jeffk said:

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Being a college athlete is REAL WORK. And it takes a lot to persist in it when 95% of your contemporaries are having a blast being normal college students.

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College should be a fulltime job.
Being an athlete is 2 fulltime jobs.

It's hard work.

Which is why when I'm recruiting entry level, student athletes, not matter what division, go to the top.

EclipseAg said:

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ProphAC said:

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And for those that think training too much can cause burnout... I personally believe kids can play every day if they love it.

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Burnout can be very real, especially as kids get older.

I'm going back a few years, but I have a relative who played at a very high in a Houston area club. Just about every girl on her team was recruited by somebody, including her. And some got offers from big programs.

Only one of those girls wound up playing all four years in college. Some dropped the sport after a year or so. Several never played a minute in college, even after committing/signing. It was all just too much, and they were ready to move on.

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Personally I think "burnout" is the wrong term.

From what I have witnessed (and this goes for baseball, basketball, football or any other sport too), is that players are not able to meet the expectations and they are used to being a starting player and are not willing to do all the work needed to be a role player. So they quit.

I know that sounds harsh, but I think it is accurate. Many of the ECNL girls have been the stars since they started playing soccer. They are used to the accolades and scoring the goals and being the star. As they continue to get older, more work is required to remain at that level and a team only can have so many stars. So when you put 18 girls on a team that all are used to being "The Star", a few rise to the top, but the others become more role players and for many that is not near as much fun as being the one.

And some girls are so physically gifted at young ages that they never develop the skills needed to compete when they get older and are now facing competition that is just as physically gifted as them. They now are frustrated, because their physical talents are not enough. Many did not have the true work ethic needed. While others that were not as physically gifted when younger worked hard and focused on the skills needed. They were driven to be as good as the other players. They had to work harder to keep up and if their bodies develop and they become as physically gifted, now they are the superstar. And the other girl that was the dominant player may decide to quit instead of playing second fiddle.

This happens at all levels and in all sports. We call it burnout, but I don't thin that is actually accurate.

Money, money, and more money.

Lots of money = "she has an awesome worth ethic and "really" wants this."

Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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Soccer in Dallas is superior to the rest of the state, for the most part. That's from observations and feedback from college players and coaches.

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Is that girls or both?

When I played (Cy-Fair Dynamos 1990s) we routinely played Dallas teams in tournaments and rarely lost or tied.

So, I've talked to numerous folks that weren't connected that have either coached or played at a high level and they all say Dallas soccer is tops in the state. Apparently clubs started earlier in D/FW for some reason. This is at the club and HS level.

🚨DID YOU KNOW? 🚨

UIL GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS BY CITY #TXHSSOC: 🏆⚽️🏆

Dallas/Ft. Worth- 53
Houston- 7
Austin- 4
San Antonio- 2 (30 years ago! 👀)
Rest Of State- 0

🚨Just a small part of the 40in40 Texas High School Soccer Series coming soon… pic.twitter.com/pLPXO7dqgK

— Lethal Enforcer Soccer (@LethalSoccer) July 1, 2021

🚨DID YOU KNOW? 🚨

UIL BOYS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS BY CITY #TXHSSOC: 🏆⚽️🏆

Dallas/Ft. Worth- 33
San Antonio- 10
El Paso- 7
Houston- 6
RGV- 5
East Texas- 3
Waco- 1
Panhandle- 1

🚨Just a small part of the 40in40 Texas High School Soccer Series coming soon… pic.twitter.com/A3v3mdsuuQ

— Lethal Enforcer Soccer (@LethalSoccer) June 30, 2021

I think both burnout and "quitting because you are no longer the star" are real. My daughter played all 4 years in college. Broke the school record for career number of starts (which will be beaten this year due to covid allowing players to play 5 years). Was the top scorer in her conference. So she didn't ride the bench.

Then, except for one weekend, she has never laced up her cleats again since getting knocked out of playoffs her senior year. And that one weekend she was begged to play in a tournament for some charity or something. She said her feet were killing her afterwards.

It's a bummer as a parent, because she was fun to watch. But she has moved on.

Off topic

It is very rare to find another Cy Fair Dynamos Alum!

aTmAg said:

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I think both burnout and "quitting because you are no longer the star" are real. My daughter played all 4 years in college. Broke the school record for career number of starts (which will be beaten this year due to covid allowing players to play 5 years). Was the top scorer in her conference. So she didn't ride the bench.

Then, except for one weekend, she has never laced up her cleats again since getting knocked out of playoffs her senior year. And that one weekend she was begged to play in a tournament for some charity or something. She said her feet were killing her afterwards.

It's a bummer as a parent, because she was fun to watch. But she has moved on.

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I think your scenario is a different one that is very real for the majority of players. They focus so hard on the sport and are so competitive at it for so long that they need that level of commitment and competition to keep their interest. They are use to a level of play that is so high, that anything less just does not hold their interest or is not valued as worth their effort. This is what happened to me. Once that juice is not there, you kind of just walk away from it.

It's not going to be a fun drive but check out Pure Soccer in Katy. I believe they were first to bring the toca style training machines to the area. My daughter is 2010 Dash playerrostered with 10 City West but guests South City teams quite a bit as she's a gk and those appear to always be in need. Anyhow Pure has been really good for my daughter and many other players we know from around the city are now making the drive to join for toca sessions and other skill based group training options they offer. I also know their focus right now is opening a second location in Pearland area so hopefully that will bring their training style closer to you soon!

SpreadsheetAg said:

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Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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Soccer in Dallas is superior to the rest of the state, for the most part. That's from observations and feedback from college players and coaches.

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Is that girls or both?

When I played (Cy-Fair Dynamos 1990s) we routinely played Dallas teams in tournaments and rarely lost or tied.

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That's funny because when I played in the mid to late 90s, the Dynamos for my age group lost to all the Houston area teams. In my age group, it was all about the Classics and Texans.

Don't know what age group you were but our team was good. Two years ahead of us was a good Dynamo team. 1 year ahead of us their team was crap and us younger guys beat them in scrimmages. 1 year behind us was crap again; and two years behind us I think had a decent team with some notables.

Dynamos we're VERY hit or miss. The Texans had a good program with consistency; recruiting; quality trainers; etc. I could see why now as a parent I'd want my kid to be associated with the Texans (prestige , better chances for success, etc). My parents couldn't afford for me to join their club (money, time, and commute) I dont think and encouraged me and my brother to be loyal to the Dynamoes we lived out in the boonies (at the time) and Cameron/Matzke practice fields are ALOT closer than wherever the Texans practiced (I assume Meyer park?)

Dynamos teams definitely relied on loyalty and luck to build their teams each year and didn't / couldn't recruit players like the Texans did.