A college soccer advisor tells a sophomore that MLS NEXT 2 players can reach Division I, but they need to email coaches constantly with video highlights. He got a full ride without ever making MLS NEXT by marketing himself relentlessly and showing his personality.
If I'm playing MLS NEXT 2 as a sophomore, can I play Division I college soccer? The short answer is yes. I personally, as the college soccer guy, believe that MLS NEXT 2 will start churning out a lot of Division I players. The main reason being there's plenty of players who can play Division I, but not very many that can get the exposure they need to play Division I. And as of today, MLS NEXT 2 is going to be going to MLS Fest and FLEX, especially if you're in the Pacific Northwest region where they're kind of rolling this out a little bit sooner and faster. So because of that, when a coach goes to, say, watch the best MLS NEXT team, there may be meet you on the MLS Next 2 team that's equally good, but just because of circumstance or injury or timing, you're on the quote-unquote second team. And therefore, I do think you're going to play Division 1. However, because you are MLS Next 2, you cannot ignore the fact that you are a second team or a B team to the MLS team. So naturally, college coaches will of course go look at MLS Next kids first. So what you need to do, given you're MLS Next 2, is send more emails, send more video to those college coaches, and communicate in a way that says, that MLS Next kid might be really good, but I'm gonna work harder and I'm gonna dedicate myself. And I think about my own life, I was never picked, I was never playing for MLS Next anything, but I showed the coaches through email, through video, and then of course in person that I'm a dedicated individual and if you pick me for your team, I will be the captain of your team. And I was the captain by sophomore year. And so, and I got a full ride scholarship because I had shown the coach through email, through my personality, that I was worth recruiting. If you want more help playing college soccer, comment the word call and I'll schedule a call with you and your parents.
