American Select Tryouts - What to expect?

[Anonymous]

Any insight from experienced parents here on what to expect at the American Select tryouts this weekend?

Is it mostly drills and scrimmaging or are there conditioning/speed tests?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Drills/small sided/ 3 on 2s, etc and then scrimmages. After first round of scrimmages they will do a call back with another couple scrimmages.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! This is very helpful!

[Anonymous]

Go in with the right expectations. Selection is based more on who you know than taking the best talent. Very political. If your DD does not play for the club overseeing the local tryouts go in with the expectation the odds are not with her. It’s not a coincidence the AS Virginia teams have not performed well the past several years. The best talent is not bothering to tryout. Last year they had so little interest at one grade level they had to cancel the team. These events are more of a money grab. In my daughters class many of the best players avoided this event and many are now committed to top D1 programs. It’s not needed for recruiting. I don’t know if this is true, but it has been noted before the AS pays a kickback to the club running the local tryout for each player that attends tryouts. This club apparently has told its own club members they are expected to tryout, which amounts to another unexpected fee on top of club dues that the club owner gets paid on. Just go in with the right expectations for your DD. Depending on the club she plays for the odds may be against her. Selection is not necessarily based on the best talent. If you want to do it for fun and you don’t mind spending the money then great. If your doing it for recruiting it’s not needed.

[Anonymous]

DC/VA did win the 2025 AG last year although it was essentially the entire Capital Blue team (ok 75%)

[Anonymous]

Is it needed for some players? No. Does it help some players get a last look by coaches who are finalizing their lists prior to Sept 1? Absolutely.

Capital has historically been involved in the selection of the players for AS. They have the best talent compared to other MoCo, DC and VA clubs so it makes sense they would lean more toward selecting their own players for this event. But they do pick players from other clubs for these teams. At least that was our experience.

All of the top coaches are there so if you think your DD would benefit from the additional exposure, it’s probably worth it.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure the AS team that had to cancel was the rising senior (23) group last summer. There were fewer of them due to the fact that most had committed the previous fall. (Why play in a recruiting tournament when you’re already recruited?) 24s and 25s had a very strong turnout - judging by the recruiting results of the 24s AS may have helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it needed for some players? No. Does it help some players get a last look by coaches who are finalizing their lists prior to Sept 1? Absolutely.

Capital has historically been involved in the selection of the players for AS. They have the best talent compared to other MoCo, DC and VA clubs so it makes sense they would lean more toward selecting their own players for this event. But they do pick players from other clubs for these teams. At least that was our experience.

All of the top coaches are there so if you think your DD would benefit from the additional exposure, it’s probably worth it.

Capital has the deepest bench of all the local clubs, but not all of the best talent. In my daughters class many players who are now moving on to play for top D1 programs never bothered with events like these. They didn’t need to. If your DD has the talent she will be promoted by her coaches, be seen by coaches at tournaments, and will stand out at prospect days of the schools she wants to attend. There will be some on this board who will promote AS as a must have, but remember these events are kicking back money to the clubs who run them. And these very clubs are telling their club players it’s highly recommended they tryout. More money for the club. The club directors then know their club players will pay the AS team fee if selected to the team. Maybe even more money for the club director. It’s a business folks. I don’t fault these events and club owners for trying to make a buck. But don’t be fooled that this is about all of the best talent. Case in point look at the UA team made up mostly of VA Metro players several years ago. If your DD has the talent she will be seen without having to pay these event fees.

[Anonymous]

Those events are money grabs, yes its a nice to have a resume builder and yes you can be seen by additional coaches, but for the most part, complete money grab. Most kids think if they make these special teams they will automatically get recruited. Not the case. It's all about keepingup your grades, getting better on and off the lax field, and marketing yourself to college coaches (however you do that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it needed for some players? No. Does it help some players get a last look by coaches who are finalizing their lists prior to Sept 1? Absolutely.

Capital has historically been involved in the selection of the players for AS. They have the best talent compared to other MoCo, DC and VA clubs so it makes sense they would lean more toward selecting their own players for this event. But they do pick players from other clubs for these teams. At least that was our experience.

All of the top coaches are there so if you think your DD would benefit from the additional exposure, it’s probably worth it.

Capital has the deepest bench of all the local clubs, but not all of the best talent. In my daughters class many players who are now moving on to play for top D1 programs never bothered with events like these. They didn’t need to. If your DD has the talent she will be promoted by her coaches, be seen by coaches at tournaments, and will stand out at prospect days of the schools she wants to attend. There will be some on this board who will promote AS as a must have, but remember these events are kicking back money to the clubs who run them. And these very clubs are telling their club players it’s highly recommended they tryout. More money for the club. The club directors then know their club players will pay the AS team fee if selected to the team. Maybe even more money for the club director. It’s a business folks. I don’t fault these events and club owners for trying to make a buck. But don’t be fooled that this is about all of the best talent. Case in point look at the UA team made up mostly of VA Metro players several years ago. If your DD has the talent she will be seen without having to pay these event fees.

Capital gets the best local players. No one can argue this. Their recruiting results and tryout numbers speak for themselves. Having been to AS, I can speak from direct experience that top 20 coaches were watching the AS field carefully. They were all there. It’s the last chance for the coaches to select the girls at the top of their lists. Other local clubs with committed players had to work hard on their own and their commits were recruited very late in the process (deep into fall and well into the following summer). AS can give marketable players vying for top D1s a good stage to compete and perform at this important interval prior to Sept 1.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with PPs about the value of this event in terms of recruiting...there isn't any. College coaches know the political nature of selection of these types of events.

The fact that AS created multiple teams within the same age group last year (and didn't distribute the talent evenly - clearly A and B teams which competed against each other) speaks volumes. Motivation - pure greed and wanting to secure as many players as they could before UA tryouts. In our experience, way too expensive for the opportunity to play with/against different competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree with PPs about the value of this event in terms of recruiting...there isn't any. College coaches know the political nature of selection of these types of events.

The fact that AS created multiple teams within the same age group last year (and didn't distribute the talent evenly - clearly A and B teams which competed against each other) speaks volumes. Motivation - pure greed and wanting to secure as many players as they could before UA tryouts. In our experience, way too expensive for the opportunity to play with/against different competition.

I think all of this starts with an honest mirror-facing evaluation about how good your DD really is, and whether she has much to gain by playing in this tournament. If she plays at a very high level, makes an A team and wants to leave coaches with one last impression before they formalize their lists, it’s worth it. If your DD is a good player but maybe hasn’t shown herself well throughout the tournament season and wants another shot to impress college coaches, it’s worth it. If she’s not a top area player and hasn’t received much interest over the summer, this tourney probably won’t help much. It’s an individual decision that isn’t for everyone. But it can definitely help tip the scales given the college coaches in attendance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it needed for some players? No. Does it help some players get a last look by coaches who are finalizing their lists prior to Sept 1? Absolutely.

Capital has historically been involved in the selection of the players for AS. They have the best talent compared to other MoCo, DC and VA clubs so it makes sense they would lean more toward selecting their own players for this event. But they do pick players from other clubs for these teams. At least that was our experience.

All of the top coaches are there so if you think your DD would benefit from the additional exposure, it’s probably worth it.

Capital has the deepest bench of all the local clubs, but not all of the best talent. In my daughters class many players who are now moving on to play for top D1 programs never bothered with events like these. They didn’t need to. If your DD has the talent she will be promoted by her coaches, be seen by coaches at tournaments, and will stand out at prospect days of the schools she wants to attend. There will be some on this board who will promote AS as a must have, but remember these events are kicking back money to the clubs who run them. And these very clubs are telling their club players it’s highly recommended they tryout. More money for the club. The club directors then know their club players will pay the AS team fee if selected to the team. Maybe even more money for the club director. It’s a business folks. I don’t fault these events and club owners for trying to make a buck. But don’t be fooled that this is about all of the best talent. Case in point look at the UA team made up mostly of VA Metro players several years ago. If your DD has the talent she will be seen without having to pay these event fees.

Capital gets the best local players. No one can argue this. Their recruiting results and tryout numbers speak for themselves. Having been to AS, I can speak from direct experience that top 20 coaches were watching the AS field carefully. They were all there. It’s the last chance for the coaches to select the girls at the top of their lists. Other local clubs with committed players had to work hard on their own and their commits were recruited very late in the process (deep into fall and well into the following summer). AS can give marketable players vying for top D1s a good stage to compete and perform at this important interval prior to Sept 1.

The above reads like a promotional piece from Capital. Of course one would expect the club running AS to promote their own club. It helps them and apparently helps line the clubs pockets. Why is it that Capital runs this tryout every year? Would Capital players tryout if 75%+ of their Blue team was not guaranteed a spot as a previous poster noted? How many Capital Orange players make the team? That wouldn’t go over well within the Capital club family. The bottom line is this event does not and has never attracted all of the best talent in the DMV. And it is not needed for recruiting. If one’s recruiting strategy comes down to this single event then something else is getting in the way of the player being recruited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it needed for some players? No. Does it help some players get a last look by coaches who are finalizing their lists prior to Sept 1? Absolutely.

Capital has historically been involved in the selection of the players for AS. They have the best talent compared to other MoCo, DC and VA clubs so it makes sense they would lean more toward selecting their own players for this event. But they do pick players from other clubs for these teams. At least that was our experience.

All of the top coaches are there so if you think your DD would benefit from the additional exposure, it’s probably worth it.

Capital has the deepest bench of all the local clubs, but not all of the best talent. In my daughters class many players who are now moving on to play for top D1 programs never bothered with events like these. They didn’t need to. If your DD has the talent she will be promoted by her coaches, be seen by coaches at tournaments, and will stand out at prospect days of the schools she wants to attend. There will be some on this board who will promote AS as a must have, but remember these events are kicking back money to the clubs who run them. And these very clubs are telling their club players it’s highly recommended they tryout. More money for the club. The club directors then know their club players will pay the AS team fee if selected to the team. Maybe even more money for the club director. It’s a business folks. I don’t fault these events and club owners for trying to make a buck. But don’t be fooled that this is about all of the best talent. Case in point look at the UA team made up mostly of VA Metro players several years ago. If your DD has the talent she will be seen without having to pay these event fees.

Capital gets the best local players. No one can argue this. Their recruiting results and tryout numbers speak for themselves. Having been to AS, I can speak from direct experience that top 20 coaches were watching the AS field carefully. They were all there. It’s the last chance for the coaches to select the girls at the top of their lists. Other local clubs with committed players had to work hard on their own and their commits were recruited very late in the process (deep into fall and well into the following summer). AS can give marketable players vying for top D1s a good stage to compete and perform at this important interval prior to Sept 1.

The above reads like a promotional piece from Capital. Of course one would expect the club running AS to promote their own club. It helps them and apparently helps line the clubs pockets. Why is it that Capital runs this tryout every year? Would Capital players tryout if 75%+ of their Blue team was not guaranteed a spot as a previous poster noted? How many Capital Orange players make the team? That wouldn’t go over well within the Capital club family. The bottom line is this event does not and has never attracted all of the best talent in the DMV. And it is not needed for recruiting. If one’s recruiting strategy comes down to this single event then something else is getting in the way of the player being recruited.

I'm not affiliated with Capital management. My kid played for the club. We had a great experience. When folks like you take shots at CLC, I'm going to defend them - with facts.

Capital runs the tournament because it has the best local talent - you may not want to believe that, but it's why the club has the best local record and plays in the best brackets in the best national tournaments. It's why it always ranks highest among other local area clubs. It's why it gets the most local kids recruited to the best lax and academic schools in the country. It's why it has the highest tryout turnout of any other local club. These are all facts.

If you have eyes you'll see that I didn't say this tournament was for everyone. I made the very same point as you that those who didn't receive much summer interest shouldn't expect this tournament to be of singular help.

But it can be helpful for some with their recruiting. The fact that you won't even acknowledge this speaks to some personal motivation of yours to try and dissuade people from trying out. This undermines your credibility.

Your previous argument that coaches know the political nature of the selection process makes zero sense - if that were true, why would the best college coaches in the country show up in droves to attend the AS event, and do so every year?

Just because your DD didn't try out for AS and had a satisfactory recruiting outcome doesn't mean the event won't be helpful to others.

[Anonymous]

well said