Zev Taublieb gives 8th graders in MLS NEXT three pieces of advice for getting recruited to Division 1 soccer: go to ID camps early to build relationships with coaches, don't worry about limited playing time now, and email coaches regularly after camps to stay on their radar.
If I'm an 8th grader playing MLS NEXT, here are 3 things I would not worry about. I'm also going to give you 3 things to think about, so don't worry. I do have to tell you that the best of these 6 things is at the last part of this video because it kind of puts it all together and it's going to show you how you're going to get recruited to Division 1. Number 1, I want you to start going to ID camps. Yes, you'll be one of the younger ones there. Yes, you'll be one of the better players there. And the coaches will say, what's your name and who are you? And you'll explain you're an 8th grader and they'll go, oh my gosh, you're really good. How do we keep hold of you? Now, they're not necessarily going to come to your showcases, right, because they are busy with their 9th and 10th and 11th graders, but you've got your name in there. And the reason this is so important is it takes years to develop a relationship, not to mention 30% of coaches are going to change jobs anyway. So now you've got connections at more schools than you even thought of. Do not worry about playing time. If you're on an MLS Next team and you're not playing the most, you're not the best player, that's actually perfect. You're going to work your way up the ladder. And if you work really hard, hopefully by 9th, 10th, 11th grade, you're playing a lot of minutes, you're a stable player, and now you've stayed within the system. Now, if you don't like your coach or something, you might have to leave, but it's okay to not be playing every minute as an 8th grader. Many of you are worried about development and playing minutes. Yes, of course that's important, but I'm here to help you play college soccer. And the truth is, you're gonna get better at soccer. You're training every day with better players. You're gonna get better. What I'm more worried about is, will you be in the right place for exposure? Once— number 3— once you've gone to the ID camps, email the schools consistently, especially those schools, because they're going to remember your face and then they'll keep track of your emails. If you want more help playing college soccer, give us a call. Links in the bio. Bye.
