The journey, age by age.
The game itself changes shape three times on the way up: 4v4 with no keepers, 7v7 at U9, 9v9 at U11, and in most states the full field at U13. Six stages, with the one or two things a family genuinely has to decide at each.
What actually matters at each age
Find the row your kid is in and read that one. One caveat on the U-numbers: from 2026-27 there is no national cutoff. US Soccer lets each member organization pick birth year, August 1 or September 1, and US Youth Soccer, AYSO and US Club Soccer all went with August 1. Under that cycle an October birthday sits one number below a March classmate born the same year, so ask your club which cycle it registers on.
High school, ODP and showcases
Three things that don’t sit on one rung, because they run alongside the club season for years. The short version of each, then the full guide.
- 01
High school soccer
Almost every club league lets a player do both: ECNL, the Girls Academy and the National 1 League put no high school restriction in their rulebooks. The exception sits at the top of the boys’ ladder, where MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division makes its Primary Players choose unless the league grants a waiver. Your state high school association has rules of its own.
Club vs. high school - 02
ODP and state teams
The Olympic Development Program is run state by state rather than nationally, so the dates, the age groups and the price all change at the state line. Tryout fees for 2026-27 ran $50 in Eastern New York and $135 to $210 in Michigan, and being picked usually means joining a training pool rather than a team.
What ODP actually is - 03
Showcases and ID camps
This is where a lot of a family’s recruiting budget goes. Two NCAA rules decide whether a given event is worth the drive: a college’s own camp has to be open to anyone who signs up, so an invitation proves nothing, and a Division I coach cannot hold a recruiting conversation with your child, at a camp or on a sideline, before August 1 ahead of junior year.
How showcases work
What should your kid do this season?
Tell us their age and where they play now. You get the stage they’re in, the clubs inside your drive time ranked with reasons, and the one move worth making before the next tryout window.