There are different routes to being a pro, these are just a few key points.
1. First you get on a club/travel team and do really well. The best travel team you can be on is the one you want to be on.
If you can get on an MLS Academy youth team that is a phenomenal opportunity because you don't pay to play and you have pro coaches around you a lot. The whole point of an MLS Academy team is to groom players to be a pro.
Other top youth leagues in America are the US Soccer Development Academy and the ECNL which stands for Elite Clubs National League. Play on a club team that is in either of those two leagues are you are where you want to be at the youth level.
2. Try out for ODP. ODP stands for Olympic Development Program. It is US Soccer's way of finding out who the best of the best are. ODP has a state level, regional level and a national team level. By making ODP teams shows college and pro coaches you are, on paper at least, better then players that don't make the team.
If you don't do well in ODP it doesn't mean you can't make it pro.
3. Play college soccer! College soccer is a big step in the ladder for making the jump to pro soccer. Typically pro coaches scout the best college players on the best college teams. So if you can you want to go to high level D1 programs. Pro soccer is the best of the best, not the best of the average.
Yes, you can go pro if you play a lower level then D1, I played D2, but typically it will be easier to get scouted at the D1 level versus a D2 or D3 level.
4. Attend a paid pro try out or combine. If you don't get scouted and signed after college in the MLS draft to play pro soccer then you still have options.
Most pro teams, MLS, NWSL and lower leagues, offer a paid try out you can attend. Go on a team's website and search for when their try outs are and sign up for them. Do 2 or 3 of them. If you do great at their try out, they will be interested. Think of yourself like the diamond in the rough they want to discover!
5. Accept the odds are against you. Only 1% of players play pro. There is a reason for that, the best of the best play pro. You need to understand this and be realistic about this. If you are not in the top three players on your team and you don't train a lot on your own that is okay but you probably are not good enough and committed enough to be pro.
If you are one of the better players on your team, you are constantly improving and you are working hard to achieve your "it" then good news... you have a 1% chance of making it. Odds I'd take any day!
6. Put yourself in the right situations to get lucky. It doesn't matter how good you are, if the right people aren't seeing you then you won't get recruited to play college soccer or scouted to play pro soccer. Do the best you can with what you have around to get on the best travel team, play in the biggest showcase tournaments, go to a great soccer college, etc.
Be confident! A lot of people will doubt that you can achieve your "it". They doubted me, they laughed at me, that's just the way it is. Be confident, work hard and Believe in it®. DO NOT let negative people bring you down.
If your "it" is to go pro then good luck. I hope this OSA video will help shed some light on how to get there. Remember small improvements daily equal big improvements over time. Keep climbing the ladder.
