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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Yes.  And that was the case last year at the ID sessions this time of year.  99% of the kids were current Arlington players.  My kids entire ASA team was there.  I don't know if it changes later in the year.  But, the ID sessions seem just to be a formality.[/quote]

Most top players know those things are a complete waste of time.[/quote]

This is not the right way to think about these ID sessions or the DA tryout process overall. My two sons play for a DA (tho not Arlington), so I've seen 4+ years of these cycles at all the age groups. If a "top player" is someone who already plays (like, a starter) for another DA...sure, they don't have to "try out" at all. They may even get recruited (by the other players as much as the coach, honestly). And, at the older ages, some non-DA players are already known to the coaches and wider club community--they may not have to try out either. But for everyone else, and all players at the young ages (U12 pre-academy, U13, U14), the coaches need to see them play, and play [i]against their current players[/i]. I'd say that can take two forms...

At U12, my younger son went to an open ID session, just as you're describing for Arlington. 30 minutes in, the coach pulled him out and invited him to the team. The players they [i]really, really[/i] want--they only need to see a few plays or a few touches to know they have "it". Believe me, they can tell that quickly; [i]even I[/i] can tell by now. But there aren't enough of those players to make a whole team--even for a DA.  So...

My older son was different; he was a very good player, but may not stand out in any one session or scrimmage. At U15, he approached the DA coach the winter before and asked to come to their off-season training sessions (when there wasn't a game every week to dominate training). He was able to prove himself over a few weeks, without having to stand out during any one particular session. He knew he made the team for the next year before they had official ID sessions.

If your player is like my younger son--send them to any ID session, even at the last minute, confident that they'll get spotted, no matter how jaded the coaches. But if your player is like my older son, that won't work. You need to go the extra mile to get them seen more times, in more situations, without so many other dudes clouding the picture. If the club doesn't have ID sessions until April or May, reach out now (Jan) and ask if you can drop in to a training session; then keep doing it until they tell you it's a no. If they have early ID sessions (like Arlington), follow up and ask to drop in to training afterwards.

The good news is that more than half of DA rosters are make up of this second kind of player, and they can go on to great things! But lots of parents have convinced themselves that they have the first kind of player, it's just that the coaches suck at running a tryout process. Better to assume they are the second kind of player and be pleasantly surprised when they get invited to join at the end of the first training session.

I hope this is helpful to parents at the beginning of this process.[/quote]

Does this hold for position also? I have seen really good offensive mids almost disappear ID/tryouts session. Those sessions are not really conducive to midfield play. Passing or trying a give an go and you will not get the ball back. Move to space and the ball never comes. The defenders and strikers seem to do the best in those sesssions.[/quote]

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