Insiders view of tryouts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While entire teams are not pre-made, the majority of them are. Perhaps 70-80% of the roster. This spring I knew two of the three coaches in my kid's age group. Both coaches told me exactly which kids were getting offers to which teams and exactly which kids were not getting offers.

So, while there is perhaps 1-4 potential open spots it's not uncommon for teams to be "pre-made". Now, the issue comes when clubs don't always place the best players with the top teams because they want all their teams to perform well so they spread out the bubble players. This is unfair to those players because proper development requires players to be around players of even skill (usually). Otherwise, it's a wasted season.

That’s because of positioning requirements.

18 person teams don’t need 4 keepers right? Same is true of other positions, they don’t need 6 forwards or 4 center backs. So yes, the top 6 forwards in a club’s age bracket are going to get broken up across the top two teams, even if forward number 5 is - on a 4 corners eval - better than 14 of the players on the top team.

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Not really, and especially not for something ENCL or MLSnext. There is a good chance that the 4th or fifth best forward at tryouts is a better left back than the second best left back. Talent tends to go to striker, center mid, and, to a lesser degree, center back. The top team is not going to keep a right mid when another kid who calls themselves a center mid could play the right mid better than them. The best teams are mostly former strikers and center mids who learned a new position.

You’re blending old positions with new positions in order to be right on this subject.

Almost every 7yo that goes ends up in club later is a striker at 7yo. As the a-side increases, the positions to do. 5aside is a 6, a 7, 10 and 11. All middies.

7aside you get a couple of defenders, but it’s still middle driven ball with an increased popularity of a 1-3-2 formation, you might only get one back - so basically everyone is still a middie…until 11v11.

And to top it off, teams don’t carry two “left backs.” Whoever is the backup left back, is a something else primarily. And chances are it’s another back or a middie.

If your kid is the number 5 forward in a club (in your mind), and is on the top team as a left back - they’re not a forward…they’re a left back…even if they were “so amazing” as a striker at 10. I promise you, the club doesn’t even have your DC labeled as a fwd in PlayMetrics at that point on the club’s blackend.

Phrase it however you want to, but telling yourself it's a position crunch is wrong. Aside from goalies, teams will take the most talented kids and figure out positions later

Yes…at u11…. 🤦‍♂️ not at u14

What happens to the bubble kids? They get knocked off so the team can bring on their 10th center mid? 😂

Coaches are taking the best players regardless of position, they'll find a spot in the rotation or work them in somewhere. My DC started as a center mid then went to winger/forward, outside mid, and finished up their last 3 clubs seasons as an outside defender and then went to college and played center mid. You'll only have the same coach for a couple years and each coach evaluates talent differently or how players fit into their system. The anomalies to this are striker, center defenders and goalie - those takes a specific skill set, every other position is best player.

This is not correct. Yes kids change positions. No, coaches absolutely fill positions with the best player for that position. And yes, position crunch absolutely happens - kids change clubs over this literally all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While entire teams are not pre-made, the majority of them are. Perhaps 70-80% of the roster. This spring I knew two of the three coaches in my kid's age group. Both coaches told me exactly which kids were getting offers to which teams and exactly which kids were not getting offers.

So, while there is perhaps 1-4 potential open spots it's not uncommon for teams to be "pre-made". Now, the issue comes when clubs don't always place the best players with the top teams because they want all their teams to perform well so they spread out the bubble players. This is unfair to those players because proper development requires players to be around players of even skill (usually). Otherwise, it's a wasted season.

That’s because of positioning requirements.

18 person teams don’t need 4 keepers right? Same is true of other positions, they don’t need 6 forwards or 4 center backs. So yes, the top 6 forwards in a club’s age bracket are going to get broken up across the top two teams, even if forward number 5 is - on a 4 corners eval - better than 14 of the players on the top team.

\

Not really, and especially not for something ENCL or MLSnext. There is a good chance that the 4th or fifth best forward at tryouts is a better left back than the second best left back. Talent tends to go to striker, center mid, and, to a lesser degree, center back. The top team is not going to keep a right mid when another kid who calls themselves a center mid could play the right mid better than them. The best teams are mostly former strikers and center mids who learned a new position.

You’re blending old positions with new positions in order to be right on this subject.

Almost every 7yo that goes ends up in club later is a striker at 7yo. As the a-side increases, the positions to do. 5aside is a 6, a 7, 10 and 11. All middies.

7aside you get a couple of defenders, but it’s still middle driven ball with an increased popularity of a 1-3-2 formation, you might only get one back - so basically everyone is still a middie…until 11v11.

And to top it off, teams don’t carry two “left backs.” Whoever is the backup left back, is a something else primarily. And chances are it’s another back or a middie.

If your kid is the number 5 forward in a club (in your mind), and is on the top team as a left back - they’re not a forward…they’re a left back…even if they were “so amazing” as a striker at 10. I promise you, the club doesn’t even have your DC labeled as a fwd in PlayMetrics at that point on the club’s blackend.

Phrase it however you want to, but telling yourself it's a position crunch is wrong. Aside from goalies, teams will take the most talented kids and figure out positions later

Yes…at u11…. 🤦‍♂️ not at u14

What happens to the bubble kids? They get knocked off so the team can bring on their 10th center mid? 😂

Coaches are taking the best players regardless of position, they'll find a spot in the rotation or work them in somewhere. My DC started as a center mid then went to winger/forward, outside mid, and finished up their last 3 clubs seasons as an outside defender and then went to college and played center mid. You'll only have the same coach for a couple years and each coach evaluates talent differently or how players fit into their system. The anomalies to this are striker, center defenders and goalie - those takes a specific skill set, every other position is best player.

This is not correct. Yes kids change positions. No, coaches absolutely fill positions with the best player for that position. And yes, position crunch absolutely happens - kids change clubs over this literally all the time.

Kids change colleges over this all the time too! 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just went through an annoying club experience.

My oldest is a 2010 and on top team and has been for 10+ years.

My youngest is a 2016. She started playing a little older but tore up the rec league and was moved into their all stars program and did the same.

They invited us to the competitive cattle call tryouts and my 2016 was put into the 4th group with the players wearing helmets.

I couldn't believe it. There was definitely a disconnect. I suppose I should have shmuzed up to the youngers doc or just went directly to the top team coach. But I thought the club was tracking success + would be a little more accommodating with top players younger siblings.

Meh, big deal. Their loss we went down the street to a smaller club. The parents are way nicer. The practice facilities are better. Coach played in college and is doing everything right. My kid has done the same thing at the new club and is scoring all the goals. Eventually we'll play and likely beat the big club the put my daughter in the "helmet crew" during tryouts and I fully expect coaches to be waiting to say hi in the parking lot.

It is 2024. Your elder child was born in 2010. They are 13-14 years old.

According to you, they have been on the top team for ten+ years. You were there being disingenuous or, no offense meant, foe finding a travel program for the child at four.

Been playing rec since 3.

Club did a "elite" team starting at 5.

Rec All Star players are funneled into the elite team which becomes letter league at u13.

“Elite” at 5 years old. What a tool.

I have no control over what clubs call their top teams.

Sheesh what a bunch of bronze medals in this group.

You are correct. You don't have control over what clubs call their teams. HOWEVER, anyone who has been around the block doesn't crow about their kid being "elite" and on "top teams" in kindergarten. In fact, anyone who has.a bit of self respect doesn't typically big up their kid being "on the top team." Those who do usually do it because they were not even has beens but never weres.

Unfortunately, people here did the math to see how "elite" a 10 year career has been that started when the child had barely stopped soiling their pants.

I'm glad you did the math.

Has it occurred to you that we're not from NOVA?

When you get to the next level let everyone know.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you did the math.

Has it occurred to you that we're not from NOVA?

When you get to the next level let everyone know.

What's your point? Are you trying to say that since you don't live in NOVA, we should expect you to be an unbearable braggart?

[Anonymous]

It's satire...do you actually believe The Onion or The Babylon Bee is a legit news site?

Maybe if you used the quote button correctly and made it clear that the “satire” post is from the same PP as the “my kid got stuck with a bunch of helmet wearers” then maybe we could all have a laugh at ourselves and call it a day instead of you just laughing at your own jokes all alone?

Reminder to not feed the troll…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just went through an annoying club experience.

My oldest is a 2010 and on top team and has been for 10+ years.

My youngest is a 2016. She started playing a little older but tore up the rec league and was moved into their all stars program and did the same.

They invited us to the competitive cattle call tryouts and my 2016 was put into the 4th group with the players wearing helmets.

I couldn't believe it. There was definitely a disconnect. I suppose I should have shmuzed up to the youngers doc or just went directly to the top team coach. But I thought the club was tracking success + would be a little more accommodating with top players younger siblings.

Meh, big deal. Their loss we went down the street to a smaller club. The parents are way nicer. The practice facilities are better. Coach played in college and is doing everything right. My kid has done the same thing at the new club and is scoring all the goals. Eventually we'll play and likely beat the big club the put my daughter in the "helmet crew" during tryouts and I fully expect coaches to be waiting to say hi in the parking lot.

It is 2024. Your elder child was born in 2010. They are 13-14 years old.

According to you, they have been on the top team for ten+ years. You were there being disingenuous or, no offense meant, foe finding a travel program for the child at four.

Been playing rec since 3.

Club did a "elite" team starting at 5.

Rec All Star players are funneled into the elite team which becomes letter league at u13.

“Elite” at 5 years old. What a tool.

I have no control over what clubs call their top teams.

Sheesh what a bunch of bronze medals in this group.

You are correct. You don't have control over what clubs call their teams. HOWEVER, anyone who has been around the block doesn't crow about their kid being "elite" and on "top teams" in kindergarten. In fact, anyone who has.a bit of self respect doesn't typically big up their kid being "on the top team." Those who do usually do it because they were not even has beens but never weres.

Unfortunately, people here did the math to see how "elite" a 10 year career has been that started when the child had barely stopped soiling their pants.

I'm glad you did the math.

Has it occurred to you that we're not from NOVA?

When you get to the next level let everyone know.

Nobody said anything about NoVa. Not only are you a phoney and an insufferable person, you apparently don't read well. I feel bad for your kids and your parents. Loser.

[Anonymous]

The cattle call tryouts are a waste and it sucks that often times, the age director already has it in his mind who's making the cut while all these young kids are absolutely playing their hearts out. How can you evaluate a kid playing 15v15 (yes) in a 20 yard parcel of a field? It's kickball. I believe for all the big clubs and their money and infrastructure, GET IT TOGETHER. You already know the amount of kids registered, get there more than 45 mins early, set up the cones, set up the stations so you can get maybe 6 stations (yes means more coaches to evaluate), designated a check in person BEFORE the tryout not during. How many parents have seen coaches apparently watching a group but then called over to move cones, make space, annoying parent "needing" to talk.. Get it together. So hack the way they do this (most, not all). I've found the smaller clubs spend more time and have it dialed in better (sorry BSC and PSA)

[Anonymous]

Loudoun Soccer was picking for five teams and made a 6th field to split up 14 v 14.

Are you saying PSA has a bad tryout?

[Anonymous]

So generally speaking, clubs fill Team 1 and then move to Team 2? Or do all offers go at once and people get bumped up if kids decline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So generally speaking, clubs fill Team 1 and then move to Team 2? Or do all offers go at once and people get bumped up if kids decline?

Fill Team 1 first then move to Team 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm glad you did the math.

Has it occurred to you that we're not from NOVA?

When you get to the next level let everyone know.

What's your point? Are you trying to say that since you don't live in NOVA, we should expect you to be an unbearable braggart?

Outside agitator

[Anonymous]

A coach once told all the parents that he and his assistant coaches can determine what type of player they have at tryouts by how the players walk and warm up before tryouts even starts. It’s not the number of juggles, but how they juggle and dribble the ball. The ease, smoothness/naturalness, and agility of which they move, dribble, receive and pass the ball all get the attention of coaches. Then they see how these players perform (physically and mentally) in small-sided games and full-sided scrimmages.

I believe this is how different tryout groups are made then they move players up/down to different groups accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cattle call tryouts are a waste and it sucks that often times, the age director already has it in his mind who's making the cut while all these young kids are absolutely playing their hearts out. How can you evaluate a kid playing 15v15 (yes) in a 20 yard parcel of a field? It's kickball. I believe for all the big clubs and their money and infrastructure, GET IT TOGETHER. You already know the amount of kids registered, get there more than 45 mins early, set up the cones, set up the stations so you can get maybe 6 stations (yes means more coaches to evaluate), designated a check in person BEFORE the tryout not during. How many parents have seen coaches apparently watching a group but then called over to move cones, make space, annoying parent "needing" to talk.. Get it together. So hack the way they do this (most, not all). I've found the smaller clubs spend more time and have it dialed in better (sorry BSC and PSA)

Hosting cattle call tryouts is a terrible system, but I think a necessary one. I believe some leagues require that clubs hold fair and open tryouts when forming teams. That being said, not all clubs facilitate the tryout process in the same manner. Our club also hosted a tryout last year where they stuffed 30 kids in a tight space and held scrimmages; it was like playing soccer in an elevator. No one felt good about that process. In they end, they accepted all players who wanted to join and behind closed doors, they formed their squads. If a club doesn't have reasonable people in charge, all the little things you mentioned above can screw up a tryout. So, that might be indicative of club organization more than anything. If you are a new family to travel soccer and you see this at tryouts, maybe shop around. If you are currently in a club that did this, hopefully your player made an impression on team placement before tryouts even started, as cattle call tryouts in, a confined space are hardly fair for the players.

[Anonymous]

It’s unfortunate that teams for the most part are already predetermined before tryouts even begin. Went to a tryout last night as someone who wasn’t in their program and it was clear that at least 3 or 4 teams were already created as there was no field movement for the entire session. These fields were all made up of academy players that had been paying customers for at least a season already so of course the coaches know them and have already seen what they can do. If you’re new, you stand no chance at moving up unless you happen to be a prodigy. If you show you’re just as good as player A, they will take player A as they have a relationship with them. You have to be much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A coach once told all the parents that he and his assistant coaches can determine what type of player they have at tryouts by how the players walk and warm up before tryouts even starts. It’s not the number of juggles, but how they juggle and dribble the ball. The ease, smoothness/naturalness, and agility of which they move, dribble, receive and pass the ball all get the attention of coaches. Then they see how these players perform (physically and mentally) in small-sided games and full-sided scrimmages.

I believe this is how different tryout groups are made then they move players up/down to different groups accordingly.

What a crock of crap. The different tryout groups are made by existing team or academy for the little kids, as well as the teams players are coming from outside the club, rec kids get the last field. No, the coach is not carefully studying each player during the ten minute warm up and making brilliant snap judgments on 60 kids.