@twoinanddone if you are asking about the Brown commit, he’s not a pro. His club in South Africa was affiliated with Ajax but it was a youth club not a pro league.
@sushiritto - so a kid on my son’s team was not recruited by D1 or D3; I do think he’s going to play NAIA this upcoming year. He is an (impoverished) immigrant from another country; barely speaks English, never played club but played a ton of street soccer and pick up games; and did really well in 2 years of HS soccer and made all-state. Our coach publicly wished he had been in the States longer to help him develop his potential. He was close - but missed that opportunity by a few years. I’m hoping NAIA college will be good for him. I do think it’d be hard for a kid like this to garner D1/D3 attention though so late in the game.
@twoinanddone is probably talking about Austin Brummett. I don’t think he will play in college; however, he could be playing pro right now because he isn’t in college yet. His academics are probably not a big deal right now, and he is certainly auto admit to Harvard. Double legacy + national team + best player in his age group.
All goes well until he gets a career ending injury.
I was talking about this statement in post #155.
@twoinanddone Yep, that’s Austin.
But if he’s a pro in soccer, he can’t then play soccer for a college team. You said he’s the youngest pro, but would then go to Harvard. That’s where I have the disconnect.
@twoinanddone He could very likely stop playing pro if he were to go to college. He’s only played one game and I think they called him up for just one game. The point is, he can do whatever he wants.
Nope, once you go pro in a sport, you can’t play NCAA in that sport. He can’t do whatever he wants.
The Olympic swimmers have to decide - pro or college. Mallory Pugh had to decide.
The question becomes, and this is completely off topic, did this person receive payment from the professional club or a sponsor. If so, then he’s not going to play in college. Of course, the NCAA may be forced to change the rules, because CA may force them to do so with the new bill making its way to the Governor’s desk.
@bgbg4us It was sometime ago when my kid was playing, that club officials decided to hire a Director of Coaching (DOC), who wanted to teach all the youth teams in the club to play “Brazilian street soccer,” where they wanted the kids throughout the club to be more creative on ball and less constrained by rigid rules with the ball at their feet. A few years later, they brought in a DOC, from the Dutch method, who wanted the kids to get a “10,000 touches” with the ball and play small-sided games, etc. All I wanted was a hammer, so that I could hit myself in the head over the years every time there was a change to some new soccer methodology. 
Edit: @twoinanddone and I were posting about the same time.
Oh well I am poorly versed in NCAA rules. If that’s the case, I don’t think it was wise for him to play pro. The rule applies to him if he played one USL game, right?
USL teams have youth academy teams as well as a professional team. If he played for the academy team, then he’s good to go for college. If he played for the professional team for one game, but didn’t receive any payments, then he’s good-to-go for college. The question is, did he receive payment(s)? Again, all off topic.
Although it’s basketball, not soccer, LaMelo Ball is a textbook example of “How to lose your NCAA eligibility” by leaving HS, getting payments from a Lithuanian professional team, selling T-shirts and having your own shoe. :lol:
How’s your soccer training going? Are we going to gym to get stronger?
It’s not the playing that’s an issues, it’s the getting paid to play or endorse. Often amatures play in pro events (golf, tennis) but they don’t take prize money or endorsements. He may have done that, played but not aretaken money. There are even rules about gettng expenses paid.
You just have to worry about yourself. If you want to play in college, the best way to do that is to play club, not go pro, attend a few camps. Are there other ways? Yes. Are they more difficult? Yes.
Charlie Adams was an Allstate All American and a finalist for the NH Gatorade Player of he year so he’s a talented athlete. He was a standout AAU basketball player as well. His two years at Ajax Cape Town from 11-13(important developmental years) obviously gave him a great foundation. He’s not a unicorn, he simply took a non-traditional path.
As for Austin, he’s not a professional. I’ve watched him play for a couple of years. It was easy to see at a very young age that he was different from other players. His growth spurt helped but he would have reached this level regardless. Playing with his brother(Holy Cross) and sister(Duke) growing up really drove his early development.
It’s a mistake to believe that if these two can do it, so can I. Both are top tier athletes dedicated to their pathway. They are driven to succeed athletically in a way that is different from most people.
@GKUnion I agree. I lack that drive.
Anyway, I have to play Charlie Adams in my first game of the season 
Wish me luck.
@squ1rrel Good luck! I’m sure your coach will game plan for him.
@GKUnion We have a brand new coach; our old one retired after a successful 42 years at our school. Not sure if the new coach knows who he is.
Maybe mention it to your coach? ?
Just make sure he’s marked everywhere on the field with your best midfielders and defenders. Deny him the ball.
Rip I’m actually kinda scared for tryouts though. Not sure about the new coach, and I really haven’t played that much soccer since last year. I’ve had touches on the ball, and I’ve kept my shape for the most part, but I feel like staying away from the actual competitiveness of the game for a long time will have a big impact on me. My parents strongly doubt that I will make varsity next year (no clue why honestly—I was officially on the varsity roster from last year). I honestly perform really well under pressure when it comes to sports and I can’t see myself underperforming, but the degradation of my parents is really getting to me.
Just do your best and HAVE FUN. Enjoy. Don’t think of it as a means to an end but as an end in itself.
If it were me, then I’d start running, training and getting into the gym to do some light weight lifting and core work NOW. And often. Obviously, if you’re not experienced with weights, then any weight lifting should be under the guidance of an experienced fitness trainer. So, when you hit the field in the fall, you’ll be ready to go!