This is the time of the year where high school seniors could be in the middle of the stressful process of selecting a college. It can be even more stressful if you plan to play a sport. This is the main reason the focus of this post will be the college recruiting process for soccer players.

The most important thing about this process to remember is: THERE IS A COLLEGE FOR EVERYONE! As a current college coach, I can guarantee that no matter your skill level, there are programs out there that will add you to their roster. I am not saying these programs are going to win national championships but the opportunity to be a college soccer player is there for everyone. Hopefully, this post will shed some light on the process. All you have to do is just figure out where you fall in the timeline and you can go from there.

Since the high school seniors are making their decisions or at least pretty close, I will start with them. By this point in the calendar, the player themselves should be on top of every decision and deadline. Do not let mom or dad make decisions without you knowing. Part of becoming a college athlete is defined by how self-sufficient you become. If you have made your decision and your coach has given you off-season workouts, you need to figure out how it fits into your schedule, not your parents. No college coach wants to hear that you’re not prepared because your mom or dad forgot something. Right there, is a red flag that a coach might be able to trust you. Make sure you are in constant contact with the school you have chosen to attend. From placement tests, room and board issues, financial aid, orientations, etc. you need to know all of this information.

The next thing to mention goes to everyone, no matter the grade. You need to be organized and understand time management skills. This is a very complicated and time-consuming process if you are not organized. You are going to feel extremely overwhelmed with applications, lots of emails and phone calls, current practices and games with your team, etc. Not to mention, you still have to get good grades while you’re in high school. Developing study skills, time management skills, and just being organized will go a long way to helping you become self-sufficient through your college career.

Now, the soccer preparation aspect. Take this seriously and make the proper commitment to the process. This is not just for the seniors reading this. Proper preparation can make the difference when it comes to showing up for college preseason. You could be one of 15-30 new players attending preseason. You need to separate yourself from the group and the best way to do that is to develop good habits beforehand. Perfecting your technique on the ball, improving fitness, and studying the game can all be done by yourself. If you have made a choice on where you are going to college, ask your coach for their workout routines and follow it to a tee. If it is easier than expected, push yourself to do more. No coach will ever be upset with you if you run the mandatory 3 miles faster than expected.

The other reason why preparation is so important is that for most of you, college preseason will be a new level of stress on your body. This means the chance of injury is always greater. Taking the necessary precautions and developing muscle strength, flexibility, and proper warmup/cool down methods will decrease any risks by a lot. This is another example of being self-sufficient in the coach’s eyes. Any player who understands what their body needs and takes care of it shows a coach that this player is serious about not just making the team, but playing hard for a long time.

There are tons of websites for players and their parents regarding this process. Our goal at PASCO is to help anyone beginning or in the middle of this process find the best way for them. The one thing that cannot be found on any website is the information from the current players on the college roster. It is extremely important for any recruit to speak with the current players because that is where you will get the most honest answers. Coaches, administration, and even alumni are all trying to sell you on their school. Colleges are a business and part of the recruiting process revolves around the tuition you are paying. The more money being paid to the school means better things for the group I mentioned. The current players are very rarely affected by the next incoming class except from an on-the-field standpoint. This is why speaking with current players will usually get you the most honest answers regarding the coach, the program, and the school itself.

Here are a few websites that I feel are important and should provide some good information for anyone interested in playing college soccer:

PASCO CAP Program and Valuable Links – https://www.pascosoccer.com/cap/

PASCO CAP Program Timeline – https://www.pascosoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/College-Process-Timeline.pdf

Renee Lopez Coaching – https://rlopezcoaching.com/coachs-insight/parents-should-not-contact-college-coaches/

How to Prepare in High School for College Soccer – https://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-in-High-School-for-College-Soccer

Beast Mode Soccer – https://beastmodesoccer.com/7-tips-to-prepare-for-your-preseason/

The question this article brings up in my head is how to get youth players to train with that level of intensity at all times. The players in this video wanted to win every chance they had. There was never a moment something wasn’t earned. This level of competitiveness is something I don’t see in enough youth soccer players. I completely understand that playing professionally makes competing and loving the game a lot easier. But imagine sixteen U14 players with that same mindset? There is no way you can’t get better. All you have to do is be a part of it. Creating this culture of competition is something coaches need to develop in their players.

Every player is different. Some are self-motivated. Some are incentive-based. Some are there because their parents push them to do it. If a player wants to play at a high level, there has to be some form of self-motivation. Personally, I believe something clicks in a player when they know they want to put the time in to do what it takes to make it to the next level. There is nothing wrong with players knowing their limitations but their response to those limitations will be what defines them as players and people. The players in the video are older than youth players but they joy they have while competing separates them from the rest. Even in defeat, you can see players loving the process. This is the definition of what it means to be competitive. There is nothing wrong with failing at young ages. Players will make mistakes. They are human. Coaches should use those mistakes as points in training so players can learn then apply. Not one player in that video woke up one morning performing bicycle kicks, bending shots, or diving saves. They all failed at some point while trying to learn those techniques. But their drive to constantly get better, the same drive you can see in the video, took them to another level most players can only dream about.

See the video below —>

The question to the parents – What do you want your child’s experience to be when they play soccer?
The question to the players – What do you want out of your experience playing soccer?

It seems like these questions never really get answered or even asked when parents register their kids to play youth sports. The good news is, there is a club for every situation. If you want your child to enjoy playing, there are teams/clubs for that. If you want your child to enjoy playing AND see if they are capable of playing at higher levels, there are teams/clubs for that too. If the second scenario is what you are looking for, you need to find coaches who focus on teaching the most important skills. Ask any high level coach and they will tell you most, if not all, of the same answers. Dribbling, creativity, passing, and control would be pretty high up on every coach’s list. There is no mention of the words “kick”, “boot”, or “send”. Those words are buzz words for every coach because when we hear them, we cringe a little bit. The reason why we don’t like them is due to the fact that they don’t represent any actual necessary skills. Kicking is not a skill. Clearing the ball or playing a long pass is a skill. Kicking is a broad term that can be used a million different ways. Do you want the player to shoot it? Pass it? Play a long ball? Clear the ball away from pressure? Kicking the ball represents that the player is not comfortable with the ball. Tom Byer was just profiled on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and he has been responsible for the huge increase in talent on the international level for Japan. His methods of achieving success are simple. Know how to move a ball with your feet. His best quote of the interview was about how most coaches try to explain the game to kids without teaching the proper skills. He says, “it would be like trying to teach someone to read before they learn the alphabet.” For almost 30 years, he has been developing Japanese talent that not only competes at high levels but also wins. The Japanese women went from non-existent to beating the USA to win a Wold Cup in 2013 and the men’s team has been dominating other Asian countries and qualified for World Cup 2018 with an undefeated run.

This brings me back to my previous questions. If you want your child to learn how to play soccer but also have fun, there are certain ways to do it. First off, if you watch your child practice between 3-10 years old and they do not have their own ball at their feet for at least 20 minutes of practice, you’re with a coach who is not helping. If your child (3-10 years old) is standing in line for more than 30 seconds waiting to touch a ball, they are not getting the necessary repetition to improve. If you hear those buzz words for anyone over 6 years old, the coach doesn’t know what they are talking about.

With the US men’s soccer team missing the World Cup for the first time since 1986, there has to be focus on how grassroots soccer coaches teach their teams. This is not just for the “academy” teams. No player starts at the “academy” level. Every kid starts on the same level for the most part. At the youngest ages, the approach to coaching should be the same no matter how you answered the questions above. Coaches/parents at rec programs, small clinics, and town teams don’t need the top licenses and diplomas to do the job correctly. All you have to do is present certain skills in a fun way. If you can do that, every player that starts playing has the chance to move on to something better. As coaches, that should always be our number 1 goal.

We wanted to give a quick overview about Pasco as a club and what this blog would like to focus on as we move forward. PASCO was started in 1996 and has produced players who have played on international, professional, and top college programs. Since day one, PASCO has always been about player development and education. PASCO is a non-profit organization that has always tried to give something to the players who wear our jersey. We understand the huge challenge of getting to professional soccer so our goal has always been to create a pathway where we create talented players and talented players can use soccer to improve their lives. Whether it be the life lessons players can learn, getting a better education or creating positive relationships, we believe soccer can do all of that.

Lastly, there will be a wide variety of topics that get discussed through this blog. Some will not hit as close to home as others so we encourage readers to share our information with those that may need the help.

Thank you,

PASCO SOCCER CLUB