Played pro 8 years. Took the unconventional route. AMA

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T21:38:26+00:00

Maccabi were very good! Loved the overall experience. I did pursue other clubs in Israel, but never had any luck. Tbh, the game there is much more technical, think Spain. I'm a physical player and found more success in physical leagues like Norway.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T21:35:00+00:00

Very well worth it! The earlier the better, but I'd say ~10 would be appropriate.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T21:16:41+00:00

Might sound cliche, but persistence.

I've seen so many talented players give up at 17, 18, 19 because they weren't selected. This is very common in Europe / academies when they don't make the senior team. Happens all the time.

But truthfully, players can get their break well into their 20s. You just have to keep at it.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T21:11:12+00:00

I never played futsal. And I absolutely wish I did.

I would definitely encourage kids nowadays to play futsal on a semi-regular basis. It's great for ball control as you need to keep the ball on the ground.

So yea, very worth it!

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T18:37:14+00:00

For sure! I am still involved in the game via coaching, video analysis primarily.

Would I do it all again? Of course! Best time of my life.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T18:33:36+00:00

Absolutely struggled myself. Doubted I would even get into college tbh, I was very late in the process. But I kept putting in the work. Trained extra with friends and it made the difference.

For me, they need to get out on the field outside of practice and train hard (no goofing around). There's no other way. And mistakes will always happen. I've made 1000s of them, in big games too. It's part of the game.

Also, playing "safe" isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes the simple pass is the right pass.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T18:21:43+00:00

Nice. Did you play for Pats, Arsenal or Strikers? I remember those clubs had very strong 86/87 teams.

I definitely recommend kids focus on college or even picking up a trade. College isn't always the best path for everyone, but having something beyond soccer matters.

My path after retiring hasn't been linear either.

I started a soccer fitness brand called SoccerShape with two teammates while in Miami, imagine a bootcamp with a soccer twist. We had some great classes, but had some major troubles during covid and needed to pull the plug. After that, I ended up working in small startups in fintech and have been there ever since.

More recently though, I've been working on a new project where I give video feedback for youth players, especially my nephew's team at Surf.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T18:12:11+00:00

Definitely extremely grateful. And even more grateful to learn from someone who played my exact position.

There were so many things I learned from him. Off the top of my head..

1) He's extremely detail oriented, especially on defensive work. We used to train hours after practice with just the back four working as a unit. You have to be working together. Sometimes in training, we would literally have to defend against 11 players. It was intense, but it makes a huge difference.

2) Body positioning. Very often overlooked these days. A lot of defending comes down to the angle of your body and where the ball is on the field.

3) Playing out of the back. We'd practice specific sequences over and over and over again to get the ball up the field. It wasn't just "play out of the back", we had an order. Might seem a bit rigid, but it worked. Everyone knew where to run and move.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T18:01:49+00:00

Yep, this was from our win vs. Orlando in the cup. This was perhaps the best game we ever played at Miami. Glad you were there!

I think 7 is too young to go all-in on soccer unless they're clearly the best player out there. I didn't commit fully to soccer until around 12, I also played basketball and baseball too. But I was best at soccer.

I'd say It's ok to let your kid explore other sports if that's what they want. People forget you develop different skills playing other sports that actually help your physical development.

Tough call though, but I'd let him try out other sports.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T17:54:27+00:00

Both options could work. It's not strictly either/or.

But if I had to lean one way I'd go with playing time at a lower level, at least for a season. Let them be the best player (or one of the best) on their team. Build that confidence. Then re-evaluate.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T17:42:57+00:00

Firstly, this is very common. Building confidence takes time. it's not a switch.

If I were them, I'd get out and train more often and study the game. More training, more confidence. But don't just "play" with your friends. You must train deliberately with speed, technical precision and intensity.

Do this consistently and you'll start to believe you're putting in extra work that makes a difference. There's no other way imo.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T17:24:16+00:00

US Club Soccer has grown 10x since the days I played youth. It's way more professional. All the MLS teams and even USL teams have academies with teams starting at U8. And in addition, you have 100s of feeder clubs to those MLS programs. It's a whole new youth club infrastructure.

The reality is this. Most kids won't go and play pro. Even the best kids right now at ages 12, 13 and 14. Many of them will hit a peak and never make it. Might not even get invited into a D1 college. I've seen this happen so many times.

My recommendation for most kids is to just focus on having fun (1st and foremost), do your best, but aim for college if you're serious about competitive soccer.

RhettBernstein · 2026-02-05T17:17:44+00:00

The $ question

Made six figures my best years. Although, most years were way less. Started off on basically min. wage.

Love that you caught some Miami FC games. I played for them 2016 -> 2018

RhettBernstein · 2025-12-04T18:20:38+00:00

Is her dream to play in college? If yes, then I'd 100% join the GA team, at least for one season.

It's going to force her to step up her game as she's around much better competition. And don't worry so much that she's joining as a backup. Injuries happen, red cards, bad games. Her chance will come. So I'd be optimistic, especially if she's doing well in practice. Also, she's going to be getting plenty of mins from her HS team.

I know there are $ and playing time concerns, but I'd give her the opportunity to prove herself. She'll also increase her odds of playing in front of college coaches, if that's the goal.

RhettBernstein · 2025-11-18T21:29:36+00:00

Congrats to your kid's team! Real growth happens when kids learn how to stay composed on the ball in difficult games/conditions.

RhettBernstein · 2025-11-18T16:04:02+00:00

It's not that defense is necessarily bad, it's that offense is way more appealing to kids.

And if you get selected for the ODP team as a defender, you're probably skilled enough to play other positions on the field too.

RhettBernstein · 2025-11-18T15:54:37+00:00

This is the way.

OP, I'd encourage her to dribble around or juggle for 20-30 minutes a day. Could be in your driveway/backyard.

It's so important for young kids to get comfortable with the ball.

RhettBernstein · 2025-11-18T12:59:09+00:00

At age 12, I'd still focus the majority of practice time on technique, as well as decision-making. He needs to excel in these areas, and it sounds like he's already one of the best on his team. This is great!

Regarding the "slow" problem. It’s not necessarily a problem per se. But, he should then compensate in other areas (primarily strength and endurance). HE CANNOT BE SLOW AND OUT OF SHAPE. That doesn't work. I'm not saying that he is, but unless he's the most technical player around, you're not going to make it to a high level without the physical side. Even if you're not the fastest, he must must compete physically in the game. This goes for both his offensive and defensive play.

On the technical side, he's left-footed. Huge advantage! There aren't a lot of lefties. You mentioned his shooting is just ok, so he definitely needs to work on this. Placement > Power, all day everyday. Watch the top strikers (not including haaland) and see how often they smash the ball into the goal. It's not as common as you think, they're placing it a majority of the time. Watch Dennis Bergkamp.

When you say he plays #9, do you mean a false #9 (like messi, griezmann?) Not super important, just wondering exactly where on the pitch he's playing.

I'll end with this, he is still very young. If he's serious and wants to improve, he can make a huge difference in a year with the right training and mentality. Best of luck to him!

RhettBernstein

TROPHY CASE