@GKUnion @phantomrider @nat1969 @Irish_Twins_Mom @ameridad I am coming very late to this thread but I have found it incredibly helpful. I am a mom with a soccer-playing son who is applying for 9th grade entry. I recognize that D1 is very hard but I would like him to have the option, if possible. I wondered if any of you had looked at independent boarding schools in Philadelphia. The club scene there is very strong (if I understand correctly maybe even stronger than Boston - please correct me if I am wrong) so I thought a good idea might be to take the Philadelphia rather than New England route, assuming that I find an independent boarding school that is willing to entertain him playing for a club. (By way of background, I currently have an older child at independent boarding school in New England and I am considering Philadelphia as another possibility) Thanks a mill for your thoughts
I’m sorry, but we did not look at schools in Philadelphia. I can tell you that my son had teammates from Milton Academy, Nobles, BB&N, Rivers and Roxbury Latin on his Boston area club.
DS had teammates playing for various clubs when he was at George School. Most had the benefit of day student teammates whose parents handled driving. But I do know of boarders who participated (independently of day students) in other elite clubs off campus.
You might want to look at The Hill School and St. Andrews (Delaware). I think they are about an hour from Philadelphia. If your kid is 2010, I know Yardley Makefield SC is an excellent club for that year.
However, you might want to consider that boarding school is not generally the best option for a boy with D1 aspirations in soccer. The vast majority of new D1 varsity soccer players these days come from overseas or from MLS Next teams, which are at least a level or two above even excellent regular club teams. And it is virtually impossible to play MLS Next simultaneously with boarding school soccer; in most cases, MLS Next forbids it, and anyway, the time commitment for MLS Next would make it too difficult for almost anyone. (Four practices per week, usually 90 minutes each, plus matches.)
I should have added that there is one boarding school that offers MLS-Next soccer on its own campus: Shattuck-St. Mary’s, in Minnesota. They aren’t very good, however. Better for hockey, from what I understand. And then maybe IMG Academy, in FL.
See my post above. My son was on a MLS Next team and had many boarding school teammates.
@GKUnion Most grateful!
@GKUnion Again, most grateful
We’ve had this disagreement before. What I can say is, my kid is on an MLS Next team right now, and he is forbidden to play for his school. The exceptions from the MLS Next rules involve if a player is a “Futures” player, in which he isn’t getting into many MLS Next games and, hence, probably isn’t a D1 prospect, or if he was accepted to a school contingent on his playing on the soccer team.
I appreciate your candor - really really helpful @ameridad - thanks a mill
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@GKUnion @phantomrider @nat1969 @Irish_Twins_Mom @ameridad
[/quote] - also would be grateful if anyone has any experience with any New York independent schools which would allow him to play with a club - please share your recommendations. Also any feedback on Darlington (Georgia) St. Stephens (Austin) Western Reserve (Ohio)
Western Reserve:
But I doubt many D-1.
I would reach out to prep school coaches at schools that have strong soccer programs (which mean they have several kids go on to play d1 each year) and ask them how they handle playing club soccer. My knowledge of prep school soccer is starting to get dated, but I would reach out to Berkshire, Salisbury, NMH, and Taft and see what they say. (This list is not exhaustive!) Even schools with weak soccer teams have d1 recruits.
Also, what is the goal here? Using soccer to get into an academically selective school? Or playing at the highest level, hoping to go pro?
Yes, the college soccer recruiting landscape has changed dramatically over the past two or three years to be dominated by MLS Next, because that’s where the college coaches are scouting now. Even tippy-top non-MLS Next clubs can’t get coaches to come to matches and look at their players, except for local D-3.
It’s always been dominated by MLS Next! That’s not a change. But MLS Next is definitely not the only route to D1 soccer. Playing prep school soccer – as well as club – is another route.
What’s rusty for me is knowing which boarding schools are soccer powerhouses, and which aren’t. Millbrook, for example, despite having two recent graduates go pro (playing for Orlando and San Jose’s first teams) was always a weak program. Now, with a commitment to more recruiting, they’ve become a top team. One player just committed to UCLA. So the landscape changes pretty quickly.
Most grateful. The goal is playing at the highest level - hoping to go pro. I’m a univ prof so I know how hard D1 is - this is a very ambitious goal but he is a dreamer!
I don’t know where you live, but in New England there are many prep school soccer players that also play MLS Next. They are provided a waiver from MLS Next.
Thanks. This is the first sentence of the waiver to which you linked:
“MLS NEXT players currently registered with an MLS NEXT Club are expected to
forego participation in high school soccer.”
It then says that if the player was accepted to the private school contingent on soccer or is receiving financial aid contingent on soccer, MLS Next may make an exception. That’s pretty much what I wrote earlier.
You also said these things.
This isn’t true in Massachusetts. The OP said they are considering Philadelphia as another option, but they already have a child in New England. Many prep/boarding school players go D1.
It is not virtually impossible. I have personally witnesses at least a dozen teammates of my son manage it within the last 4 years.
This is literally the only sentence that matters. MLS Next hands out these waivers like candy to talented players in Massachusetts that get into boarding schools because of soccer(wink, wink). It’s a formality. Like I said, I’ve seen it at least a dozen times. NONE of these waivers were for financial reasons, I assure you.
I’m sorry your son isn’t allowed to play high school soccer when many other players are. My son never wanted to play high school soccer anyway, so this was never an issue.
Very possible, given your experience, that the “wink-wink” situation is different out East than in my neck of the woods. There’s no “wink-wink” here!
The OP indicated she is a university professor. Seems to me she should get in touch with the varsity soccer coach at her own school and ask!