Playing in MLS NEXT improves your odds of reaching Division I soccer, but only 1.4% of high school athletes make it there. College coaches need years of email outreach starting in 7th or 9th grade to notice you. Genuine interest comes from consistent contact, not just playing in the right league.
If you're playing MLS NEXT, will you automatically play Division 1 college soccer? First of all, there are different levels of MLS NEXT. There's MLS NEXT teams that are directly affiliated with professional teams, and there's MLS NEXT teams that go to playoffs, and then there's MLS NEXT teams that are quote-unquote MLS NEXT teams. So the first thing is most kids in MLS NEXT will not go play Division 1. 1.4% of high school athletes will play Division 1 college soccer, so most kids will not get to do that. And of course, there's players from ECNL, even Elite Academy, NAL, ECNL that that will go on to play Division 1. So most kids in MLS Next will not play Division 1 soccer. However, if you ask me who has the best chance of playing Division 1, I would tell you that players in MLS Next have a much higher chance than players at other levels. What you have to keep in mind is when you send emails to these coaches and they start to show genuine interest in you, that does not mean they're going to come to your game. It takes years, literally years, of emailing back and forth unless you're a baller and you just stand out automatically. For them to actually not only respond, but then respond and say, could you come to camp and we're going to watch you specifically. We're going to actually come to your showcase and watch your game and sit there for 30 minutes while your team maybe doesn't even touch the ball. To get to that level, you must be emailing them since 7th, 8th, 9th grade if you want to ensure that you get a chance. You can obviously start later, but the risk is much higher. If you want more help playing college soccer, give me a call. Links in the bio. Talk soon. Bye.
