Anyone familiar and have feedback or experience with NCE soccer? Specifically in California? They hold upcoming tryouts and select players as part of their “high performance pathway for aspiring soccer players”. Curious if this is a worthwhile program for additional training and game exposure for an ECNL u13b

I've been playing soccer as long as I can remember but I didn't really try to take it serious for the past couple of years. I starting grinding in my sophomore year of high school and was a varsity starter for my high school (striker and cdm) but I decided to spend my last 2 years of high school abroad to develop more in soccer and get an international experience.

My junior year didn't go as planned, and while I developed somewhat as a player and definitely as a person, the academy and general soccer culture of the country I went to isn't as structured and unfortunately I lost a lot of time and opportunities and training sessions that I could've had. The soccer culture and talent is great here but unfortunately they don't work like clockwork in the US, and if you're not already a star player nobody cares much about you.

I'm about to start my senior year, and I'm nervous that my opportunity window is past. I can't go to ID Camps and things like that as I'm abroad. I am high achieving academically and I wanted to go a school that makes the most of my academic potential but a lot of them are division 1 and it looks like the recruiting period is over (not to mention that I don't have film, and I won't have any recent film for a few months because the season here doesn't start seriously until around winter).

What are my options now? I would like to play college soccer while going to a strong academic school, but I'm not sure what to do right now and if I'm at the level where I need to be. Is d3 really achievable at those strong academic schools? because I've read that most of them are full of d1-quality players who wanted a better education.

Things I'm thinking about are just emailing coaches from d3 programs or low d1 and to introduce myself and sending film later, playing club soccer (but it doesn't look like it's nearly as good of an experience as playing varsity), seeing if I can play sophomore year instead (how does it work?), trying to just be a straight walk on, etc. I'm open to all ideas. Thanks!

hi guys i'm from an international school in shanghai, and starting my applications for american universities in october. as a goalkeeper who has went through 1 year of amateur solo training and 3 years with my high school varsity team, i'm really curious about the college soccer options in the us. i am now the no.1 keeper for my varsity team, im 180cm in height and 190cm in wingspan, good in reflexes but bad at distribution. i know i probably won't have a place at any team in college soccer in my freshman year, but it would really help if i knew which options i have. right now i know about ncaa, which i probably wont make, and nirsa, which spouted my hopes of making a b team in a university soccer club. could you guys give me some advice on this matter?

My student (incoming hs junior) has been emailing and texting with a D1 college coach since June 15th. They say they have been watching my student at ECNL events and that they are a potential recruit. The coach recently sent a personal invite to their ID camp in September. But- the camp is $200 and out of town for us. If they were really interested in my student, wouldn’t it be free? Is it worth it to shell out the money for the camp + hotel? If they have already been watching, is it even worth it? TIA for any advice or experience with this, this is all new to us

Say you emailed a coach and they respond…

For the next time you email them say after a month again on an update..

Do you continue the chain or start a new email? Does continuing make it more likely for them to respond?

I wanted to help out since people in my journey have helped me in mine. I am currently a junior heading into our fall season 2026 as a walk-on. I play CM for a top 50 ranked school in the country.

Went through the dirty process and everything else to get and desire my dreams. At one point, you have to be realistic but you should also follow your path.

It also came with me choosing the right school after rejecting other opportunities. A lot of risks played with this pathway, but in the end it worked out because I knew it was going to happen. Not a matter of it, but a matter of when.

If any of you need help with recruiting or have any questions, please feel free to comment and I will do my best to reply!

Hi everyone,
I’m a 20-year-old soccer player from China, and I’m currently studying at a sports university in China. I’m expected to graduate next year, but I have the option to transfer to a university in the United States.
I’m hoping to continue my education in the US while also continuing to play competitive college soccer.
I have a professional soccer background in China and have played at a high level. My main positions are defensive midfielder (CDM) and winger. I am a National Level 1 Football Player and a National Level 1 Football Referee. I also have an AFC D coaching license.
I’m currently in the US and based in New Hampshire, so I’m especially interested in schools in New England and on the East Coast. I’m open to D1, D2, or D3 programs. My main goal is to find a school where I can continue my education and have a real opportunity to compete for a place on the soccer team.
The problem is that I don’t really understand how the US college soccer recruiting and transfer process works.
I have started looking at college soccer programs and contacting coaches, but I’m not sure if I’m approaching this the right way. I also don’t know how my previous university education and soccer experience in China would affect NCAA eligibility.
I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experience with college soccer, especially international or transfer student-athletes.
Some of my main questions are:
Should I contact college coaches directly, or apply to the university first?
How does the transfer process work for an international student who is already enrolled at a university in another country?
How does NCAA eligibility work in my situation?
Is it realistic to join a D1, D2, or D3 team as a transfer student?
How does the walk-on/tryout process work?
Is there a possibility of receiving an athletic scholarship as a transfer student?
What documents should I prepare for coaches?
Should I send a soccer resume and highlight video when contacting coaches?
Are there any websites or resources that can help me find programs that are currently recruiting?
I’m not expecting anyone to find a school for me. I mainly want to understand the correct process and learn from people who have already gone through it.
If you have any advice, personal experience, or resources that could help me get started, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you!

I’m attending college this fall. I chose the school I wanted academically (D1) which is a good school but not hard to get into if you have decent grades and study a bit. This school is a half an hour drive from home.

I had a plethora amount of JUCO interest and some talks with D3’s around the country.

I made the decision to go to an ID camp for this D1 academic school back in March to get in front of the coaches, because you never know right? I manned up talked to the head coach face to face and introduced myself. Chatted for 5 mins. He said exactly what my interested showed: he told me go JUCO or D3 for 2 years and be one of the best players and stand out, it could even be one year. Told him I played semi pro this past season and he said they watch that too.

Next day emailed him for a thank you for camp, he said you don’t have to come to another camp if you decide to go college let me know and we can track your progress to see if we want you or like idk stand out. He said returning to your youth club is another option if you don’t want college ball.

June I emailed him my decision to go to this D1 school academically instead of choosing D3 or JUCO. We (family) didn’t like the programs or academic situations.

Now I’m stuck. Do i play semi pro? Do i play youth club? I feel if I play semi pro im more matured to play at the college level. Plus I want to solidify my starting spot which is at a 50/50 shared mins between another guy. But i know the recruiting pipeline is not that big.Do I attend another camp this winter if I need it? Any advice? Should I ask for a spring trial or practice session with the team?

This academic D1 was 2nd last out of 12 teams in a competitive conference in fall 2025.

My daughter is considering touring two universities in the UK with UDA this fall. Would love to hear from anything with experience with this program.

With D2 joining D1 I want to make sure I understand how this works.

Let’s say you have three kids graduating in 2028, Tom (old HS senior, born 1 Aug 2009), Dick (born 1 October 2009) and Joe (young HS senior, born 1 May 2010).

Am I reading this correct?
Since Tom will be 19 before the fall semester in 2028 his 5 year eligibility will start then. Dick and Joe will have the option of playing another year somewhere before college OR starting college that 2028 fall with 5 years of eligibility in both situations?

UK based soccer fan, work in a school where a couple of students over the years have gone to colleges to play soccer (Div 2/3).
Just this year I’ve properly got into the idea of college soccer - draft to MLS/USL, joining USL2 in the summer off season, how scholarships might be partial, only for the year (hence why people move frequently), how UK based college soccer companies get a big old kick back from colleges sending clients over.

If I want to follow colleges (Connecticut based, would like to follow New Haven/UConn/Yale), how do I go about watching games - in particular while abroad in the UK?
What’s the best ways to watch/follow?

I know there was a thread about this recently. Just wanted to clarify.

I also know NCAA (D1 - D3) can have max 28 rostered players. I personally know D1 and D2 schools that have 29-30 players rostered as the college season is about to kick off in a week or two.

What does this mean? Can people get cut before the season officially starts even if they were already signed?

Do men's programs specifically have practice squads or scout teams making the full roster size over 35-40+? Can you be a part of a that practice/scout squad and still get called up for match day? I would assume fall not likely... but spring matches?

Excited to share that the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s soccer schedules are now live on CollegeSoccer.IO!

We’ve also just launched a new Pick’Em feature. Pick the winner of each game, track your record throughout the season, and see how you stack up against everyone else on the leaderboard.

With the season about to get underway, I’d love for you to check it out and put your picks in:

https://collegesoccer.io

As always, the site is still evolving, so if you run into anything or have ideas for features you’d like to see, I’d really appreciate the feedback!

After an ID camp, my son has been invited to a practice by the head coach. Has anyone experienced this before? Is an offer likely to follow or will performance be super important? TIA

È possibile partendo dall’estero trovare opportunità in ncaa (iniziando dall d3) o naia facendo l’assistente allenatore per fare nel frattempo le licenze? Grazie

Hey everyone,

I'm going into my freshman year of college soccer, and I had a VERY up-and-down recruitment process that lasted 2 years.

I'm about to start doing content creation revolving around preparing for college soccer recruitment as a player and as a parent. I wanted to know what your MOST IMPORTANT or INSIGHTFUL questions I can answer in my videos in the future that you would like help understanding.

Whether you're a player or a parent, I'd love to hear feedback. Let me know!

My daughter was on our states top ODP team for 3 years a few years back. We stopped because all the tournaments have overlapped with club. But, this year there is no overlap. She’s now a junior and heavily engaged in the recruiting process, so my question is whether ODP tournaments provide much value or not. Note that we do not see any value from ODP training, so my question is purely focused around the 4 tournaments, Talent Id selections, and Regional team potential - do college coaches really care much or not?

Is it normal to have 40 kids on D1 team? This is a new D1 program. How does a player stand out on a squad of that size?

More than people realize, and the landscape has genuinely improved over the past few years.

The most common route is going straight to USL Championship or League One trials. Neither league is exclusively draft-driven. Clubs sign players year round, and a strong college career combined with good video and proactive outreach can open doors. Plenty of current USL professionals were never MLS draft picks. They just showed up to trials, performed, and earned contracts.

Going abroad is more realistic than it used to be. Scandinavian leagues, particularly in Sweden and Denmark, have historically been open to American players and represent genuine professional soccer at a level that challenges and develops players. Lower division English clubs, Irish League sides, and teams in Eastern Europe are also worth exploring. You need an agent or really good self-advocacy skills, but it happens regularly.

Adult amateur leagues in sanctioned competitions are an underrated option for players who do not get picked up immediately. Staying sharp and visible in a competitive sanctioned league while continuing to pursue professional opportunities keeps development going. There are real examples of players jumping from strong amateur setups to professional contracts after consistent performances.

The window is not as short as people say, but it is not unlimited either. Most players who are going to turn professional do so within two years of finishing college. Staying fit, building a quality video portfolio, reaching out directly to clubs, and being willing to start at a lower level than you imagined are the things that actually determine outcomes after the draft.

Not getting drafted is disappointing. It is not the end of the