re: Tips on helping develop aspiring young soccer player

Ideally, find the nearest academy program and get him enrolled in that. Where does this kid live? How old is he? This is important.

Make sure that he plays for fun, A LOT. He needs to be getting touches on the ball as much as possible from an early age. Get his dad to put him on an indoor soccer team (like 6v6) ASAP to develop foot skills.

Find a soccer coach that emphasizes skill development over purely winning. You don't want him stuck with a coach who likes all the big athletes because they are faster and ignores the kids who have good skill but don't have the athletic ability to keep up with the early growers.

ETA: guttata and jwho rarely post here. I'm not sure about their knowledge of the developmental system, but there are others on this board who can give much better advice than what they have given. I think Hendersonhands in particular could help you, but others here are also good for general advice. I know there's my former soccer coach on this board (yo, Ali, quit banging your hot wife and post here more often) and I think he could help you too.