As soccer parents, we have a lot of discussions about recruiting services, such as NCSA, Captain U, College Fit Finder, and others. Some people swear by them, others will tell you they are a waste of time. I’m not here to try to change anyone’s mind, just here to inform you on the path I’ve chosen for my own son.

I looked at them all and most importantly I listened to what actual college coaches are wanting from our kids in the recruiting process.

That’s why I chose iSoccerPath to guide my son and our family thru the college student-athlete process. In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, I do have a business relationship with them. Jeff Jaye, the Founder, is a trusted friend and soccer mentor to me. Having said that, I was a customer first, before they had any idea who I was, so let’s get into why I chose iSoccerPath.

When doing my research, iSoccerPath stood out to me for several reasons:

  • They are approved by the NCAA as a college education company not a pay for recruit services model.
  • They are allowed to have current college coaches design and approve all the tasks that our sons/daughters have to do and when they have to do it.
  • They enforce that the student-athlete does the work, send the emails, call the coaches, etc—–no emails from recruiting services.
  • They stress academics and the search for academic money vs. trying to get an athletic scholarship which lowers the chances that colleges coaches will talk to you.
  • In the first 30 days they make sure the best video is created and then evaluated by an actual college soccer coach. You get recommendations of Division and Conference, level of play as well as tips on improving play, updating or changing out video pieces and grade impact on evaluation.
  • No pie in the sky promises of scholarships, roster spots, etc. THEY TELL IT LIKE IT IS FROM DAY 1 – saved me so much time and money by following their program.
  • Best of all, the cost is 60 to 80% less than the NCSAs of the world. They have a program for a year that averages $25 a month.

When we joined, naturally I wanted to get an evaluation right away for my son. I wanted to hear that my boy was going to be playing at Duke, Stanford, UNC, Tottenham, and Barcelona.

However, that’s where the accountability and guidance kick in. Before Dante could get an evaluation, he had to get his transcripts from school and upload them into the system. Dad had to get his stuff together and let Dante pick out clips for a highlight video, and Dante had to provide a list of schools he was interested in. Once we took care of our part, iSoccerPath performed the evaluation, along with a plan to work on weaknesses and get better. Dante is now working through the learning modules on communicating with coaches.

Could we do all this ourselves? Absolutely, we could. However, why reinvent the wheel? The information is there to teach him what to do and keep him organized and on track. Also, 15 year old boys tend not to pay attention to what Dad tells them to do. Sometimes they need to hear another voice. iSoccerPath is that voice. For all these reasons. This is the route we have chosen. It may not be the route for you, but know that it is a solid option to help your player grab a college roster spot.

 I urge you all to visit www.isoccerpath.com and read thru their program and testimonial pages.