A coach breaks down three recruiting mistakes young soccer players make: chasing Division I when most won't get there, skipping summer ID camps where coaches actually watch you, and failing to follow up with schools. He recommends focusing on Division III and Division II programs with fewer international spots.
If you are a junior playing EDP or E64, do not make these 3 mistakes. You really want to know about the last point I'm going to make because it's going to help you pick out which ID camp you should go to this summer. Number 1, it is very unlikely you're going to play Division 1 soccer. And I know it may be your dream, but if you just focus on Division 1 soccer, you're going to get screwed over. So focus on Division 3s and Division 2s in your local area especially. You could theoretically go try out for teams at a higher level, but I'm going to be honest with you, that boat has kind of passed. Tryouts do tend to be in May, but if you don't already have the tryouts set up and confirmed, you need to focus your attention on the summer and going to camps. And because you're playing at a lower level, going to ID camps can be a game changer. And frankly, it doesn't even matter about your league or your showcases, 'cause you get to go straight to the coaches. On top of the good news, going to ID camps of Division III and Division II schools are really good, especially Division IIIs. Like, they will watch you and they want to see you and they want to consider you. Division II schools, it's similar, but the problem is a lot of Division II schools now are filled with internationals and older players, especially in the places like Florida, because international players can come to Division II and there's less, slightly less rules. So if they can't go D1, they go Division II. Therefore, Division III might be more realistic for you. Okay, that brings us to the camps. So which camp should you go to is really regarding the genuine interest you've garnered so far. If you have no genuine interest, you need to go to your dream schools right away, book them even if you haven't had any genuine interest. Send them video leading up to the camp. Send them a follow-up thank you, and then if you need to send them more video. And after the camp, you will know within about a week if they like you, which is why I want you to go to those Division III schools and don't underestimate them. They're very high level, they're very professional, and if you want to play college soccer, it could be a great opportunity for you. If you're playing E-64 or EDP and you want to play college soccer, give me a call, links in the bio. Talk to you soon, bye!
