Are tryouts just to fill the B-X teams with bodies?

L

lulu9155

SILVER
Are tryouts for clubs that have MLS next or EA mainly to just fill their B,C etc teams and not the A team? Is the A team all filled outside of tryouts?

From going to some trainings with my nephew who is switching clubs it seems that the A team gets filled outside of tryouts. And it also seems like coaches will just jump on a player simply by coming over from another A team. Without really evaluating them.

One coach flat out told my brother that if an A team kid comes over from another club, he will sign him up right away.

At another club we saw a coach tell one parent the A team was full and two days later sign up 2 kids that came over from an A team of another club, who are both benched most of the game. A parent on the team told us. Doesn’t a coach want to see these players actually play??

If this is true, how can any kids from a B team that actually have improved and potentially play better than an A team kid get noticed by the A team coach and have a shot at joining?
 
lulu9155 said:
Are tryouts for clubs that have MLS next or EA mainly to just fill their B,C etc teams and not the A team? Is the A team all filled outside of tryouts?

From going to some trainings with my nephew who is switching clubs it seems that the A team gets filled outside of tryouts. And it also seems like coaches will just jump on a player simply by coming over from another A team. Without really evaluating them.

One coach flat out told my brother that if an A team kid comes over from another club, he will sign him up right away.

At another club we saw a coach tell one parent the A team was full and two days later sign up 2 kids that came over from an A team of another club, who are both benched most of the game. A parent on the team told us. Doesn’t a coach want to see these players actually play??

If this is true, how can any kids from a B team that actually have improved and potentially play better than an A team kid get noticed by the A team coach and have a shot at joining?
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This is actually a pretty common story at the older ages since the number of teams is limited and competition is fierce among the boys. Particularly the winning teams aren’t going to have a lot of turnover. Also many mls next squads are carrying more players than can dress let alone play. Further clubs are reluctant to move up the better b team players because it will gut the b team since the remainder of the squad will get discouraged and leave. Among the mls next team at some clubs there may be reserve and futures players who are supposed to get game time with the lower level team but don’t want to play because they are worried they’ll lose eligibility if a slot opens up to dress with the a team or worse get moved down permanently.

The b team player very likely needs to move clubs and since the mls next teams are spaced out that may mean a substantial drive since there are in most areas at most just 2 squads. That means the target should be the teams at the bottom of the table, some of whom might be experiencing drama and therefore having turnaround. The b player would then try to make a name for themselves at that club and if they make a big enough impact make connections with the non disaster a teams who will see them play. Unfortunately it means that player will likely have to sacrifice a not so great year or two and put up with the drama since the stories about teams in the midst of turmoil can be stomach turning.
 
I should have said I meant for U10-U12 at the MLS next clubs but it’s still EA at this age.

At the younger ages U10-U12 does the B team player that’s strong have a chance of moving up? Or does this hold true for those ages as well stated in comment above: “Further clubs are reluctant to move up the better b team players because it will gut the b team since the remainder of the squad will get discouraged and leave.”
 
lulu9155 said:
Are tryouts for clubs that have MLS next or EA mainly to just fill their B,C etc teams and not the A team? Is the A team all filled outside of tryouts?
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Yes, yes and more yes. Tryouts are not for the A Team in any of these leagues. The A team is filled way before tryouts, trust me. Tryouts are to make B team and C team. They will never tell you that though. This is how the real money rolls in. The Girls Development Academy (Out of business now) preached this concept. A Team fully funded and supported by the US Government and the B and C Team parents. That's the truth.
 
lulu9155 said:
I should have said I meant for U10-U12 at the MLS next clubs but it’s still EA at this age.

At the younger ages U10-U12 does the B team player that’s strong have a chance of moving up? Or does this hold true for those ages as well stated in comment above: “Further clubs are reluctant to move up the better b team players because it will gut the b team since the remainder of the squad will get discouraged and leave.”
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So into the ea team slot (future to be mls next slot but not yet )? Things are more fluid in the younger ages and it’s possible as the team accelerates to 11v11 that they need players. It depends on whether the team is winning or not…if it’s a strong winning team no they aren’t moving players up. But your player is very unlikely to earn that slot at tryouts. As crush points out tryouts are mostly for lateral moves or to fill out the b slot. You would know if your kid has a chance to move up because the a team coach would have given you the tap on the shoulder they are looking at your kid and he should come practice with the team. Otherwise they are looking to fill just the bottom slots and would like pick a lateral move for that.
 
If at the tryout, a B team player nut megs 3 A team players then dribbles the goalie to score a goal, I bet he will be offered the spot on the A team right away. Never say never.
A teams are filled before the tryout doesn’t mean they won’t make room for Messi. Every A team has bench players who are expendable.
 
Jamisfoes said:
If at the tryout, a B team player nut megs 3 A team players then dribbles the goalie to score a goal, I bet he will be offered the spot on the A team right away. Never say never.
A teams are filled before the tryout doesn’t mean they won’t make room for Messi. Every A team has bench players who are expendable.
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A team will always make room for Messi and then send bench player to the B Team for further development.
 
Grace T. said:
So into the ea team slot (future to be mls next slot but not yet )? Things are more fluid in the younger ages and it’s possible as the team accelerates to 11v11 that they need players. It depends on whether the team is winning or not…if it’s a strong winning team no they aren’t moving players up. But your player is very unlikely to earn that slot at tryouts. As crush points out tryouts are mostly for lateral moves or to fill out the b slot. You would know if your kid has a chance to move up because the a team coach would have given you the tap on the shoulder they are looking at your kid and he should come practice with the team. Otherwise they are looking to fill just the bottom slots and would like pick a lateral move for that.
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It could also depend on the cross-training between the A Team and B Team. A couple years ago I saw a player on the C Team who jumped to the A Team as a result of the teams training together and playing scrimmages against each other. To be fair, this kid was incredibly athletic and technical and likely more of the exception than the rule.

If the B team player is not truly standing out above the current team many times the coach will simply go with their experienced players rather than take a new one. If the player is just 'as good' or in the middle of the pack for a team then chances are they will get overlooked.
 
Scrub It Kook said:
It could also depend on the cross-training between the A Team and B Team. A couple years ago I saw a player on the C Team who jumped to the A Team as a result of the teams training together and playing scrimmages against each other. To be fair, this kid was incredibly athletic and technical and likely more of the exception than the rule.

If the B team player is not truly standing out above the current team many times the coach will simply go with their experienced players rather than take a new one. If the player is just 'as good' or in the middle of the pack for a team then chances are they will get overlooked.
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Plymouth beat Liverpool today in the FA Cup today. Liverpool FA and they FO what happens when you FA. We need to stop labeling players A, B or C. All players are soccer players. All you need is a good coach, good fans and 11 good players who show up to ball and make history.
 
crush said:
Plymouth beat Liverpool today in the FA Cup today. Liverpool FA and they FO what happens when you FA. We need to stop labeling players A, B or C. All players are soccer players. All you need is a good coach, good fans and 11 good players who show up to ball and make history.
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Plymouth wanted it more, good on them.
 
crush said:
We need to stop labeling players A, B or C. All players are soccer players. All you need is a good coach, good fans and 11 good players who show up to ball and make history.
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Completely agree. Especially for youngers. Stop labeling them A B or C. Which means also that as kids develop differently, move them freely up and down… even during a season…

No more locking up a kid on the A team because the dad is friends with the coach or DOC… or never looking at B kids for the A team because you’ve pegged them as “not good enough” 2 years ago and no matter what happens, the coach and DOC won’t change their minds out of pride…
 
Jamisfoes said:
If at the tryout, a B team player nut megs 3 A team players then dribbles the goalie to score a goal, I bet he will be offered the spot on the A team right away. Never say never.
A teams are filled before the tryout doesn’t mean they won’t make room for Messi. Every A team has bench players who are expendable.
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Agreed that if you’re good enough, they don’t care about roster size… they’ll add you… at any time before or during the season…

I would say that though such players are rare… during all my kids’ soccer journeys, I’ve only seen a handful to be in that category… and my kids are definitely not haha
 
Socal-Soccer-Dad said:
Completely agree. Especially for youngers. Stop labeling them A B or C. Which means also that as kids develop differently, move them freely up and down… even during a season…

No more locking up a kid on the A team because the dad is friends with the coach or DOC… or never looking at B kids for the A team because you’ve pegged them as “not good enough” 2 years ago and no matter what happens, the coach and DOC won’t change their minds out of pride…
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Coaches and clubs are the one's labeling the players, Tier 1, Tier 2 players or ABC players. Parents love this shit. "My dd was selected to the A Team." Why? Well, some moms are very close to coach and some dads have so much money they can buy a club and make sure kid is on the A team. Many ways in today's great game to pay to be on the A team.
 
lulu9155 said:
do A team kids that switch over automatically get put on the A team or is this not always true?
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From our own experience, an A team coach of a big club is mostly looking for players who can be in the starting 9 (or 11) immediately. Of course someone from the B team can be just as productive as the non-starters on the A team, but there is no real incentive for the A team coach to swap them. Nothing wrong with the coach being loyal to his bench players in this scenario.

A lot of recruiting goes on between A teams especially among clubs in the same league/area. Clubs players know each other after a few seasons. A very typical conversation goes like this after a game: "Does anyone know #10 from the other team? Let's get him to join us."

The bottom line is there are lots of decent players in SoCal, your kid needs to be "obviously" better than the kid he is trying to replace in the starting lineup. No coach will turn down a "B team player" if such player can help him win (i.e. keep his job).

By the way, don't go to the huge club-wide tryouts. Go the week before or after so your kid can train with the A team. Both you and the coach can tell quickly whether your kid belongs.

Best of luck.
 
if a kid shows up to tryouts hoping to make a certain team, they are a B or lower player. A team players are added to the roster all year long without tryouts as their ability is known in advance. Keep this in mind when you force your kid on a top team they don't belong on - a 'random' kid likely will come during the year and keep your kid on the bench.
 
I learned a while ago that if you want your kid to make it onto an A team, it's important to reach out to the coach and get them involved in their team training sessions. Usually after 2-4 weeks the coach will give your kid an offer or tell em no thanks.

Tryouts rarely tell the full story. I've seen parents telling their kids to not pass and just score goals, which leads to them ball-hogging during the scrimmages of tryouts, losing the ball repeatedly, while his teammates (your kid) are left standing by, watching.
 
TheMountie said:
I learned a while ago that if you want your kid to make it onto an A team, it's important to reach out to the coach and get them involved in their team training sessions. Usually after 2-4 weeks the coach will give your kid an offer or tell em no thanks.

Tryouts rarely tell the full story. I've seen parents telling their kids to not pass and just score goals, which leads to them ball-hogging during the scrimmages of tryouts, losing the ball repeatedly, while his teammates (your kid) are left standing by, watching.
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