Tryout for Flight 2 team only?

G

Gee

SILVER
If you're coming from a Flight 2 team and trying to go to a new club and get accepted on Flight 1 is this possible?

From our (my child and I) experience it looks like the popular clubs have only one Flight 1 team and perhaps two Flight 2 teams and to get on the Flight 1 team you either:

1. Need to have been playing on the Flight 2 team one or more years at the same club.
2. Are coming from another club where you were on the Flight 1 team.
3. Know some coach or and team manager from the Flight 1 team that refers your child.
4. Have been recommended from your Flight 2 coach to move onto the Flight 1 team.

I've seen super skilled kids get asked to practice and scrimmage with Flight 2 teams is this about filling the roster and money with some of these clubs because there's no openings on the Flight 1 team roster?

But now what if you don't get on the Flight 1 team but are Flight 1 quality should you continue to play at a Flight 2 level where your child is saying it's too easy and feels bored with the slow paced tempo?

In my experience and this is sad for me to say but I've seen really talented kids that I thought were beyond real with skills that played at a very fast tempo stay on these Flight 2 teams and then a year or so later I see them play and they have lost all the talent that I saw in the previous years and are now playing as defenders or some other position that I would have never imagined to see them play.

And on the other hand I've seen kids on the Flight 1 team look like Flight 3 quality so I'm confused...
 
Gee said:
..........to get on the Flight 1 team you either:

1. Need to have been playing on the Flight 2 team one or more years at the same club.
2. Are coming from another club where you were on the Flight 1 team.
3. Know some coach or and team manager from the Flight 1 team that refers your child.
4. Have been recommended from your Flight 2 coach to move onto the Flight 1 team.

.......And on the other hand I've seen kids on the Flight 1 team look like Flight 3 quality so I'm confused...
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You forgot 5. Have real talent and abilities.

I have never seen a coach turn away real top tier level talent away. Been at club soccer, two kids, for 10 years. I have seen a coach not take a real talented kid because the parent's reputation preceded the player (as well as dropping a kid because of the parents).

Are there politics and favoritism - yes, but that's life.
 
Without knowing your child's age or where you are talking about, then #5 above is the answer.

Really talented kids play defender, by the way.

shopping
 
The known versus the unknown. The flight 1 team has kids, and parents, and the coach knows what to expect. What do you and your kid bring to the table? Something markably better than what the coach already has? I tell my daughter all of the time, that since she wasn't identified early she will have to work twice as hard for 1/2 the credit. Be the grinder. Show up early. Stay late. Work on weaknesses. Be the kid that the coach HAS to take; they will make room - for the right kid (and parent). Good luck.
 
mirage said:
I have never seen a coach turn away real top tier level talent away.
Click to expand...
I've seen it on occasion. Sometimes a player just doesn't fit the physical profile for a certain coach. Not all coaches define "top tier" talent in the same way. One of my kid's former teammates was a willowy, toothpick legged dynamo, but the coach didn't think she was physical enough. She found a coach who didn't care about that and played at a very high level. What I've seen more frequently than that is this: you have a b-team player who is just as capable as an incumbent a-teamer at his/her position, but not obviously better. In that scenario, there's no incentive for the coach to bring up the b-teamer because it's going to cut into playing time for the incumbent a-teamer and piss off the parents. So that b-teamer might have to find another club/coach that has a need at that position with their top flight team in order to get their shot at being on a top-tier team.

As for these . . .
Gee said:
1. Need to have been playing on the Flight 2 team one or more years at the same club.
2. Are coming from another club where you were on the Flight 1 team.
3. Know some coach or and team manager from the Flight 1 team that refers your child.
4. Have been recommended from your Flight 2 coach to move onto the Flight 1 team.
Click to expand...

#1. I've only ever seen this happen once. Clubs don't operate this way. If they want to add talent to their top tier team, they will recruit away from a rival before promoting from within. Every day. All day. And twice on Sunday if the club has the word "development" prominently displayed on their website.
#2. & #3. Sure, that does happen.
#4. LOL. The A team coach gives zero f#*ks what the B team coach recommends. Always.
 
“I see them play and they have lost all the talent that I saw in the previous years and are now playing as defenders or some other position that I would have never imagined to see them play.”

The good players should only striker and center mid? Show me a team that doesn’t have strong players on defense and I’ll show you a team that is likely getting rocked week after week.

You can hide weak kids on the wing, not in the back.
 
Mystery Train said:
I've seen it on occasion. Sometimes a player just doesn't fit the physical profile for a certain coach. Not all coaches define "top tier" talent in the same way. One of my kid's former teammates was a willowy, toothpick legged dynamo, but the coach didn't think she was physical enough. She found a coach who didn't care about that and played at a very high level. What I've seen more frequently than that is this: you have a b-team player who is just as capable as an incumbent a-teamer at his/her position, but not obviously better. In that scenario, there's no incentive for the coach to bring up the b-teamer because it's going to cut into playing time for the incumbent a-teamer and piss off the parents. So that b-teamer might have to find another club/coach that has a need at that position with their top flight team in order to get their shot at being on a top-tier team.

As for these . . .


#1. I've only ever seen this happen once. Clubs don't operate this way. If they want to add talent to their top tier team, they will recruit away from a rival before promoting from within. Every day. All day. And twice on Sunday if the club has the word "development" prominently displayed on their website.
#2. & #3. Sure, that does happen.
#4. LOL. The A team coach gives zero f#*ks what the B team coach recommends. Always.
Click to expand...
Yep same thing I really don’t like seeing the b-teamer situation when I see this I feel sad for the child and realize the greed and politics that must be happening. Another thing is these clubs are not doing the right thing there’s never going to be any team chemistry amongst the players just a revolving door and rich parents gossiping on the field about all the players.. Good grief!
 
Surf Zombie said:
“I see them play and they have lost all the talent that I saw in the previous years and are now playing as defenders or some other position that I would have never imagined to see them play.”

The good players should only striker and center mid? Show me a team that doesn’t have strong players on defense and I’ll show you a team that is likely getting rocked week after week.

You can hide weak kids on the wing, not in the back.
Click to expand...

I wasn’t saying anything directly negative about being a defensive player and sorry some have taken me the wrong way what I meant to say is I’ve seen kids with fast feet, strong legs and fast on the wing doing all the right things and their hard work goes unnoticed as wingers hard work usually does and as result they will repeat Flight 2 but this time in a different position that’s not helping their progress as a player.
 
Gotta remember too that some kids that look like superstars in Flt 2 sometimes don’t look the same when put up against Flt 1 players. But I do agree, unless you’re a unicorn, it’s hard to break in from the outside from a Flt 2 team and that coaches would rather go with the known than the unknown for the middle of the pack players.
 
Gee said:
If you're coming from a Flight 2 team and trying to go to a new club and get accepted on Flight 1 is this possible?

From our (my child and I) experience it looks like the popular clubs have only one Flight 1 team and perhaps two Flight 2 teams and to get on the Flight 1 team you either:

1. Need to have been playing on the Flight 2 team one or more years at the same club.
2. Are coming from another club where you were on the Flight 1 team.
3. Know some coach or and team manager from the Flight 1 team that refers your child.
4. Have been recommended from your Flight 2 coach to move onto the Flight 1 team.

I've seen super skilled kids get asked to practice and scrimmage with Flight 2 teams is this about filling the roster and money with some of these clubs because there's no openings on the Flight 1 team roster?

But now what if you don't get on the Flight 1 team but are Flight 1 quality should you continue to play at a Flight 2 level where your child is saying it's too easy and feels bored with the slow paced tempo?

In my experience and this is sad for me to say but I've seen really talented kids that I thought were beyond real with skills that played at a very fast tempo stay on these Flight 2 teams and then a year or so later I see them play and they have lost all the talent that I saw in the previous years and are now playing as defenders or some other position that I would have never imagined to see them play.

And on the other hand I've seen kids on the Flight 1 team look like Flight 3 quality so I'm confused...
Click to expand...
Hey Gee... I've read a bunch of your post and they all seem to have the same message/questions. Don't overthink this, seriously. If you do you can drive yourself crazy.

You have been given plenty of solid advice. In the end do whats best for your kid. You can never go wrong with that..
 
A strong coach can take a strong flight 2 player and develop them into a flight 1 player. I have watched our coach do it from both inside and outside of the club.
 
bruinblue14 said:
Gotta remember too that some kids that look like superstars in Flt 2 sometimes don’t look the same when put up against Flt 1 players. But I do agree, unless you’re a unicorn, it’s hard to break in from the outside from a Flt 2 team and that coaches would rather go with the known than the unknown for the middle of the pack players.
Click to expand...
The difference between top flight 1 teams/players and bottom flight 1 teams/players is pretty significant.
 
I don't know what age your child is but my DD is 11 and I determined that all Flight 1 and Flight 2 team's development are not created equal. Just look at State and National cup results. Some call themselves Flight 1 or Flight 2 and they were demolished early on or they played down a level and didn't make it very far. That tells me who is truly a Flight 1 or Flight 2 team or a Flight 3 team. For me I am less concerned about what Flight my DD plays on and more concerned about her development and her enjoyment of that development. My daughter surprisingly cares less about the social aspect and more about feeling achievement. From what you wrote, your daughter sounds similar. Of course my daughter is a Goalkeeper so playing on the winning team at this age is not her motivation as it equates to less action for her. Who she plays against is the most important for her development. My friend who's daughter played ECNL all years and was recruited by some top Colleges and told me when my daughter was a baby that she was going to be athletic (how did he know..LOL), told me to just have my daughter play at a local club that doesn't cost a fortune and focus on good private training for now because you can't rely on development from clubs. I guess that would be a good idea for your DD too because the more she stands out, the higher chance she will be recruited by a stronger team that she will be happy with the challenge. I recently surmised that the whole "Club" scenario doesn't make sense so the less we expect from it, the better off we are. My recommendation for what it is worth is to try and find a team where your daughter will be happy rather than what Flight she is on. If she needs challenge to be happy than focus on the top Flight 2 teams as well as Flight 1 teams. It takes time to find that fit. Good luck! I feel your frustration for what it is worth!
 
Mystery Train said:
I've seen it on occasion. Sometimes a player just doesn't fit the physical profile for a certain coach. Not all coaches define "top tier" talent in the same way. One of my kid's former teammates was a willowy, toothpick legged dynamo, but the coach didn't think she was physical enough. She found a coach who didn't care about that and played at a very high level.
Click to expand...

I have seen this quite a few times. Top tier teams that play a certain style aren't interested in a smaller, and/or not as fast, and/or less aggressive or physical player that does have excellent skill, passing, and IQ. But then that player shouldn't be considering this team probably anyway -- it isn't a good fit for anyone. OR another team with a certain style isn't as interested in the talented (fast, aggressive) forward who rams it into the middle over and over and loses the ball even when their team mates are making runs and getting open. You could argue this is coachable, and I agree, but I have seen kids rejected for their style of play, even when they show some talent.

BUT, if they are a unicorn, then no coach will reject them, no matter how "off style" they are...
 
Forget about the flight 1 and flight 2 teams, as long has your kids is playing and having fun, that’s what matter, because is not going to get any easier, is still a long long way to go, especially the Development Academy, just take it step by step slowly, you will be there in time.
 
[QUOTE=" My recommendation for what it is worth is to try and find a team where your daughter will be happy rather than what Flight she is on. If she needs challenge to be happy than focus on the top Flight 2 teams as well as Flight 1 teams. It takes time to find that fit. Good luck! I feel your frustration for what it is worth![/QUOTE]

True that! My kid is 10 and I know that she does not want to be on the team where the kids are chit chatting and playing with their hair and not looking like they want to be there at all, play at a super slow tempo, and so far all the Flight 2 teams we have either trained with or seen and heard about are like this and sorry for making generalization but this has been our experience... Finding a team.. that's what we have been doing and yes it's taking lots of time but we are learning a lot about the way things are set up and why things are the way they are on many of these clubs. What I'm starting to realize is if your kid has the skill sets and can play at the Flight 1 level very well but is "unknown" and regardless that your kid might be a shiny unicorn then perhaps maybe best to wait until late in the process like tryout when team is desperately looking like May or June is the time when these teams get nervous if they do not have a full roster even the parents on these teams start to feel strange because they see other girls from the other teams coming to help out the team that does not have enough players on the roster. As for now we are playing Academy Futsal and pick up games and lots of privates which to us is the time to sharpen up skills and progression. Thanks for all the advice and feedback here!
 
Bananacorner said:
I have seen this quite a few times. Top tier teams that play a certain style aren't interested in a smaller, and/or not as fast, and/or less aggressive or physical player that does have excellent skill, passing, and IQ. But then that player shouldn't be considering this team probably anyway -- it isn't a good fit for anyone. OR another team with a certain style isn't as interested in the talented (fast, aggressive) forward who rams it into the middle over and over and loses the ball even when their team mates are making runs and getting open. You could argue this is coachable, and I agree, but I have seen kids rejected for their style of play, even when they show some talent.

BUT, if they are a unicorn, then no coach will reject them, no matter how "off style" they are...
Click to expand...

The "unicorn" is in the eye of the beholder and even if your kid is that shiny unicorn you might still be asked to play down at the Flight 2 level based on the Flight 1 roster being already full and parents do not want their kid to be benched so some unicorn unknown kid can grab up the fame. That's the reality of this USA soccer club culture it's mostly just greed and money and parents running the monkey show trying to be Team Managers so they can have an upper hand on the club and be closer with the control freak coaches and what not.
 
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