A few days ago, while walking across campus on a beautiful summer evening, my thoughts drifted between two subjects that occupy a surprising amount of my life: microbiome research and youth soccer.
At first glance, they seem completely unrelated.
As a researcher, much of my work focuses on developmental programming in cattle. We study how maternal nutrition, maternal health, and maternal microbiota may influence offspring development before a calf is even born. Some of the most important influences occur before anyone can observe the calf itself. Most people only see the outcome. They never see the months of invisible development that came before it.
Later that evening, I returned to my office and my eyes settled on a picture hanging on the wall.
It was an iceberg.
Only a small portion rose above the water. The vast majority remained hidden beneath the surface.
I stood there looking at it for a moment. The longer I looked, the more I found myself thinking about youth soccer.
Because perhaps youth soccer has its own hidden iceberg.
When coaches evaluate players, parents watch from the sidelines, or clubs make selections, attention naturally focuses on what can be seen:
These qualities matter.
But what if they represent only the visible tip? What if the larger portion of a player's development remains hidden beneath the surface?
As parents and coaches, we naturally evaluate the player standing in front of us. Yet every player arrives carrying years of experiences, habits, influences, setbacks, and opportunities that remain largely invisible.
The iceberg reminded me of a lesson I encounter regularly in my research.
Some of the most important aspects of development occur long before the outcome becomes visible. A calf is not a blank slate at birth. Months of biological development have already taken place before anyone sees the animal itself.
Human development is obviously more complex, but the principle may be similar.
By the time a young soccer player steps onto a field, years of development have already occurred:
These influences may not appear on a stat sheet, but they often shape who a player becomes.
Development often begins long before we recognize it.
As neither my wife nor I played competitive soccer growing up, much of what we have learned has come from watching our daughters' journey through the game.
Looking back, many of the most important influences had little to do with organized soccer itself. They happened in the spaces between games:
None of those moments appeared on a stat sheet. Yet together they helped shape the player.
Even our youngest daughter, who recently turned twenty months old, has already attended more soccer games and tournaments than I can count. Long before she could kick a ball, soccer had already become part of her environment. Whether that early exposure will influence her future interest in the game, I have no idea.
But it serves as a reminder that development often starts earlier than we think.
Twenty years ago, the hidden iceberg beneath a young player was primarily family, coaching, and opportunity.
Today, it also includes something previous generations never faced: the daily battle between attention and distraction.
Every day, young athletes face choices that most coaches never see:
The player who spends an extra thirty minutes juggling a soccer ball may look no different tomorrow. The player who spends that same thirty minutes scrolling social media may also look no different tomorrow.
But development is rarely measured in days. It accumulates over months. Over years. The iceberg is always growing.
Perhaps one of the most important skills for young athletes today is not physical at all. It may be the ability to protect their attention.
Because attention determines practice. Practice determines improvement. And improvement shapes the future.
That is why the concept of potential fascinates me.
Some players appear exceptional at twelve years old and remain exceptional. Others develop later. Some arrive at tryouts with advantages that are immediately visible. Others arrive carrying strengths that reveal themselves only with time.
A tryout can measure performance. It cannot fully measure future growth.
This does not mean coaches should ignore what they see. Performance matters. Skill matters. Athleticism matters. A roster cannot be built on potential alone.
But perhaps the iceberg offers a useful reminder. When two players appear similar in ability, what lies beneath the surface may become increasingly important:
Those questions are much harder to answer. Yet they may be among the most important.
As a researcher, I have learned that some of the most important influences on development occur long before the outcome becomes visible. The more I watch youth soccer, the more I suspect the same may be true on the field.
By the time a player arrives at a tryout, years of visible and invisible influences have already been at work. Some can be seen. Many cannot.
The challenge for players is to keep building the hidden iceberg. The challenge for parents is to help shape it. The challenge for clubs is to nurture it. And the challenge for coaches is to remember that it exists.
Because a tryout may reveal who a player is today. But the hidden iceberg may reveal who that player can become tomorrow.
Perhaps the most important question in youth soccer is not: "Who is the best player today?"
But rather: "Who is still becoming the best player tomorrow?"
The visible player earns our attention. But the hidden player may ultimately determine the future.
And perhaps that is the lesson of the iceberg. By the time we notice what stands above the water, much of the story has already been unfolding beneath the surface.