Youth

Youth Soccer: Recruiting, College Pathways and Academy Guides

How an American player gets from a club team to a college roster or an academy contract — the timeline, the paperwork, the money and the drills.

Youth soccer in the United States is not one system but four that overlap — club, high school, academy and college — and American families are expected to navigate all of them at once. These guides cover the parts that actually decide outcomes: when to contact coaches, which showcases are worth the entry fee, what a scholarship is really worth, and how an academy contract differs from a college place. JAFA began as a soccer academy, and the guides here are written from the running of trials and sessions rather than from a newsroom.

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Start here

New to the recruiting process? Read these in order — the calendar first, then what the NCAA requires of you academically, then what a scholarship is actually worth. Everything else on this page builds on them.

College Scores Today

Full board →

48 NCAA Division I fixtures on today's board, men's and women's. College soccer is the pathway most American professionals actually take — more United States internationals came through an American university than through any academy — and no other youth publication carries the scores next to the recruiting guides.

NCAA Men's Division I

24 today

4:00 PM ETDePaul Blue Demons–Xavier Muskateers

6:00 PM ETCoastal Carolina Chanticleers–Georgia Southern Eagles

6:00 PM ETLouisville Cardinals–Boston College Eagles

6:00 PM ETUConn Huskies–Seton Hall Pirates

6:00 PM ETUMass Lowell River Hawks–Manhattan Jaspers

7:00 PM ETAkron Zips–Butler Bulldogs

7:00 PM ETDelaware Fightin' Blue Hens–Long Island University Sharks

7:00 PM ETDuke Blue Devils–Virginia Tech Hokies

NCAA Women's Division I

24 today

4:00 PM ETJackson State Tigers–Austin Peay Govs

5:00 PM ETMaryland Terrapins–Penn State Nittany Lions

5:00 PM ETSouthern Miss Golden Eagles–James Madison Dukes

6:00 PM ETApp State Mountaineers–Georgia State Panthers

6:00 PM ETIowa Hawkeyes–Illinois Fighting Illini

6:00 PM ETJacksonville Dolphins–Warner

6:00 PM ETSouthern Jaguars–West Florida Argonauts

6:30 PM ETGeorgia Bulldogs–Oklahoma Sooners

Recruiting & Commitments

How the American process actually works, month by month — for players and for parents.

01Making a call between ID camps and showcases for American soccer players 02Making an informed choice between ID camps and showcases for aspiring players 03Navigating the college soccer recruiting timeline: A year-by-year guide 04Crafting a compelling soccer highlight reel for college coaches 05Navigating ID camps versus showcases for aspiring soccer players 06Making a choice between ID camps and showcases for youth soccer development 07Navigating the college soccer recruiting timeline, year by year 08Crafting a soccer highlight reel that captures coaches' attention 09Navigating ID camps vs. showcases for prospective American soccer players

College Pathways

United States divisions, scholarships, eligibility and the routes that do not run through Division I.

01NCAA eligibility: the academic requirements, explained 02Full-ride soccer scholarships: what the NCAA limits actually allow 03D1, D2, and D3 Soccer: A Comparison for American Student-Athletes 04NAIA and junior college soccer: A viable path for American players 05Navigating the NCAA transfer portal for soccer players 06D1, D2, and D3 college soccer: an honest comparison for prospects 07D1, D2, and D3 soccer: an honest comparison for American players

Academy Guides

Trials, training and the day-to-day of an American academy — including the drills that travel.

01MLS NEXT: How the American Academy System Works 02Homegrown contracts in MLS, explained 03ODP Trials: what to expect on the day of Olympic Development Program evaluations 04ECNL and MLS NEXT: which pathway suits which player