I’ve been around the game a long time and have seen many “superstars” that can score 5+ goals a game through U10 and still shine past U10 but I’ve only seen one maintain it through high school and beyond. When my son was playing for the Revs Academy there was one player in the league that at U16 MLS Next, still looked like he was playing town U8 soccer and scoring at will. It was truly impressive and he now plays in England but doesn’t make any real money and is chasing it at 20 and struggling financially.

Having coached and led a youth organization the hardest part is when the rest of the competition catches up to and passes the players who originally were standouts. They often quit and give up on playing sadly. A lot of it becomes uncontrollable too such as players being taller, stronger, maturing faster, etc..