I don't want to derail OP's thread, but can I chime in with a related question? One of my son's teammates and close friends was put with the newer players at tryouts, rather than with his teammates. From what I observed, he is a good player with a good attitude (I played women's soccer in college, so I have a clue as to who is weak or strong on the team). He is very upset, but I'm guessing that some of the tryout organization has to be random, right?
Coaches often use players as measuring sticks. Putting a skilled player with others less skilled to see what the impact of the less skilled players around him/her is.