This week, we covered the announcement of New York City MLS Next club Met Oval (aka Metropolitan Oval) and Soccer Stars United officially partnering, and in a way that has a lot of real overlap and collaboration, not just co-branding. I was amazed to see the announcement because six years ago, our son made the jump from SSU to Met Oval – at a time when there was no relationship between the two organizations. I decided to share our (Gloria and I, co-founders of U.S. Soccer Parent) personal backstory here.
A Personal Experience
Our son came late to organized youth soccer, at age 10. He had some fútbol skills from summers spent in Spain (where young kids roam communities and beaches with soccer balls at their feet practically at all times). He played sports in school but we hadn’t thought about club soccer, until he announced he wanted to do it. Some of his friends were playing on the lowest team of three tiers in each age group at Soccer Stars United, so of course, that’s where we started.
We were not soccer fans really, and knew nothing about U.S. youth soccer, where SSU sat in the system (locally let alone nationally) and didn’t even consider other options. And honestly, most of the other parents didn’t have much of this context either (this information vacuum became the genesis of U.S. Soccer Parent, although we didn’t launch that until early 2025).
Although he started late, our son had undeniable talent and quickly ambition and determination/discipline (it came from him, not us pushing) allowed him to rise through the SSU ranks. Late in his U13 season, he was promoted to SSU’s regional travel team. A year later, he was starting to feel like he needed (certainly wanted) to play (and equally importantly, train) at a more elite level. Given how focused and serious he was about soccer, we naturally were supportive.
But…how to make it happen? Of course we’ve written about this recently, but at the time we not only didn’t know how, we didn’t even really know WHAT that might mean. We had no idea where SSU and his team fit in the “soccer pyramid”, or even that there was such a thing. So we just basically started socializing the idea that he was interested in next steps (and longer term goals like college) which didn’t seem to elicit much information let alone opportunities.
Until it did. There are various things informed parents – and of course players – can do to advance their own cause, but for us it was the networking that eventually paid off.
When the Stars Align (at a BBQ)
One summer weekend, we were visiting with friends in upstate New York. We were all invited to a BBQ party. As we met people there and the topic of kids invariably came up, we would mention our situation and goals. Out of the blue, a new acquaintance from Queens said “oh, we happen to know the coaching director of Met Oval – it’s a high-level club, I’d be happy to introduce you.” And she did.
After we made that connection, our son was invited to make his first (of many before and after signing) treks from over the 59th St Bridge in Manhattan out to Met Oval’s own field in Queens (the only private club in the city that has this, I believe). After trialing and being invited back three times, he was offered a slot on the U15 roster. His speed and striking abilities happened to fill a gap. A week or two later he subbed into his first game in the second half, a friendly against archrival Blau Weiss Gottschee. He scored a goal in his first couple of minutes of play, and the rest is history (or another story).
So we thought it was fun to think about how he now looks like a trailblazer in bridging SSU to Met Oval (even though at the time SSU wasn’t thrilled about his move).
There are always going to be cynics (“it’s all about the money”) and of course the cost of pay-to-play is a big issue, but I can’t see how the “toddler-to-pro” pathway this type of alliance can represent, is not also a good thing for youth soccer…maybe making the progression easier to understand, and a little less dependent on luck (or cocktail party conversations).
Ron Stitt
Co-Founder, U.S. Soccer Parent