About · Ricky Ybarra, founder
I built the tool
I wish my
family had.
ECNL, ODP, a Developmental Academy, an MLS Academy, then Division I. Recruiting was the messiest process my family ever went through. Startline is the start line for the families who never got one.
Developmental AcademySSM
MLS AcademyFC Cincinnati
Division IButler
My path, in order
- 01The club yearsYouth soccer
Where it actually started
ODPState Team → Region Team · named all-region at the inter-regional
ECNLClub soccer at the top tier
- 02The academy yearsDevelopmental Academy
The real next level up from club
MLS AcademyThe pro-pathway years
- 03CollegeD1 Soccer
College — the level this product aims at
- 04NowSTARTLINE
Building the tool my family needed
The path this product was built to shorten
The story, in four chapters
- 01
The problem
Recruiting was guesswork.
My family recruited mostly in the dark. We didn’t know which schools were realistic, which had room at my position, or which camps were worth the drive. A service wanted thousands of dollars to hand us a spreadsheet.
- 02
The experience
Which schools were realistic?
We figured it out the slow way, one email at a time. And I kept thinking about the families without a former player in the house to translate — the ones paying for hope.
- 03
The insight
The answer was on the rosters.
Every program publishes its roster. Who graduates at a position, how deep a squad is, whether freshmen play — it was all there, for all 2,215 programs. Nobody had read it for my family.
- 04
The build
So I read all of it.
66,998 roster spots and 5,545 coach addresses, every admissions range, every staff page — and a fit score for each program, given honestly, with the reason shown.
“Pick the school you’d love before you pick the team. Be happy there whether or not you make the roster.”
I’m here to help,and I want to help.
Nobody could tell my family which schools were realistic. Startline answers that question in an evening, for nothing. It’s the honest read I wish we’d had, and I want your family to have it now.
What it does for your family
- Scores where your player really fits, athletically and academically, across all 2,215 college programs.
- Shows where there’s real room on a roster, with the reason behind every score.
- Keeps every coach conversation from going cold: an email draft and a follow-up plan.
- Starts free: every program scored for your player, no card.
Ricky Ybarra, founder. Questions about your player’s search? Write to me:ricky.ybarra@getstartlineapps.com