Recreational teams at the children's level typically take all comers, and adult recreational teams will likely screen new members by inviting them to a practice or league game, making it clear an invitation to join hinges on performance. Formal tryouts screen players for more competitive soccer, including youth travel teams, colleges and the pros. "There's always that one diamond out there," Washington Freedom coach Jim Gabarra told Gazette.net, "that everyone looks past." Tryouts offer players a chance to prove that coaches are wrong in their evaluation process, he said.
Basics
Tryouts at the pro level typically cost $60 to $395 as of 2011, with additional expenses for hotels and meals at a multi-day tryout. Teams in the Women's Professional Soccer league, such as the Boston Breakers and Washington Freedom, or the United Soccer League, such as the Rochester Raging Rhinos and Portland Timbers, typically note on their websites a date in late winter for tryouts and require you to send in an application form and proof of health insurance. For a college tryout, you may need to also bring your class schedule and proof of a physical.
Structure
A soccer team tryout may consist of an initial scrimmage, perhaps involving five players per team or a full 11, with players who make the cut invited to play in a full 90-minute game against the current squad. If you attend a tryout, you likely will play on a squad with other players who may or may not already know each other. Be prepared to deal with the unfamiliar teammates at the other end of your passes. Coaches watch and make notes on your performance. Tryouts that last two days may include timed sprints, endurance and agility tests and a measure of your vertical leap. Coaches and assistants fill out sheets ticking off your conditioning and performance, including your suitability for various positions and roles within the team.
Expert Insight
Tryouts may feature behind-the-scenes politics, such as that the team already knows whom it wants on the team based on scouting or connections, notes Baltimore-based women's coach Wes Harvey, who arranges tryouts for players of promise with mid-Atlantic women's teams. "Some teams seem to already know whom they want," he said. "Networking and politics are involved." Knowing this, a player arriving cold needs to make an impression, ideally by scoring, even if her forte is setting up other players with assists or strong defense, Harvey advises.
Considerations
"In cases of a pro tryout, the players are usually invited, so the team knows the ones they want. They're just looking to see that you're healthy and you can move," Harvey says. "The same thing is true with colleges. They know who they want from high school or travel teams. The best way is to get on a team that screens players via tryouts is to already be part of an organization, such as an organized travel team or a high school team."
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