What are the most important things a soccer player needs if they aspire to play college soccer?

First, it’s important to understand that there many roads to success – there’s no one right formula. But here are some things that are critical:

• A player video reel is huge – it’s mandatory. It doesn’t need to be shot professionally, but should include good footage of your soccer player in action and highlight their strength.
• The skills to write a professional email.
• Exposure at top tournaments or soccer ID Camps. If you’re at a small club that does not play in the above mentioned tournaments, that’s okay, you can still do soccer ID camps. Choose camps that do not have 400-500 kids (unless you’re that one special player that really stands out). Find the smaller ones, or ones that are run by a school. For example, University of San Diego’s soccer ID camp is also attended by coaches from SDSU and UCSD. The best thing about these elite soccer camps is that you’re meeting the coaches face to face, playing with other kids who would potentially be on your team. I had one player who attended 11 different soccer camps across the country!
• Recommendations from coaches (team coach, private coach, etc.) – someone who can be an advocate on your behalf.