College soccer used to be the goal of all but a handful of the top youth prospects in the country, but with the growth of the academy and the advent of USL teams owned by Major League Soccer clubs, more young players are facing a decision over whether to skip college to go pro as teenagers.
“We’re starting to see the transition from young kids playing club and academy soccer to get the opportunity to go to college to now they are being told they play academy to become professionals,” Wake Forest head coach Bobby Muus said in a recent phone interview.