Tryout player vs game player

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

DP but curious why you ask? Is there something about the RB position that makes it harder to stand out at tryouts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue my son had at tryouts was he'd try to play his normal game in tryouts and I used to tell him, you need to dig deep in your bag during tryouts this isn't practice. Don't be a ball hog but you need to show off all aspects of your game whether it's speed, passing, shooting etc. He never listened but I guess it wasn't meant to be because he now plays football.

Sorry to hear that. Condolences

Ehh no worries, he's the more athletically gifted of my kids but doesn't have drive. My other is the workhorse and is thriving in soccer plus the football schedule is more forgiving so we don't have intersecting tournaments and what not lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue my son had at tryouts was he'd try to play his normal game in tryouts and I used to tell him, you need to dig deep in your bag during tryouts this isn't practice. Don't be a ball hog but you need to show off all aspects of your game whether it's speed, passing, shooting etc. He never listened but I guess it wasn't meant to be because he now plays football.

Sorry to hear that. Condolences

Ehh no worries, he's the more athletically gifted of my kids but doesn't have drive. My other is the workhorse and is thriving in soccer plus the football schedule is more forgiving so we don't have intersecting tournaments and what not lol.

Seems you have it backwards.

Doesn't football need the physical workhorse and soccer the athletic one?

[Anonymous]

No, tackle football is for the most athletic kids. Mediocre athletes can do ok in soccer if they work hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, tackle football is for the most athletic kids. Mediocre athletes can do ok in soccer if they work hard.

LOL... yeah, those overweight offensive and defensive linemen with knee braces are extremely athletic

Payton Manning had athleticism that eclipsed Ronaldo by far

Not to mention how much athleticism is needed for 12 minutes of actual action over 3 hours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue my son had at tryouts was he'd try to play his normal game in tryouts and I used to tell him, you need to dig deep in your bag during tryouts this isn't practice. Don't be a ball hog but you need to show off all aspects of your game whether it's speed, passing, shooting etc. He never listened but I guess it wasn't meant to be because he now plays football.

Sorry to hear that. Condolences

Ehh no worries, he's the more athletically gifted of my kids but doesn't have drive. My other is the workhorse and is thriving in soccer plus the football schedule is more forgiving so we don't have intersecting tournaments and what not lol.

Seems you have it backwards.

Doesn't football need the physical workhorse and soccer the athletic one?

Lol I meant workhorse as in the drive and willingness to do extra outside of practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue my son had at tryouts was he'd try to play his normal game in tryouts and I used to tell him, you need to dig deep in your bag during tryouts this isn't practice. Don't be a ball hog but you need to show off all aspects of your game whether it's speed, passing, shooting etc. He never listened but I guess it wasn't meant to be because he now plays football.

Sorry to hear that. Condolences

Ehh no worries, he's the more athletically gifted of my kids but doesn't have drive. My other is the workhorse and is thriving in soccer plus the football schedule is more forgiving so we don't have intersecting tournaments and what not lol.

Seems you have it backwards.

Doesn't football need the physical workhorse and soccer the athletic one?

Lol I meant workhorse as in the drive and willingness to do extra outside of practices.

And I meant to also say he's the most naturally athletic, the other is still athletic but has to grind a little harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, tackle football is for the most athletic kids. Mediocre athletes can do ok in soccer if they work hard.

Haha this is amazingly silly. I grew up playing football and my kid plays soccer. Soccer is a much tougher sport athletically and physically more demanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

He is a CB and maintains his position. After being a winger/attacker until winter 2025, he was switched to CB and was such a hit in that position (excellent timing on the challenge by attackers and great poise on the buildout) that the club started promoting him heavily. I assume because there are so few natural defenders at this age. He currently plays against RL team without issue.
Having said that: no offers of any kind from other clubs even for their lowest teams.

This is surprising then. You previously said he was big and our experience is that big, strong CBs are in super high demand and I would have expected that to be an advantage.

Is he quiet? Coaches typically look at that position to be a loud, confident leader, so if he isn’t projecting that at a tryout - I am stumped by why you are experiencing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

DP but curious why you ask? Is there something about the RB position that makes it harder to stand out at tryouts?

My view is that most coaches think they can make a really good RB out of a skilled player at other positions so they don’t worry about getting that position slotted in their team. They’re going to be needing a good CAM, a good goalie, a couple good CBs, a strong goal scorer, and then left footed LBs are hard to come by - but they don’t particularly care if the RB in their starting XI has gotten used to the position yet. So I think if you go into a tryout they are comparing you to the entire midfield and it’s a harder sell. Just a personal view that it’s a tough position to try out as.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

He is a CB and maintains his position. After being a winger/attacker until winter 2025, he was switched to CB and was such a hit in that position (excellent timing on the challenge by attackers and great poise on the buildout) that the club started promoting him heavily. I assume because there are so few natural defenders at this age. He currently plays against RL team without issue.
Having said that: no offers of any kind from other clubs even for their lowest teams.

This is surprising then. You previously said he was big and our experience is that big, strong CBs are in super high demand and I would have expected that to be an advantage.

Is he quiet? Coaches typically look at that position to be a loud, confident leader, so if he isn’t projecting that at a tryout - I am stumped by why you are experiencing.

The OP mentioned other players having fluidity or God-given ability which makes me think that their DS looks awkward on the ball. They also said they train regularly so I'm assuming the kid has technical skills but that's a big assumption. I don't think their technical skills are shining at tryouts. OP, how are your DS technical skills? Are they just effective because they can muscle players off the ball and boot it down? Are they taking on 1 v. 1s and also moving and dribbling the ball up the field and creating attacking plays? FWIW, on our MLSnext team, our starting defenders dispossess the ball from attackers and move it down the field through a variety of skills, dribbling, passing, and rarely boot it down without intention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, tackle football is for the most athletic kids. Mediocre athletes can do ok in soccer if they work hard.

Haha this is amazingly silly. I grew up playing football and my kid plays soccer. Soccer is a much tougher sport athletically and physically more demanding.

Hockey has the toughest athletic requirements and great athletes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

He is a CB and maintains his position. After being a winger/attacker until winter 2025, he was switched to CB and was such a hit in that position (excellent timing on the challenge by attackers and great poise on the buildout) that the club started promoting him heavily. I assume because there are so few natural defenders at this age. He currently plays against RL team without issue.
Having said that: no offers of any kind from other clubs even for their lowest teams.

This is surprising then. You previously said he was big and our experience is that big, strong CBs are in super high demand and I would have expected that to be an advantage.

Is he quiet? Coaches typically look at that position to be a loud, confident leader, so if he isn’t projecting that at a tryout - I am stumped by why you are experiencing.

The OP mentioned other players having fluidity or God-given ability which makes me think that their DS looks awkward on the ball. They also said they train regularly so I'm assuming the kid has technical skills but that's a big assumption. I don't think their technical skills are shining at tryouts. OP, how are your DS technical skills? Are they just effective because they can muscle players off the ball and boot it down? Are they taking on 1 v. 1s and also moving and dribbling the ball up the field and creating attacking plays? FWIW, on our MLSnext team, our starting defenders dispossess the ball from attackers and move it down the field through a variety of skills, dribbling, passing, and rarely boot it down without intention.

Yeah, agreed. The kid may be effective in games but is missing something critical (technical skills, leadership, body type, something) at a position that most teams are actively seeking. Especially to not even get a lower team offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

I do think tryouts are often structured to favor attackers.

But what defensive position does he play? Is he a RB perchance?

DP but curious why you ask? Is there something about the RB position that makes it harder to stand out at tryouts?

My view is that most coaches think they can make a really good RB out of a skilled player at other positions so they don’t worry about getting that position slotted in their team. They’re going to be needing a good CAM, a good goalie, a couple good CBs, a strong goal scorer, and then left footed LBs are hard to come by - but they don’t particularly care if the RB in their starting XI has gotten used to the position yet. So I think if you go into a tryout they are comparing you to the entire midfield and it’s a harder sell. Just a personal view that it’s a tough position to try out as.

Thank for your answering. This sucks for my kid as he has been self-selecting to play RB at tryouts. Did not know this about how coaches think of that position. He used to play CB in 7v7, then some midfield in 9v9, and now more RB and RW lately in 11v11 (which is very new as the team just started playing up for spring). Will tell him to try to play midfield. And for future sounds like he really needs to develop his left foot. He is a leftie but somehow favors his right foot in soccer. Not totally awful with his left foot, so I think he will have an easier time of it than a true rightie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume my DS is an anomaly but wondered if other folks have seen this. I have a 11 year old that absolutely loved the game. He plays for a large academy and practices everyday either alone or with his team. A few years ago, he was in the 5th team of the academy but rose the ranks progressively and is now a starter in the 2nd team. It usually takes him 2 games with any new coach to convince him that he should start every game.
However, whenever my son goes to a tryout with a different academy, he will not get any offers (even for their lowest team with kids that started playing last year).
I assume that the reason is that he is not as fluid as other players that were born with god given ability, but he more than makes up for it with his work rate and consistency.
I wonder if other families have experienced this themselves.

To be clear, there is only one academy in the DMV…that is DCU and they don’t have a 5th team (even though they might play like it sometimes). Stop calling clubs academies just because they label something “academy”. You should look up the difference yourself so you stop sounding like a dope.

Semantics of language. Nobody cares about this point and it adds nothing to the discussion.