Keeper96 wrote:

WRG wrote: I think the most important thing is to have an honest evaluation about what your kid is capbable of... If he is having a hard time getting playing time on a D11 team, then I doubt he will play much in a D1 team. And in that case, the practice with good players, sit on the bench during games philosophy will probably not help much.

D1 and D2 are very relative terms here, as we all know some of the D2 teams may beat some of the D1 teams on any given day. Let's say D1 is strong team, and D2 is "not that strong" team.

In this case, can D2 "bench warmer" transform into D1 starter just by moving from the team D2 to team D1? ... the only way I see this happen if there is a conflict with the coach.

What about opposite? Will decent D1 player benefit from moving to D2 team for 100% playing time? I don't think so...

The best scenario would be - all players in the team are on the similar physical and mental level with the similar attitude toward the game. In this case coach can easily develop the team and the players.

So, honestly evaluation and finding matching team is really important.

WRG wrote: The other issue I see is lots of parents keep talking about wanting their kid to develop. What is the point of development on a great team if the kid never gets in the game? I see this as a venture of 80% fun and maybe 20% trying to see what potential he has and if a coach or team can make him better. And the way I see it, sitting the bench on a great team is no fun...

IMHO, option of practicing with a great team gives you chance to play with the great team next year - this team or another. Staying with average team takes that chance from you.

If this is only about fun, then why competitive soccer? You can go rec and have %50 of playing time no mater how you play. Or just play street soccer with the friends ( which my son does often anyway

My view is that competitive sport is for competitive people.
For those, who finds more fun in competing and winning, not just playing.
And to achive that, they are ready to practice hard ( which is not always that much fun in 100 degrees ) and for this they need teammates who thinks alike.

I hope everyone finds his own team and coach

WRG wrote:
I have always told my kid that I would like to see him on a team that is competitive at the level it is at. That may be D1, D2, D3 or plano. As long as they compete, have close games and he plays a majority of the minutes, all is good. If he is in fact the best player on a terrible team, then I would look around, but that is because it would cease to be fun.

Take all this with a grain of salt as my kid is still pre-select at this point. All of the above is subject to change in a few years.

CLUB31 wrote:. . .Don't let coaches, parents or groups of parents influence you. Do what is best for your kid. By the time he is u14 or so you will know where he belongs and he NOT you will get to whatever that level is going to be

mavericks67 wrote:OK so singing day is almost here. We are deciding which BB team to pick. We want a team that we can stay for a long time 2-3 years.

Team 1- Team has welcome us in with open arms after the first practice, the coach knows his stuff, but the kids are not top notch players. If we go with him our Kid will most likely play more and learn from the coach as well.

Team 2- Coach said after the first practice to keep bringing him that by July 1 he might be ready to make the team. There's like 1-2 spots open for the team and like 6 kids trying out. The coach also knows his stuff and makes the kids play a style of soccer. The team is really competitive which hopefully might push our kid to work harder and match their tempo. On the down side he will most likely ride the bench allot. Is it necessary for the coach to see the kid more than 2 times? If only 2-1 spots are open where will the other kids go who do not make the team? Are they recruiting the kids that get cut for another team?

From experience what should we do.

jack0fspeed wrote:

mavericks67 wrote:OK so singing day is almost here. We are deciding which BB team to pick. We want a team that we can stay for a long time 2-3 years.

Team 1- Team has welcome us in with open arms after the first practice, the coach knows his stuff, but the kids are not top notch players. If we go with him our Kid will most likely play more and learn from the coach as well.

Team 2- Coach said after the first practice to keep bringing him that by July 1 he might be ready to make the team. There's like 1-2 spots open for the team and like 6 kids trying out. The coach also knows his stuff and makes the kids play a style of soccer. The team is really competitive which hopefully might push our kid to work harder and match their tempo. On the down side he will most likely ride the bench allot. Is it necessary for the coach to see the kid more than 2 times? If only 2-1 spots are open where will the other kids go who do not make the team? Are they recruiting the kids that get cut for another team?

From experience what should we do.

The toughest part of parenting is setting the bar for your kids. But it's important that you lead on this kind of decision until your child has enough experience and vision to do it himself.

Bottom line is that you have to set your kid up for success. And in this case it sounds like success on team 2 is going to be defined a lot differently than success on team 1. Success on team 2 is going to be staying on the roster and attempting to carve out a role for himself on the team. Success on team 1 is going to be figuring out whether playing a bigger role on a team that doesn't accomplish as much is what your child really wants. To me, there's a lot more good life experience to be gained on team 2. But it's a tougher road and a healthy ego and a lot of maturity are required.

Also timing is important. Your kid might not be physically or mentally ready for team 2 this year. But after a year on team 1, things may change. You have to think long-term and sometimes your kid just needs to grow for another year.

Make your best call and make sure your kid understands and agrees with success as you've defined it. If you do that, there's no wrong answer.

DragonStryker wrote:My vote, and what I did with my boys. Put him on a team where he'll have to work his butt off to compete even if that means he'll be fighting for limited playing time. If his goal is to improve, there is no faster way to improve than to surround yourself with players better than yourself. You either raise the level of your game or you get left behind. Though I'll agree with a poster from above, it takes a strong will and sense of self to check your ego at the door and go that route but longer term, the rewards are typically greater.

my2cents wrote:You completely overlook that success on team 1 could be becoming a team leader and learning what it takes to be a successful leader before moving on to the next level.

my2cents wrote:To me a leader in club soccer is one who;
- practices and plays hard every practice and game. Leads by example.
- can discuss one on one team issues with coach. Learns how to respectfully express an opinion that might not be in agreement and then discuss it. Respects authority but is not intimadated by it.
- can encourage players in practices
-communicates, directs and even occasionally yells during games but can do so it in a way that teammmates respect.
- stands up for teammates on the field.
-effectively communicates with game officials.
These are all good leadership qualities that can be learned and used outside the game. Notice that winning is not a factor in any of them.

my2cents wrote:To me a leader in club soccer is one who;. . .
These are all good leadership qualities that can be learned and used outside the game. Notice that winning is not a factor in any of them.

Keeper96 wrote:

my2cents wrote:To me a leader in club soccer is one who;. . .
These are all good leadership qualities that can be learned and used outside the game. Notice that winning is not a factor in any of them.

Unfortunately, improving your leadership qualities and improving your soccer skills are two absolutely "not-linked" things.

I also agree with the comment above about "working his butt off". If your BB is the one of the strongest players on the team, there is no way he will work his but off "soccer skills" wise.
As"the leader" he might break his voice and brain trying to make everyone else work ... are you really looking for this in select soccer?

my2cents wrote:How do you think the best players on any team got that way? If not by being the hardest workers than how?

my2cents wrote:A player that is not self motivated will not play at upper levels very long if at all. A challenging environment should be an addition to self motivation not a substitute for it.

my2cents wrote:And yes I do expect select soccer to teach MUCH more than soccer or IMHO there is no point in it.