My son does play for a national team. We joined because I like exposing him to different coaching styles and it gives him more exposure.

He is currently starting for both the national and our local club team. The club team is ranked in the top 15. However, objectively, while he's in the top 25% of players on that team, he's a rung down the ladder from the 3-4 studs that are the true stars on the team.

While I want to make sure we are maximizing his opportunity to play at the next level, academics come first. Playing at an academically elite D3 school would be a great outcome.