Playing soccer during your years in college is a dream for many players in U.S. However, in order to get there you will need to focus on some fundamental things.
In this guide you will learn what you need to do in order to increase your chances for making it! Now, let’s start with the first one…
Education is Your #1 Choice
No matter how good you are at playing soccer, you should always have education as your #1 choice. You need to consider that you could actually get seriously injured and be forced to quit playing soccer. Of course, chances for that are small but you still need to consider the possibility.
My advice is to never put your eggs in one basket. There are many professional soccer players that have managed to graduate as doctors, economist, engineers, and so on. Keep in mind that your studies are the best investment for your future.
Improve Your Grades and Then Test Your Scores
You may think that college coaches will first come to see you play and then look at your grades. However, most coaches will first take a look at your GPA, the rank of your class and SAT/ACT scores before they decide whether they should see you on the field or not.
The better grades and test score the bigger chances that the coaches will come and see you play. That’s why education is your best choice. It will not only secure your future, you will also increase your chances of making your way to the soccer pitch in college.
Focus 100 %
Don’t call a coach and ask him to come and watch you play if you can’t perform maximum. Remember, when a coach comes to see you he is expecting to see a good soccer player and not someone that will sit on the bench.
However, make sure to always do your best as you never know who is watching your games. One more thing; just because one coach doesn’t like your way of playing doesn’t mean that other coaches will agree with him.
Contact The Schools in the Early Stages
While playing as a junior, you should contact the coaches of the schools that you want to play for. This is very important if the school is located more than 100 miles from your current location. Many schools have a tight budget and they will not spend their money so easy in order to come and see you.
Many coaches like to visit specific tournaments and recruit directly. Some of these are WAGS, Dallas CUP, USA Cup, and so on. By participating in these tournaments you will increase your college chances greatly.
Consider Joining Smaller Schools
Just because you are pretty good at soccer doesn’t mean that you should avoid smaller schools. The reason for why you should not do it is that smaller schools can usually offer you financial help. Who knows, if they think that you will increase the reputation of their school then they may even offer you a full college scholarship.
Don’t Get Unrealistic
Staying grounded is one of the most important things that you can do. In order to get to the point where you’re playing soccer in college, you need to be good – and I mean really, really, really good. You need to have a serious plan in order to reach the results you ultimately want.
Be honest about your chances and ask yourself if you really think that you can make it. I know that you may find this discouraging but you have to understand that there is a possibility that you may not get recruited. In that case you need to have a plan B and in this case the plan B is your education.
Don’t Get Angry
If you don’t make it to your first choice school you should not go around and be angry because of that. Be happy with what you’ve achieved and focus on playing well. I can ensure you that if you are playing well soon or later you will get noticed by an MLS club that will ask you to come and try out with them.
What if you don’t like the coach? That’s okay. In fact, you will probably not like everyone that works with you throughout your soccer journey. However, everyone deserves basic respect.
So if you don’t like the coach or a particular player on the team, don’t argue with them at every opportunity. It just makes you look like a poor sport, and nobody will go out of their way to help you. Keep yourself focused and try to perform maximum – that’s the best way of reaching your goals.
