The most common youth soccer questions about individual development, pathways, leagues, clubs and MLS Academies rules.
Individual skill, creativity and a love for the game. Between the ages of six and ten, the priorities are ball mastery, dribbling and 1v1 situations. Kids should be experimenting with the ball, building an understanding of movement and connection with teammates and developing a passion for the sport through enjoyment rather than pressure.
Look for environments that reward technical skill and creativity. Be skeptical of programs that impose tactical structure early or that measure success mainly by results.
Four things: quality of coaching and training methodology, level of competition both within the team and against opponents, a development-first philosophy versus a win-at-all-costs mentality and proximity to home so soccer can coexist with school and family life.
Every family's situation is different, and because the United States is so big and competitive soccer isn't always easily accessible, finding a more competitive environment might be hours away for some families. But as a general rule of thumb, when your son's pace of development slows and the competition is too easy or even boring for him, it's time to find a more competitive environment.
It's very useful. It's the first thing most scouts are going to look at, and if they aren't intrigued by what they see, they probably won't go any further. Keep it under three minutes and focus on the most impactful and repeatable actions for your position. If you're a center back, I don't want to see a highlight video full of tap-in goals. I want to see you defending in space, winning duels and breaking lines with your passes. I see far too many highlight videos, especially of younger players, filled with lofted goals from 30 meters out against a 4-foot-10 keeper. That's not a relevant action scouts care about.
If feasible for your family, the earlier the better. The sooner a player can get into a more professional environment, the better off they'll be. MLS academies start at different age groups — some start as early as U10 and others don't start until U15. The most common time for players to go from a local club to an MLS academy is after their U14 season, before the start of their U15 season. This is when MLS academies are scouting and recruiting most aggressively, and some academies are building that team from scratch since it's their youngest age group. It's also when MLS academies start to play other MLS academies predominantly, and when United States Youth National Teams start to come together as a team. U15 is when things start to get serious. The longer you wait beyond U15, the harder it is to get into an MLS academy.
MLS academy scouting departments are covering more ground than ever before. Many academies are scouting heavily across ECNL and MLS Next and tournaments across the country as early as U12. The best way to get scouted is to be playing in as competitive a league as possible, at a competitive club, and attending competitive tournaments. Scouts want to see players in highly competitive, challenging environments. If you're closer to an MLS academy, it's easier. If you live in an area that isn't close to one, playing in high-visibility, competitive tournaments can be very helpful.
You can reach out directly to MLS academies. Many of them have an intake form online, but think of this like a job application — applying cold puts you in a big pile that may or may not get looked at, and it may take quite a bit of time. If you feel your son is at an academy level and isn't getting an opportunity, schedule a call with us and we may be able to help. We've helped many kids get trials with different MLS academies.
Not necessarily. MLS academies have defined territories, and within those territories there's what's called a protected list. If your son is on that list, it's more challenging for him to play for another academy. It's not impossible, but there are impediments, which we'll get into below.
It's the mechanism MLS clubs use to hold the professional signing rights to pre-professional players. MLS allows clubs to protect players already in their academy, plus a select few players within their defined territory who've declined to join but have been offered a spot.
I don't know them 100%, but I know them well enough to guide you on whether you fall within one. Not everyone does — those areas are informally called "open territories," where any MLS club can recruit a player at any point.
The first time players can be protected is usually around early February of a player's U14 season. This is the first time an MLS academy can protect players it has offered a spot to for the following season, and if the player and his family decline, they can be added to the protected list. MLS academies aren't allowed to make contact and recruit players within MLS territories before this point. So if you're a top U13 player wondering why you haven't been contacted by any academy other than your local one, it's because they aren't allowed to make contact with you yet. If a player isn't signed or protected after the February update is finalized, he can then be freely recruited by any MLS academy.
The rules around this continue to shift, but as of right now an MLS academy can protect 35 players signed to its academy rosters from U14 or U15 up through U18, depending on the point in the season. It can also protect five players it hasn't signed but has offered a spot to within its territory — commonly referred to as the "plus five" list.
Frustratingly, no, the list isn't public. I think that's incredibly unethical, but that's the way it is. Through my contacts I'm able to get access to it each time it's updated. If you're curious whether you're on it, reach out and I'm happy to share the information.
Twice a year — once at the end of August, before the start of the season, and again at the end of January. The January update is when the new U14 class can start to be protected.
Not necessarily, but it does present challenges. Being on a protected list essentially means the club holds your homegrown rights, making it the only MLS club that can sign you professionally. Most academies won't bring a player in without negotiating for those rights first, though some will bring players in to train and play before that negotiation is finished.
The first step is communicating to your academy that you're considering leaving. Perhaps the relationship can be rectified, and with good communication you can find a path forward. If not, you ask for permission to explore other opportunities. Some academies will play nice, some won't. If yours doesn't, you'll have to leave the academy, leaving no doubt that you won't return. From there, you can go to the league to mediate the situation. If other academies are willing to pay for your homegrown rights, they should reach out to your old academy and start that negotiation. If it becomes untenable, the league can step in to mediate — there's one person within MLS responsible for that.
Not completely — there are still hurdles. Because every kid at an academy signs a commitment letter at the beginning of the season or whenever they join, it isn't as simple as just leaving one academy and moving to another. If you're truly finished at an academy, make that clear, communicate that you're leaving and won't be returning, and reach out to the other academy to express interest. If they're interested, they'll need to communicate that to your old academy and request a trial or visit for the player. Your old academy should agree, but if it doesn't, MLS will intervene to help the process along.
Many families are considering it, and for good reason. European academies have a stronger and more proven record of developing top-level talent than the American system does. Most top American players today moved to a top-flight European academy as early as they could.
That said, it isn't right for every player. Europe suits players who are genuinely elite, have an elite mentality, can handle the daily demands and competition, and are mature beyond their years.
FIFA regulations prohibit American players from moving to European clubs before 18, with two exceptions:
1. EU passport. A player holding an EU passport who signs with a club based in the European Union can transfer at 16 rather than 18.
2. Family relocation. If parents or legal guardians move to Europe for professional reasons, with valid proof the move is unrelated to soccer, the player may be eligible to register at any age.
Between six and 18 months once documentation and FIFA approval are factored in. Families routinely underestimate the administrative load here, so plan well in advance. European clubs are also getting more cautious about these transfers as FIFA cracks down on workarounds and issues sanctions where the rules aren't strictly followed.
By generating real interest and demand. A trial is only worth taking if the club genuinely wants the player there and is serious about recruiting him. Trialists brought in as a favor to a contact tend to get little attention and few meaningful opportunities. European clubs usually learn about American talent through major events in the United States like MLS Next Fest, the Generation adidas Cup, the MLS Cup Playoffs, United States Youth National Teams or friendly tournaments abroad. Well-connected coaches, scouts, advisors and agents also often make introductions and arrange trials.
A trial isn't a transfer, so it doesn't require an ITC or FIFA approval. It does have its own rules, set out in Article 19ter of FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
The age floor is what stops most families. A trial can only begin during the season in which the player turns 16. There's a lower threshold of 15, but it applies only when both the player and the club are domiciled in Europe, so it isn't available to a player based in the US. If your son is 14, there's no compliant way to trial at a European club. Beyond that:
- A minor may attend a maximum of two trials per calendar year, each capped at eight weeks per club.
- The club must obtain written parental permission and lodge a signed FIFA Trial Form in TMS at least ten days before the trial begins.
- Trialists can play friendlies only — no league or cup matches.
- If the player is an amateur under 16, their current club must be informed.
It can. Clubs are often reluctant to lose their best prospects and may limit flexibility for trials. But the better-run academies allow trials and actively help arrange them through affiliated clubs. Those clubs take the long view and understand that a player succeeding abroad reflects well on their program. Clubs operating from an inferiority complex tend to block trials or threaten repercussions, putting retention ahead of the player. How a club handles this question is one of the more revealing things you can learn about it before signing. What most clubs require is that the trial be done above board, meaning the interested club reaches out to your club directly to arrange it. In most cases, clubs play nicer when things are done properly.
The other consideration is that bigger clubs in Europe will have more trust in players that are already at the top level of competition in the United States, which are MLS Academies.
From a football perspective, these are not the best options. These are "pay to play" and are not tied to the professional academies. The games that are played are all essentially friendlies. It could be a great cultural experience for a young person to go play football and go to school in Europe, but these are not the best paths to maximize your development.
I have conducted film evaluations for United States Youth National Team players and players across MLS academies and I have helped many players get opportunities with MLS academies. Schedule a call to discuss how I can help.
