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Who the hell is he? Up there pontificating. I say it all the time; a part of my psyche not wanting to mature, or maybe I’m just keeping it real. Maybe you’re saying the same thing about me. It’s the way of the world: everybody thinks they know what’s best, what should go down under the lights of Friday night or whenever your favorite team takes the field. Every now and again, however, (read: always) it’s a good thing to simply listen. Even if you dislike what you hear, there is a lesson to be learned, perspective to be taken away and applied to your individual context. Nowhere is this truer than when it comes to that first enormous decision in most teenagers’ lives. It’s not what you’re thinking. No still means no, but with a little effort and salesmanship, they might come around. HEY – WAKE UP! We’re talking about soccer here, and if you want to make it, soccer is your forever lover.

You’re essentially deciding where your second home is going to be, although often times, it’s not you making the decision. At the very best, you are helping persuade that decision to fall your way. Yes, we’re still talking about soccer. Unless the one-night-stand of a pick-up game is going to fully satisfy you after graduation, you might want to begin figuring out how the system works and how you can make it work for you. Recruiting is not a perfect machine; it’s not even well oiled. It’s full of discrimination, quid pro quos, and nepotism. Just like in love, you need all the help you can get, but you want to make sure you are getting the advice from the right source. The Jim Rome’s aren’t looking out for you. It’s a scary world out there. A hitchhiker looking for a ride needs to know when, where, and how to position themselves in order to get that ride before someone else does. It’s a map I wish I had back in the day, and it’s a map I’m thrilled to share with you.

So who the hell is he? Well he is they, and they are a former Division 1 college player and the head coach of some of northern California’s best youth teams. After the jump, TIAS correspondent Jacy Weyer and coach Deejae Johnson have some advice reaped from decades of experience. So before you go do something brilliant like getting your favorite corporate logo tattoo’d on your ass, it’s time to listen - time to create your own brand.

When you ask most high school students how they plan on getting recruited to a top soccer program, they’ll shrug their shoulders and respond “send letters and hope I get a response”.

This, by the way, will get you absolutely nowhere. You must be savvier than that.

There’s some good news and bad news when it comes to recruiting. Let’s start with the bad news.

Most college coaches already have their wish-list of recruits well ahead of schedule and they’re checking it twice. This wish-list is composed of youth National teamers (players down in Bradenton, Florida attending the US Residency Program are inclusive to this group), Regional players and a spattering of ODP players. You can’t really blame them. These are the players with the most experience at a high level, cultured over time by the upper-echelon of US coaches. These are also the players they’ve had a chance to see play more than a few times because of the privileged stage they’re playing on.

The good news: these players can’t fill up all of the Division I rosters, much less all of the college rosters in America. More good news, especially for the late bloomers whose physique has held them back from these programs: you can find alternate methods to find your way on the coveted recruiting list at the college of your choice.

How, you ask?

It all starts with branding. Every player has the potential to have a unique and alluring brand for themselves. Coaches need to check the box on one of the following when considering potential recruits:
• Skill
• Experience (in big games)
• Speed
• Physical presence
• Athletic ability
• Competitive fire
• Potential*
• Leadership skills

Note how potential has an asterisk. Potential is a back-door for players who want it more than the next guy despite the fact they may not shoot up the charts of one of these other attributes. We’ll get to that later.

Step 1: For anyone who stands out in one of these other areas on a field of 22 players: realize your place of zen and start leveraging your edge. Consider this your core-brand positioning and start playing within it. By 16 years old, you’ve had ample opportunity to take a ton of risks in games and try out different player personas. When it comes time to get recruited, you need to have your story straight.

Here’s a quick anecdote: a big-time Division I coach at one of the top ten programs in the country heard about a soccer player from central New Jersey. He caught a late tip on this player (the winter after this player’s senior soccer season) and let this player know he’d attend one of his high school basketball games. This player went on to impress on both ends of the court, demonstrating clearly his athletic ability, leadership, and most importantly his competitive fire. He was offered a guaranteed spot in this program immediately following the game.

Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. What you might not know is this player had no idea when the coach was going to show up. Over a 20 game season, he had to have his A-game on tap even if he was having a rough night. As luck with have it, he ended up having a frustratingly poor shooting performance the night the coach showed up. Having the maturity to realize any game could be the one, he made sure his soccer brand was covered rather than blowing off this game with a half-hearted effort because of missing shot after shot that night.

Step 2: Play every game as if it’s the one where the eyes could be on you.

First off, this is the mentality you should have in everything you do - 100% optimization at all times. As a player, it’s crucial that you play with that sense of accountability and urgency. As a recruit, it’s essential. The way you carry yourself will tend to have a greater impact than the tangible performance you turn in on a given afternoon or night. Why wouldn’t it? Every coach knows players have off matches. The integrity and class a player shows during those off-games will give them a much better sense of what they’re in for when you enter the program.

Coaches need to ensure they have experience and talent in key areas of the pitch such as the central defensive role, central midfield role and up front, but are keenly aware of their need to fill out the rest of the roster with players who can support these players. Number 1 attribute they’ll fall for? Consistency under any circumstance. This is priceless.

Step 3: Maximize your strength across every part of the game.

Let’s take the case of a player rife with competitiveness who can’t flash a single move from Cristiano Ronaldo’s arsenal. He simply doesn’t have that flair in his game. If he realizes this and focuses on what he can do, he has an opportunity to find a way to do it better than anybody. What could he do, you ask?

Let’s say he’s a defensive center mid. He can focus his training on receiving and serving balls. Add variety in the way he turns with players on his back or to better answer different situations on the pitch. He should make his key accountability keeping the ball for his team and taking risks only when it’s on (offensive third of the field). During the course of a game, he needs to apply his competitiveness across every single category for 90 minutes. He’s got to battle and challenge for every single ball, go up strong for every header, make proactive runs and spur his teammates on in any area where they need to elevate their game. He should want to win so bad that he may just pull it off even if his team is being overpowered. If he keeps his temper in check and communicates well with his teammates, any college coach will say to them self “Now this is a player I want in my program”.

Don’t get me wrong, that player can work on taking on players and getting creative in his training, but during a game, he needs to be precise about his role and make it a game-changer until those newly developed skills are game-ready.

Tip #1: Watch a world-class player who has the same style as you. Catch him on youtube.com or one of the many video sites out there for soccer fanatics. Study a half-hour of how he addresses game situations before your own game and you may just find yourself replicating something he did without trying. If you don’t believe me, read “Inner Game of Tennis”. Don’t be Self 1.

Step 4: Get yourself seen.

There are a lot of options here. Unfortunately, many of them require some financial investment. There are some backdoors and to be honest, the players who bust through these will have a far more successful career. As Clint says, “I’m so hungry my ribs are touching.” Hunger and passion are what the game is all about.

High school is a tough venue for getting recruited. You need to find a club team that will either be attending some tournaments of note or are in close proximity to a local University. College showcase tournaments are key. However, college coaches don’t go to showcase tournaments with a shopping list: I need a left back, a striker and a keeper. A coach might see a diamond in the rough and you might get a letter from a random school that you weren’t interested in. However, the best strategy is to contact a coach, let them know that you are interested in their school, and include your schedule of games with times, locations, your position and your jersey number. This will help the coach weed through all the players and get his eyes on you. There are often multiple games at a time and a coach can be distracted by other games and other players. You want him to know your name and get him to watch you play. Just keep the letter short, sweet, and to the point. Have a teacher you trust or parent give it a look. Kudos to anyone who can avoid writing the same letter a thousand players write each year. Brevity may be the solution. Give them the key details and not your life story.

Tip #2: Meet with your guidance counselor during your sophomore year to determine your top 20 – 30 schools. Google those schools. Write one email and copy and paste to all the other coaches. If you’re not doing ODP, they won’t know who you are and even if you are playing ODP, they won’t know you’re interested in their school.

Attend Summer Camps at schools that you are interested in. Most College programs have summer sessions that are staffed by the Head Coach, assistant coaches, as well as coaches from other colleges and Universities. There are also Summer Camps that are designed specifically to showcase your skills in front of dozens of college coaches at one time. This gives you a chance to meet the coach, have them train you, and be seen in both a training and match environment. You also have a week to ask the coach questions about their program and get a sense of your rapport with the coach. Don’t forget about the players either. They will be your eyes inside the real program vs. what’s included in the press releases. Establish a connection with one of these players and they might just mention to the coach there’s an up-and-comer in the camp worth checking out.

Tip #3: When asking coaches questions about their programs, pretend for a second you’re the captain of the program he coaches, show some aspiration. Instead of asking canned questions like “How many hours each morning do you train?” ask questions about their direction as a program, key guiding principles the players are asked to play by, and what kind of players he’s looking for to make an impact the next year. If you’re chatting with the coach the summer before your sophomore year, let him know you’ll see him again next year and for God’s sake, make a point of letting him know you’ll come back the player he’s looking for before you pack your parent’s car and head back home. Throw yourself on the line and then work your ass off and deliver on your promise. If you sweat the program and want to wear their jersey someday, you have to stick your neck out.

Tip #4: A great way to brand yourself is to make a highlight video. There are professional videographers that will come to your match, film your team, and splice a highlight video showcasing your best skills. Some videographers create a news reel style video that will include interviews of you and your coaches. Other videographers showcase your skills by category. A prospective recruit should write a letter of interest and include the video. The video should be less than five minutes in length and should be easy to watch. Be careful of music that is too outrageous for the coaching staff. Remember, they have to sit through your video.

Tip #5: Follow through. It is good business practice is to follow up your contact. Coaches are very busy and often take some time to return phone calls, emails, and letters. Be assertive by following up your contact letter/video with a phone call, an email or a second letter. Being thorough is important, but be careful of being a nagger. Three phone calls a day is overkill and can turn the coaching staff off and brand you as being high maintenance.

Last but not least, let’s talk about potential. Coaches used to be players themselves (and if they weren’t, think long and hard before committing to their program). They remember the players they knew growing up that were skipped over by politics. They also recognize that some dudes are not quite men yet, but are hitting their growth spurt and development a little late. If you show your stuff, play passionately and relentlessly, they will notice you. You won’t have the special player tag on your back yet but as mentioned, a player with hunger, commitment, and a great attitude is a God-send for most college coaches. And they know it.

NCAA soccer is problematic in about a thousand ways, everybody. There are a myriad of coaches with Ripley’s Believe It or Not egos and a ton of insecurities. Please do American soccer a favor and rise above the disappointment of being looked over, ignored, or worse. There are far too many gifted players who’ve fallen through the cracks over the years only to leave the game and never look back.

There are a thousand ways to get discovered and make your dreams come true. Like anything, it’s a matter of how bad you want it, how hard to work at it, and how much you challenge yourself to figure out the game’s nuances, the mentality you need, and the skills that will make you indispensable.

More about the authors:

Deejae Johnson is the Head Coach for the University High School boy’s and girl’s soccer teams, as well as the Marin FC U18 boys and San Francisco Seals U15 boys teams. He was a high school All-American, and played four years of soccer for the University of Vermont where he led the team in scoring twice. He went on to play six years professionally, including one year with the San Francisco Bay Seals in 1998. Johnson also is the director of SoccerInsight camps in San Francisco.

Jacy Weyer was a High school All-New Englander for Wilton High School in Connecticut and an Olympic Development Program player for five years. He lettered his freshman year at Rutgers during their Big East Championship campaign in 1997. He currently plays semi-professionally for the San Francisco Scots .