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henry
Student
Kansas City, Missouri
1
Question
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How hard is it to make it to the MLS?
Is money the only way to make it? What do you have to do in order for the MLS coaches to take you?
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2 answers
Hassan Al
Product Management Professional
372
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Hassan’s Answer
From what I read, the most cited path is by playing soccer in college and getting recruited from there. https://www.axsoccertours.com/pages/mls-tryouts#:~:text=MLS%20Tryouts%20are%20very%20difficult,MLS%20team%20is%20very%20limited. says that its very challenging to get invited to MSL tryouts unless you excelled in college.
Another path would be MLS Academies https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/we-cracked-the-code-how-mls-player-development-is-meeting-the-world-s-best where players are developed by the teams which is similar to the European model. https://www.soccerwire.com/news/full-list-of-founding-member-clubs-in-the-new-mls-youth-academy-league/ list the teams that are participating.
In terms of how difficult to make it, that's relative. https://www.transfermarkt.com/mlstm/startseite/wettbewerb/MLS1 says there are 782 MLS players and ~1/2 of them are not from the US. NCAASports.org estimates that there are 45,000 College players and 750,000 High School players. This should give you an idea of how much competition there is for very few spots.
Another path would be MLS Academies https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/we-cracked-the-code-how-mls-player-development-is-meeting-the-world-s-best where players are developed by the teams which is similar to the European model. https://www.soccerwire.com/news/full-list-of-founding-member-clubs-in-the-new-mls-youth-academy-league/ list the teams that are participating.
In terms of how difficult to make it, that's relative. https://www.transfermarkt.com/mlstm/startseite/wettbewerb/MLS1 says there are 782 MLS players and ~1/2 of them are not from the US. NCAASports.org estimates that there are 45,000 College players and 750,000 High School players. This should give you an idea of how much competition there is for very few spots.
George Katsinis Jr. - AFC®
Personal Financial Counselor
37
Answers
Salem, Oregon
Updated
George’s Answer
Money won't get you in.
Talent is the ticket --- talent far above and beyond others in your peer groups. If you're skills don't make you a standout it's not at all likely to happen. I'm not sure about soccer numbers, but in most sports, maybe 1% of college players spend any time at professional levels.
ALL need a backup plan... or two,... or three. Even if you are recruited and manage to be one of the VERY few to get to that level, competition is very intense. What will you do when.... another faster, stronger, more talented player comes along? What will happen WHEN injuries occur? What about just getting older? - few play at any professional level in any sport beyond 30. The average American "Football" player lasts about 3 years.
The best thing is to see top-level performance as a way to get schooling funded. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EDUCATION along the way.
https://www.soctakes.com/2018/10/09/american-soccer-understanding-pyramid/
Talent is the ticket --- talent far above and beyond others in your peer groups. If you're skills don't make you a standout it's not at all likely to happen. I'm not sure about soccer numbers, but in most sports, maybe 1% of college players spend any time at professional levels.
ALL need a backup plan... or two,... or three. Even if you are recruited and manage to be one of the VERY few to get to that level, competition is very intense. What will you do when.... another faster, stronger, more talented player comes along? What will happen WHEN injuries occur? What about just getting older? - few play at any professional level in any sport beyond 30. The average American "Football" player lasts about 3 years.
The best thing is to see top-level performance as a way to get schooling funded. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EDUCATION along the way.
George recommends the following next steps: