about long term prospects. If your family has the resources (it’s truly a family effort) and he’s willing to put in the work, go for it.

 

[Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr]

My boy has learned grit, determination, resilience, and value of hard work playing MLSN, along with teamwork and leadership. He loves soccer. We support him and are not concerned about the relative merits of various extracurriculars in college acceptance. We hold no disillusions about long term prospects. If your family has the resources (it’s truly a family effort) and he’s willing to put in the work, go for it.

This is The Way.

 

[Lou789]

Hi, I had a question above about training during summertime and games? Is it training the exact same year? Is there any break at all during the summer? What about games during the summer?

 

[watfly]

Hi, I had a question above about training during summertime and games? Is it training the exact same year? Is there any break at all during the summer? What about games during the summer?

Depends on the club. Typically practices don't slow down much and some clubs will do a full complement of tournaments (which I think is absurd). At my son's club they got 1 month off for summer, not sure other clubs do the same. Likes others have said its effectively a year round commitment.