is anyone here considering to play professionally? after watching the toronto lynx play i am positive i can be professional.
when i turn 18(or maybe even earlier) i plan on going to portugal and try to get onto a first or second divison. and try to work my way up
In 12 months I'm going to Asia or Europe to play some foreign teams all expenses paid by the FO (nothing to do with this thread but it's still kinda cool). In college I'm playing with a semi-pro team, and then I see where I can go after I'm done with college.
Haha sometimes I also have the same thoughts watching whitecaps or team Canada in HOT ACTION. To be honest I can't even call this watching because I turn off my TV set after 2-3 minutes. Because it's REALLY exciting . Thanks God I have access to channels that show EPL, La Liga etc.
if you live in the US itd be a good idea to join an ODP team, also it just depends on if college scouts see you at any tournaments. you may not even notice theyre there but they will be at alot of them. If you manage to get on a good college soccer team it will make the path to mls easier.
If you play at a decent level in CAnada...it's not hard to get on with a pro team... HOWEVER, it's all relative...would you be satisfied playing 2nd division in Liechenstein? MLS/A-League may be out of your reach, but perhaps you could look overseas in a smaller asian country like Singapore etc etc... cause that's what I did.
was it worth it... did you get paid well... was it hard to keep up w/ things?... I'd love to know your story... I'd give anything to play pro someday
I don't really want to explain my situation, i just turned 21 and went overseas to play in Asia from end of April to End of June. I played out pretty much the rest of the season. Pay---> terrible relative to Canadian standards but not "that" bad compared to local stanards. But you see, people playing soccer there didn't play. TONS of free time, i calculated it...i made about $13 CND/hr but only worked like "60 hrs". And at that, I wasn't even on contract, strictly bonus/appearence fee. Was it Worth It---> Yes for sure...but then again I knew I was coming back to Canada. It's something that I will hold dear to me for a long time hahah Was it Hard to KEep Up---> No...in fact the game suited me much more then North American Style. My "average" 5'11/170 lbs frame was huge over there. However their coaching reflects on different points. They value different skills. Think of whether your skills are a dime a dozen or "special" in a certain league. Are you 6'4 and can win every flighted ball....? If so, asia might be the place for you ahahah From a lifestyle point of view, I had been to HK many times but this time was a bit different. I still had the security blanket of my relatives but to many, my semi-fluent communication skills made people still consider me a white person. But some things to keep in mind... -before I went overseas (a plan I had a long time coming), I figured who cares about my marks I will play professionally because I LOVE IT that much. But money talks in many ways...it is no fun to struggle to put food on the table....BUT if your skills speak for themselves you will be payed accordingly in my opinion. I was never a stand out player, and was really mediocre at best till the last 3 years. I know I'll never play in the EPL no matter how hard I work. Be realistic of your goals and keep working at it. Nobody would have ever fathomed my success overseas but I credit it to hard work (big time cliche). -You'll be living in a new enviroment, where people may not speak your language. Not to mention food etc. All in all, only a select few make it rich playing pro and others get by....
thanks for the info becks. but those are the most uninspiring words, no offense. they make me feel like ill never be able to get anywhere no matter how hard i work either
I dunno what you want me to say...I'm not gonna sugar coat a story for all of you hahaha That is the reality of life and whereever you work. Top skilled people/players command top wages and the perks that come along with it. So unless your one of these people, don't expect everything you see on TV. Some people might have different experiences but I can only tell you my own...the level I played at wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't the worse.
no I didn't but I was only there for 6 weeks...I probably could have gotten another job but it's pretty complicated. in HK...it's not uncommont o live with your parents till your into your 30's... so that saves a lot of money there but the wages reflect that unless your a really good foreign player who gets housing allowance etc.
Jay Demerit went from an English Conference side (Like 5th division) to the CHampionship so keep your hopes up!
Im only 15 and a sophmore... are there any tips you can give me to help me get to the highest level... EX-- training drills, camps, things to look out for? how to get noticed? anything would be appreciated thanks
im 15 and a sophmore too, if your highschool does good this year there should be scouts watching those games. do you play travel soccer?
my high school team is a joke... i was leading scorer as a fresh last year... at CM, not even striker... and i'll prolly be captain this year... but my travel team will be good this year...
This has nothing to do with this thread, but I'm to lazy to start my own. My coach from last season told the new coach that he hated us.
I'm a keeper so I can't really offer drills and stuff... But i think that the higher you go, the better you must be at these things -playing QUICKLY, that is you can play the game as fast as possible (when need be). The ability to vary the speed of your game from low (when required) to EXTREMELY fast is helpful. -Intensity is much different. Remeber, these people are playing to make a living. One thing I found is that the game is almost dirtier. People commented on me helping an opposing striker up after he tried to stud me (i didn't know that he tried to stud me ahah). Since I've been back, playing with my old club I found it boring because the intensity wasn't there. You have to play with the mentality that you cannot screw up and if you do it may cost your team the game. Demand the absolute best from yourself! That's all I can think of off the top of my head since these things stood out to me... It'd be good if some other players with pro experience from a high level could offer input as well.
No they won't, don't get the notion that scouts come out to high school games with a clipboard. It's your job to get noticed, they're not going to come searching.