Tips on helping develop aspiring young soccer player

If his father played college soccer and is from another country, he will know better than anyone on this board.

Thanks--I thought this was likely the case. He (the boy's father) is already talking about how soon & the steps involved in getting him into a travel league and or the best competition available for his age group.

I just wanted to be sure all possibilities are considered. Most of us in my family have competed in baseball or swimming.

Looks like the guy's in BFE North Texas. If the kid is in North Texas, I'm sure that the guy's BIL has it taken care of.

A lot of the winning over development stuff has to do with selection.

ETA: And I think that it rarely deals with a player who is really good and a mediocre, athletic player

This was the best program in Texas when I was playing against them about 16-17 years ago. They were called North Texas Texans back then. Nobody thought a team from Jackson, MS could compete with them, but we always did.

Dallas Texans

I don't think that all that much has changed in youth soccer (wrt clubs) in a long time apart from the introduction of MLS teams.

They were around when I was playing, i.e., had just started, but weren't all that great.

Are they doing multiple teams from some of the states in Region III? Back in the mid 90s it was N. TX, S. TX, OK, AR, OK, TN, GA, SC, MS, AL, LA and FL. It looks like they added NC, and they also let teams that come in 2nd place in their state participate in the regional tourney.

I don't know what I'm thinking, bc we played in the '96 or '97 regional tournament that was in Greensboro.

Did you say how old he is? Honestly, the best thing for him to do is play a lot. It seems simple but that's the best way. Tell him to work on his weak foot.

Just go outside and kick against the wall with his weak foot, this is also a good exercise for trapping. Speed isn't the most important aspect of soccer but you'll want to work on being quick with the ball, have him hit it against the wall and work on turning with the ball and sprinting 10 yards out of the turn. You want to be able to stay under control even when you're playing fast.

If his dad is there to help him, that's a huge bonus too. Most young kids don't have a dad who was good at soccer.


Just be sure to always remind him that it's ok to be creative on the field, even if his coaches try to stifle his creativity. Don't ever become a robot.


If you have any more info you can provide, we can probably give you more advice.

I should have been a bit clearer with the statement about TX not being a big soccer state. I was speaking not in general terms, but in a comparative sense, as comparing it to football, baseball and softball. I understand that even most smaller towns have youth leagues & have for years, and most 4A & 5A high schools have soccer, along with a few 3A schools & some private schools even.

But I greatly appreciate everyone's tips & will of course share it with this boy's parents, who I know will be appreciative as well.

And I suppose I'll go ahead and answer a question I had avoided a bit--he is only 4.5, but played in a league of 3-5 years old last spring and scored goals. In a skills test involving several boys in his league and age group, he was well ahead of the second highest score. I understand a lot can happen & he may even get interested in other sports, but for now he seems to be highly motivated to enjoy soccer and compete in it. So we'll see. I believe these days, it is never too early to begin playing, but to just allow the children to enjoy whatever sport they play & not feel pressured to be the absolute best or win all the time.

Thanks again, everyone, for your input.

It looks like just about every single top plyaer in the state besides Jose Torres has some level of affiliation with the Dallas Texans from his youth career. Most of the guys are close to Dallas, but hell, even Brek Shea went from College Station to play for their A squad. Apparently their director is a former Iranian national team player who came to the US during the days of the NASL.

Searching for travel teams in Lubbock I couldn't find anything except a girls' select side though.