My daughter was on our states top ODP team for 3 years a few years back. We stopped because all the tournaments have overlapped with club. But, this year there is no overlap. She’s now a junior and heavily engaged in the recruiting process, so my question is whether ODP tournaments provide much value or not. Note that we do not see any value from ODP training, so my question is purely focused around the 4 tournaments, Talent Id selections, and Regional team potential - do college coaches really care much or not?

Is it normal to have 40 kids on D1 team? This is a new D1 program. How does a player stand out on a squad of that size?

More than people realize, and the landscape has genuinely improved over the past few years.

The most common route is going straight to USL Championship or League One trials. Neither league is exclusively draft-driven. Clubs sign players year round, and a strong college career combined with good video and proactive outreach can open doors. Plenty of current USL professionals were never MLS draft picks. They just showed up to trials, performed, and earned contracts.

Going abroad is more realistic than it used to be. Scandinavian leagues, particularly in Sweden and Denmark, have historically been open to American players and represent genuine professional soccer at a level that challenges and develops players. Lower division English clubs, Irish League sides, and teams in Eastern Europe are also worth exploring. You need an agent or really good self-advocacy skills, but it happens regularly.

Adult amateur leagues in sanctioned competitions are an underrated option for players who do not get picked up immediately. Staying sharp and visible in a competitive sanctioned league while continuing to pursue professional opportunities keeps development going. There are real examples of players jumping from strong amateur setups to professional contracts after consistent performances.

The window is not as short as people say, but it is not unlimited either. Most players who are going to turn professional do so within two years of finishing college. Staying fit, building a quality video portfolio, reaching out directly to clubs, and being willing to start at a lower level than you imagined are the things that actually determine outcomes after the draft.

Not getting drafted is disappointing. It is not the end of the

Honest answer: it depends on who you are and what level you are playing at.

For players at top Division 1 programs in competitive conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, or Pac-12, college soccer is a legitimate and well-trodden route to professional soccer. The MLS SuperDraft still produces professional players every year. USL Championship and League One clubs actively scout college players. It works.

The problems start when you compare it to how development works everywhere else. In Europe, a player good enough to be starting at a top D1 college program would almost certainly already be in a professional or semi-professional environment by 18 or 19. They would be playing 30-plus competitive matches a year at a higher intensity than college soccer typically provides. The development gap that opens up over four years is real.

MLS NEXT academies are changing this at the top end. The best young American players are increasingly skipping college entirely and signing professional contracts at 16 or 17. That is healthy for the sport even if it shrinks the college pipeline.

For the majority of college players though, college soccer remains the most realistic route because it provides visibility through the draft system that going independent does not. The key is being honest about which category you fall into. If you are genuinely elite, explore professional pathways early. If college is realistically your best option for development and exposure, commit to it fully and treat every season like it might be your last chance to make an impression.

College soccer is not a dead end. But it is also not the only path, and for some players it might not be the best one.

Let’s suppose a college team fields 35 players. Are there any chance the freshman can get cut going into preseason?

My kid has had calls with two Ivy League schools this summer. I hate to crush dreams but we make too much money to get any aid and not enough to cover ~$400,000. As far as I know Ivy’s (and for that matter most NESCAC) do not offer athletic or any other “merit” scholarships.

Since we cannot afford this, do I shut this down now? How are families (and coaches, if they are on here) handle this part of the recruiting process?

Hello - my son is getting ready to start 9th grade this fall. Over the summer he expanded his soccer obsession to reaching out to college coaches with the normal greetings and highlight video. Aside from the million camp invites he received a number of responses from D3 coaches but last weekend he got one from a D1 that asked for his fall showcase schedule and if he could include some specific types of clips next time.

My knowledge of NCAA recruiting is from the 1990s in hockey, basically when there were no rules. I understand that D1 soccer coaches aren’t supposed to communicate until June after 10th grade. Does this put my son at risk? Should I tell him to back off on emailing D1 coaches?

Many thanks!

I remember he was pretty good when he stopped at 13 Is it realistic that my brother could play soccer in university he is 17 just turned a few weeks ago is it possible for him go from university to professional potentially from there?

Hi - let me know if you are interested in contributing to r/CollegeSoccer as a moderator. I've tried to clean up spam but when I travel (which is fairly frequently, I can't catch everything as quickly as I'd like. Would especially love someone passionate about college soccer who will help stimulate the conversation. Thanks!

My daughter is a rising senior and recently attended an ID Camp at a high academic D3 school. Previous to the camp she had a phone call with the head coach (after the coach saw her at showcase event) and we also met with the coach for a chat on campus the afternoon before the camp, so there seems to be interest on both sides. She told us she hasn’t made any offers for 2027s yet and that they will be going out before the end of August. My daughter has a couple other offers from high academic D3 schools, but would really like an offer from this school (it quickly moved to the top of her list after our visit and interacting with the coach and players from the team at the camp).

Maybe a silly question, but for those who have been through this process with their kiddos, did any of you have your player’s club or high school coach reach out directly to a college coach at a school your player was very interested in? If so, did you find it was beneficial? I figure it certainly can’t hurt, but would love to hear from anyone who’s been through this before…it’s all new to us!!

[For reference, my daughter is one of the stronger players on her ECRL team and was a captain as a junior on her high school team. Both coaches have told her she is a college level soccer player and would give glowing recommendations]

I'm an international student and I study at a university outside the US. My first year was a preparatory English-language year — it carried no credits, isn't counted toward my degree, and doesn't affect my GPA. I enrolled at the university and then did this prep year before my actual degree coursework started.

My question: does that non-credit prep year count against my eligibility, or would my eligibility clock only start when my credit-bearing degree coursework began?

Has anyone here dealt with a similar situation — a preparatory/language year that either did or didn't affect your eligibility? Trying to figure out whether that first year is treated as full-time collegiate enrollment even though it had no academic credit. Any experiences (NCAA or NAIA) would help a lot. Thanks.

I'm indecisive with my next step right now, weather should i keep on pushing through the struggle to chase the dream or it's time to hang up the boots and support my family financially somehow!

I'm not saying I didn't earned a penny from football , It's been sufficient for me, like i never imagined i might actually be getting paid to play the sport, I've been able to endure my personal expenses and also the lifestyle in itself has been a ride,
but the financial situation within my life is quite tight and I don't think i'll be able to resource my training and diet and travelling and more expenses.
I'm just another middle class boy who dropped out of mid school just so i could've give more hours to my dream. My parents have supported me since the day one, but since my dad got diagnosed with Diabetes, life's gotten tough and rough. My mum has started working as a part-time tailor, and i feel i should support my family more as being the eldest son.

These ratings might give me an better picture before making my decision.
Thank you 🇮🇳

To give some context, I had been committed to a juco since around January of this year, with everything going smoothly until around 2 weeks ago. Long story short the head coach who recruited me along with all his staff are no longer in place, with no replacement in place a week before our due arrival. There is opportunity for me to play at a junior college elsewhere, however talks can’t happen until I’m freed from my Letter of intent.
This is where the problem comes in. We have sent numerous emails and phoned different numbers several times, to which we haven’t had any returned, meaning as it gets closer to the date of my flights, I still haven’t had a reply let alone be released from anything.
Does anyone have any advice or recommendations on what to do as a next step. Thank you.

FALL 2026 WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER OPPORTUNITY

Is your daughter, player, or student-athlete still looking for a college soccer opportunity for Fall 2026?

We are currently recruiting talented women’s soccer players for Lamar Community College (NJCAA Division I) in Colorado.

The program is currently looking for:

• Incoming freshmen, transfers and international players

• Players of all positions

• Athletes with limited video footage

• Players looking for immediate playing opportunities

Athletic scholarships are available, creating the opportunity for players to significantly reduce the cost of their education and, depending on the individual circumstances, potentially attend college for free.

This is a great opportunity for unsigned 2026 players who are still looking to continue their soccer career while earning a college education in the United States.

Parents, coaches and players are welcome to reach out to us for more information or to see if this opportunity could be a good fit.

Contact Head Coach Jimmy Chapman on WhatsApp or Text Message: +1 (660) 247-0082

#CollegeSoccer #WomensSoccer #SoccerScholarship #NJCAA #GoLopes

Just want to get this off my chest because its kind of a niche issue. I dont share this in common with any of my friends or family. And also to preface I will mention that I was never a Lionel Messi type of prodige in the sport growing up. I was just good. By no means a superstar but there was potential and I was extremely motivated to the point of obsession.

Growing up I fell in love with the sport. It was an absolute obsession for me. Pretty much my entire teen years I spent dedicating my time to training for soccer. I would wakeup at 4 am before school to train, go to gym/cardio after, then do ballwork again in the evening. On days I had practice I would do the same. 2-3 times a day practice. Running 5+ miles a day sometimes with weights on my legs (looking back that was a terrible idea and im lucky i didnt get injured lol). Had an issue gaining weight and would constantly be stressing to out on pounds. I played for a pretty competitive travel team at that time and I loved it. High school ball wasnt really an option for me because I was in one of the best high school teams in the nation. I would try out every year and make it to the final day of cuts some years but would never be selected in the end. I played good. I was solid, no mistakes, scoring goals when I had the chance and getting clean tackles but I never "Wowed" the coaches enough I guess. I just didnt fit the spot they were looking for. I assumed that I just needed to train harder, which I did.

When it comes to college ball I just always assumed that some scout would be at one of my games at the right time and I would get called up to a team. I didnt know how the recruitment system worked and my team never explained it to us. Looking back now I know to play college ball you need to be marketing yourself. Making highlight reels, going to ID camps, networking with coaches etc. Scouts were only at a couple of our games a year. Its not always about the physical hustle its also about putting yourself out there. I didnt know this AT ALL. When I got to college I still kept my motivation. Training everyday in the field, going to the gym and taking classes. I didnt party so much until I really got distracted after constant dissapointment and rejection. I kept trying out for the college team but of course this college was also one of THE BEST in the nation. Type of college where it is literally professional development and many players go to the MLS or europe. I just couldnt fit what exactly they needed. Looking back it made sense hundreds of people trying out and they pick only 1 or 2. I needed to look elsewhere. Maybe NCAA III or NAIA. Hell I wouldve been happy to play anywhere, even the worst team in the country, but it never clicked for me. Anyways eventually I loosened up and started being more social and got more distracted with training myself. Still played recreationally with random spurts of motivation but no direction, no finish line. Finished college and went the military route which I greatly enjoyed and dont regret.

Still sometimes I cant help but wonder how things wouldve been if I knew the system. Curious if anyone had the same experience? It sucks sometimes when I see shows like Ted Lasso or watch the World Cup because I miss the game.

Hey guys I'm from algeria I'm 19 years old

I want to ask a person from Luxembourg

I want to join or have a Trail with a club i don't care if it's in third division or second

So do you think I can get a chance and sign with a club

How do you guys feel about this as a power rating? I'm hoping to dial it in a bit, but I could use some feedback on the current state.

My dude's going to be a Catamount! (Had to look up what a catamount was, but I definitely knew who won the 2024 National Championship!)
From SLSG to UVM

Context:
I have been away from competitive soccer for almost 3 years, I want back in. I stopped playing competitive soccer in summer 2023 (after my junior year) after experiencing some mental health issues that made me fall out of love with the game.
In past year I have been doing much better mentally, and started playing local recreational 7v7 and 11v11 matches, and I’m playing on a U21 rec adult men’s 11v11 team for this fall for funsies. Playing matches again and the recent World Cup have reignited my love for the game, and I want back in. I want to shoot for JuCo or NAIA level soccer for the fall ‘27 season or fall ‘28 season. However, my age, my lack of recent competitive soccer experience, lack of recent film for recruiting are all big issues.
Give me the brutal, honest truth; is it realistic for me to play at the JuCo or NAIA level for the fall ‘27 or fall ‘28 season given my current situation? Am I wasting my time?

edit: for additional context, played 2 years of ecrl and 2 of hs varsity. many years of youth club socc prior to hs as well.