On fall evenings across the country, lights flick on at high school fields, but many of the nation’s most talented teenage soccer players are not there. Instead, they are miles away from home, gearing up to play for their competitive club teams so they can chase college exposure at showcases each weekend.
As club soccer becomes the best pathway to the next level, a growing number of American kids are opting out of playing for their high school teams, which is directly reshaping the place soccer holds in school communities.
The focus on club play rather than high school is not exclusive to certain cities or states. For instance, by the time Fairfield Ludlowe had posted the dates for boys soccer tryouts, senior forward Arlo Sollinger had already committed his fall season to Beachside FC, a local club.
Sollinger’s decision wasn’t an easy one, as it meant missing Friday night football games, and occasionally whole days of school, but for Sollinger, and many other kids around the U.S., the real competition is no longer in school uniforms.
These decisions have directly affected the performance of Fairfield Ludlowe’s Boys Soccer team, as Sollinger is not the only athlete choosing to play for his club team instead. Several top players in the area attend Ludlowe, but spend the fall competing at the club level instead.
Brendan Walsh, a three-year varsity starter, said, “this year wasn’t our best, we didn’t make playoffs, and our team would be significantly better with these players,” referring to Sollinger and other Ludlowe students playing club soccer.
Walsh mentioned William Hall, a freshman on the varsity team this past season, saying “His story is interesting because he plays club soccer in the offseason”.
Hall recognizes the importance of club soccer for college exposure, but chooses to play with his classmates during the high school season.
Sollinger has long dreamed of playing soccer at the collegiate level, and he says that, “Choosing to play for Beachside in the fall was the best decision for me and my family in order to pursue my dreams,”.
That dream is now a reality, as Sollinger has committed to play NCAA soccer at Colorado College.
“I have great relationships with those on the Ludlowe soccer team and those on my club team, but Beachside was best for my career going forward,” Sollinger said.
While this choice has benefited Sollinger individually, it has left the Ludlowe program unable to reach its full potential.
As the lights turn off at Fairfield Ludlowe’s field, the absence of some of its best players tells a larger story about the changing dynamic of youth soccer.
For many athletes, the path forward no longer goes through high school, but through the distant fields where college scouts wait.
