Not making MLS NEXT, ECNL or Girls Academy, or being cut from a team, is common. It is not the end of a soccer future. There are real routes that run through high school soccer, regional clubs, summer leagues and smaller colleges.
High school soccer still counts
In 2024-25, 484,908 boys and 393,048 girls played high school soccer, the group the NCAA uses to measure college odds. High school games give you minutes, leadership and film, and some club leagues schedule around them: US Youth Soccer's Elite 64 tier was designed to allow high school play, and Girls Academy clubs had to allow it when that league launched.
Summer and pre-professional leagues
- USL Academy: academy squads linked to USL clubs. USL Academy contracts let young players train and play with a professional senior team while keeping their college eligibility.
- USL League Two: a pre-professional summer league of 143 clubs in 37 states, running from early May to mid-July, where college players compete while keeping their eligibility. Of the 90 players picked in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, 69 had played in League Two.
- NPSL: a national men's league with more than 90 teams, designated the top tier of the US Adult Soccer Association.
Look beyond Division I
NCAA Division III is the largest division, with 416 schools, and it is the most common NCAA destination: 2.8% of high school boys and 3.0% of girls who play soccer go on to play Division III, more than at Division I. The NAIA has its own eligibility center and few restrictions on contact with coaches, and junior colleges let you play, build grades and aim for a four-year school. Our guide to how to play college soccer compares the levels.
Walk-ons and tryouts
A walk-on is a player who was not recruited and has no athletics scholarship but makes the team. A preferred walk-on is someone a coach wants but has no scholarship for, and the NCAA describes that status as a guaranteed roster spot. At Division I schools under the House settlement, soccer rosters are capped at 28, which can leave less room for walk-ons, so email the coach early and ask how tryouts work. NAIA rules allow up to two days of tryouts across your career.
If you have just been cut
- Find minutes. Play where you will start and keep developing, not where the badge is biggest.
- Keep filming. Every season gives you new footage for coaches.
- Remember timing. Being cut at 12 or 13 can reflect growth timing as much as ability; read about the relative age effect.
- Protect your confidence. See the mental side of youth soccer.
The route matters less than whether you keep improving. Take the free development assessment to see which parts of your game to work on next - it describes where your game is today and does not predict whether you will play in college.
Sources: NCAA probability data; USYS Elite 64; USL Academy; USL League Two; USL League Two on the 2026 SuperDraft; NPSL; NCAA college-bound guide 2026-27; NCAA Division I bylaws 2026-27.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play college soccer without playing MLS NEXT or ECNL?
Yes. NCAA and NAIA eligibility rules do not require any particular club league. What matters is playing at a level that challenges you, having game film, meeting eligibility requirements and contacting coaches at schools that fit.
What is USL League Two?
USL League Two is a pre-professional summer league with 143 clubs in 37 states, played from early May to mid-July. College players can compete in it while keeping their college eligibility, and 69 of the 90 players picked in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft had played in it.
What is a preferred walk-on?
The NCAA describes a preferred walk-on as a player a coach wants on the team but has no scholarship for, with a guaranteed roster spot. A regular walk-on is not recruited and has no athletics scholarship but earns a place on the team.
Curious where you actually stand? Soccer Reach turns your level, age and honest self-assessment into a free Player Development Score, with the parts of your game to work on next.
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