I'm curious. Most people say that if you're a good player that the professional scouts will eventually find you. Do you guys believe that is actually true? I live in one of the most obscure towns in the U.S. Salisbury, Maryland which i doubt anyone of you all have heard about. We have some unbelievable players in my town but i doubt they'll get noticed. What should we do?
You probably won't get seen in Salisbury. But whereever that is in MD, it can't possibly be too far from DC, Philly, Baltimore ... - go to those places when they have a good tournament. If your current local team can't compete with the big boys, you may have to get a tryout at one of the big clubs in those areas. It won't be easy, but who said becoming pro should be easy? It's exactly what Tarpley did. She lives in Kalamazoo MI, but commuted to a club in the Detroit suburbs - 2 hours each way - to play amongst the best, and to see and be seen. Not that Kalamazoo doesn't have good soccer clubs, they do, but she decided to go the best team she could. Consider yourself lucky that you are in MD. You could be from Salisbury MI - it's a suburb of Ishpeming, if there could be such a thing - way out in the middle of the Upper Peninsula. Or you might be from ND or ID or any other spot well off the beaten track.
Sorry to sound pessimistic, but the idea that every talented player gets an equal chance is just not true. Like many things in life, one has to be in the right place at the right time for things to happen. And that is very hard to do.
Take a look at the US player pool - http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/stats_results.sps?iType=265&icustompageid=475. Josh Wolff from Stone Mountain, Ga., Justin Mapp from Brandon, MS, DMB is from Fort wayne, IN. If your good enough, you will be found.
Well a yahoo search shows you have a University and that means scouts. and you have http://prosocceracademy.com/files/salisburycamp.pdf Plus http://www.nsr-inc.com/midatl/easternshore.htm My name is Steve McGee and I am the Area Scout for the Delmarva Peninsula. I reside in Salisbury, Maryland and have lived here on Delmarva my entire life. I have an extensive athletic background with more than twenty years of participation as a player, coach and executive. I have coached at the youth level in multiple sports for more than ten years and specialize in Club Soccer. I have coached in both the local recreational leagues as well as the National Capitol Soccer League (NCSL) Division 1 level. I currently operate the Upper 90 Soccer Academy, based in Salisbury, Maryland which helps players of all ages develop the proper soccer technique to elevate their games. My desire is to watch the youth player develop into the student-athlete and then work to make their dream of playing college athletics a reality. Please feel free to contact me at anytime for additional information or to set up an appointment. so your not that isolated are you???
yea i'm really not. but the only thing is none of the club teams around my area travel that much or play in major tournaments
so What you have the contact name and address give him a call and ask him directly. What's the worst he can do?
I'm from Bethesda, MD and played against Salisbury State when I was in college. Try to attend a soccer camp in the Washington, DC area. Plenty of people to notice you there. Call the state association to tryout for the Maryland State team. You may have to try a little harder to get noticed, but you are very close to Balt., DC & Richmond. You could live in Montana!
Yeah. He had a tryout for one of his teams and i made the squad but it didnt work out. Old Boy, by the Maryland State Team u mean ODP right?
Yes, ODP is a sure way to be seen, though I understand it is expensive today. When I played, I don't remember having to pay for anything. Playing at the highest level you can is a great goal, but I would take it one level at a time. Soccer paid for me to attend college and I use the knowledge I obtained there every day. Though I played professionally for a few years after school, there have been many days since where I have not spent a second thinking of the game.
I played while attending graduate school in Ireland. I possess dual citizenship and my cousin was managing the side at that time. It took nearly five years to get through a two year program, but I enjoyed the ride. This was in the eighties after the NASL folded and before MLS.
thedefender heres an Aritcle for you to read and understand the importance of a backup plan http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=304314&cc=5901
Did you play for Sligo and is your cousin Nick? Also, my adivse to getting scouted is to be proactive. Try to get on team that travels more. Also, try going to a couple of soccer camps at bigger schools. At some of these camps there are coaches from different schools.
Salisbury isn't obscure. If you have good players, then between the ODP games these players get, "showcase" tournaments, state cup, and regional league games your teams play, they will get noticed. You just have no idea who is actually watching games, particularly in Maryland which has a number of good teams. I say this from the POV of someone who's seen these events first hand and been on the same fields as the players you describe as a referee. They'll find you players either there or in college if they're good enough.