earbucket wrote:From the main article...
Players dream of getting a major college scholarship, playing professionally or being named to the national team. Those opportunities are rare for players whose exposure is limited to the high school level. Yes, but that is deceiving. It seems like there are only two choices, Academy or High School. There are many players being recruited to play in college, at all levels, from non Academy teams. Playing professionally and being on the National team is about a .005% chance from players ON academy teams. If your goal is to play professionally then the Academy is definitely the way to go. You just need to understand you are more likely to be hit by lightning that playing professional soccer. But it could happen.

While high school “meant so much” — playing for his friends and his community — Shams said his choice to play for Solar was made for the future.

Collegiate visibility was extremely important, he said.

“I decided that it was the best thing for me. …” Shams said. “At the Disney Showcase, you can have 50 coaches at a game. It’s definitely a whole different level.” These are all true. Especially since he doesn't already have a college deal in place. 90% of the players on his team already have college deals in place. So they could walk away from Academy their senior year and would not be effected by playing high school. They could play High School their senior year without any negative consequences.

There are 203 Division I soccer programs in the nation, but only two — SMU and Houston Baptist — in Texas. Money for men’s soccer is extremely tight; per NCAA rules, only 9.9 scholarships are available for a 20-plus-player roster. This is true. However there are many ways to put packages together for players to play college soccer without an "Athletic" scholarship. Academic money, needs based money, grant money and private grant money, are all used together to broaden the base of recruiting money. Or play in the Ivy League. There are many ways to skin a cat.

NTskeptic wrote:Most parents want their sons to play Academy so they can play in those games where there are 50 or more college coaches watching. The only problem is most of those coaches from D1 schools are all watching the same 1 to 3 players.

Coaches at elite schools only recruit elite players, not good or very good players. The good players with good grades get their scholarships by reaching out to schools and convince them they want to be a part of their program. The work is back on the parents.Boys love high school soccer for all the same reasons. They get to play with their friends, in front of their friends for their school. College sports are so good because of the rivalries and the competitive passion of the athletes. Academy is not so much about the team as about the individual.

NTskeptic wrote:Most parents want their sons to play Academy so they can play in those games where there are 50 or more college coaches watching. The only problem is most of those coaches from D1 schools are all watching the same 1 to 3 players.

Coaches at elite schools only recruit elite players, not good or very good players. The good players with good grades get their scholarships by reaching out to schools and convince them they want to be a part of their program. The work is back on the parents.

Boys love high school soccer for all the same reasons. They get to play with their friends, in front of their friends for their school. College sports are so good because of the rivalries and the competitive passion of the athletes. Academy is not so much about the team as about the individual.

soccergrinder wrote:

NTskeptic wrote:Most parents want their sons to play Academy so they can play in those games where there are 50 or more college coaches watching. The only problem is most of those coaches from D1 schools are all watching the same 1 to 3 players.

Coaches at elite schools only recruit elite players, not good or very good players. The good players with good grades get their scholarships by reaching out to schools and convince them they want to be a part of their program. The work is back on the parents.

Boys love high school soccer for all the same reasons. They get to play with their friends, in front of their friends for their school. College sports are so good because of the rivalries and the competitive passion of the athletes. Academy is not so much about the team as about the individual.

Not to be argumentative because I agree with most of what you are saying. However, having been an Academy team manager for the last three years, this ("The only problem is most of those coaches from D1 schools are all watching the same 1 to 3 players.") is not what I have experienced. And I could probably write a book on the college recruiting process. It's not as direct as you might think. It's like having all of the planets aligning.