RCL/ECNL Tryouts Advice?

[Unregistered]

One of the other post reminded me that tryouts will be here before you know it. I thought it would be good to start a post that helps people navigate the tryout process.

Some friendly advice from me:

If you have kids trying out for the first or second time, please don’t stress your kid out. make it a fun memorable experience, help them look forward to tryouts, not dread them. Get them plenty of rest and water, have them wear something bright to help them standout, and tell them to stay out of the goal unless they want to be a goalie!

If you are looking to join an RCL/ECNL Club from outside RCL/ECNL

Talk to coaches now. Coaches already are getting a sense of what teams they will be coaching next year. Since you are not already at an RCL club, you can schedule some time to have your child train with the coaches team. This will give him the opportunity to evaluate your child and let you know if your child would likely make the team or not. It will also give you and your child the opportunity to see if the club, coach, and players are what you are looking for. The best way to do this is to call/email the top coach in your child’s age group.

If you are looking to join an RCL/ECNL Club from another RCL/ECNL Club:

Be aware there are specific rules when looking to transfer clubs. It starts with a call to the coach your child is interested in. That coach will tell you that they need an email from you stating your interest. It doesnt need to say you intend to switch at this point, just that you are interested. Typically there is a week or so between the end of the regular season and tryouts that your child can train with another RCL/ECNL club. But not this year. And that is why, if your child may be considering a move, you need to act now. Hopefully the coach can see your child play in head to head competition. Or maybe see your child play a common or known opponent. Or maybe they are hosting a camp or some form of training... Be creative! But the coach still isn’t suppose to provide you specific feedback.

The best way around this is to be prepared to leave your existing club now. If you are prepared to leave your club during the season, a coach is much more likely to provide you specific feedback as to whether they have a spot for your child or not. You can leave clubs and transfer to another club, but it can be difficult.

You can also wait for tryouts. The reason tryouts are two days is to give your child the opportunity to tryout for two clubs. Tryout with the new club on day one and let the coach know you will only be attending the first day. If the coach is impressed, they will offer you a spot immediately.

Again, now is the time. May will be here before you know it.

[Unregistered]

I will add to this at least at crossfire premier you will know what team your kid will be on by the end of the first day based on what field they are on. Very rarely any movement on the second day.

[Unregistered]

My advice:

Don't be afraid to change clubs if your kid isn't having fun, isn't treated with respect, and/or isn't learning anything

[Unregistered]

Good advice. I will also add that setting parent expectations is probably more important than setting kid expectations. That way parents can communicate properly to their kids and not ruin the kids soccer experience if they don't make the team they are shooting for. In my view you should not shoot for a certain level of a team anyway, but should really focus on trying to get a good coach regardless of club. Tryouts are also not a meritocracy. 80% of each team in RCL/ECNL is set before tryouts start. In my opinion big clubs are really only looking for 3 things. Subject to debate of course.

1) Existing kids that performed well and are ready to move up/displace someone. This is typically known before tryouts.

2) Existing kids that should be moved down for whatever reason the club/coach sees fit (performance, behavior, commitment etc.) This is also typically known before tryouts.

3) New kids to the club and where they should be placed. Obviously a little harder than existing kids. Most new kids are easy to judge as most new kids are not superstars. So honestly it doesn't matter much where non superstars are placed. I don't say that because non superstars don't deserve to be treated well and are not important to the club. They do and are. But in reality the clubs focus on the top teams for placement and if your kid is not destroying everyone at tryouts then they are destined for the 2nd/3rd team. Or if they did not destroy kids at the pre tryout practices that the parents called the coach for.... Then they will not be on the top team no matter what the parents or kid think. The OP brings up good advice talking to coaches before hand as well, so new kids have typically already communicated (and practiced) with coaches before tryouts and coaches know their place before tryouts as well. Only the new kids that show up unexpected are harder to place.

So in short tryouts are actually not important at all. It is just a resetting fixed yearly event to set expectations for parents and kids to move teams or join the club. And I think I will correct myself and change my 80% to my new opinion that 95% of teams are already known before tryouts. So like the OP said. Make it a fun experience for your kid. Know what coaches are coaching the team you want and what you will agree to. Meaning if the C team coach is really really bad and they offer you the C team, will you take it just to join the club and work towards the B team next year or will you go to another club. Or if the ECNL team coach is winning but is really really bad, but the A team coach is really really good, would you move your kid down to get the good coach.

[Unregistered]

Good advice. I will also add that setting parent expectations is probably more important than setting kid expectations. That way parents can communicate properly to their kids and not ruin the kids soccer experience if they don't make the team they are shooting for. In my view you should not shoot for a certain level of a team anyway, but should really focus on trying to get a good coach regardless of club. Tryouts are also not a meritocracy. 80% of each team in RCL/ECNL is set before tryouts start. In my opinion big clubs are really only looking for 3 things. Subject to debate of course.

1) Existing kids that performed well and are ready to move up/displace someone. This is typically known before tryouts.

2) Existing kids that should be moved down for whatever reason the club/coach sees fit (performance, behavior, commitment etc.) This is also typically known before tryouts.

3) New kids to the club and where they should be placed. Obviously a little harder than existing kids. Most new kids are easy to judge as most new kids are not superstars. So honestly it doesn't matter much where non superstars are placed. I don't say that because non superstars don't deserve to be treated well and are not important to the club. They do and are. But in reality the clubs focus on the top teams for placement and if your kid is not destroying everyone at tryouts then they are destined for the 2nd/3rd team. Or if they did not destroy kids at the pre tryout practices that the parents called the coach for.... Then they will not be on the top team no matter what the parents or kid think. The OP brings up good advice talking to coaches before hand as well, so new kids have typically already communicated (and practiced) with coaches before tryouts and coaches know their place before tryouts as well. Only the new kids that show up unexpected are harder to place.

So in short tryouts are actually not important at all. It is just a resetting fixed yearly event to set expectations for parents and kids to move teams or join the club. And I think I will correct myself and change my 80% to my new opinion that 95% of teams are already known before tryouts. So like the OP said. Make it a fun experience for your kid. Know what coaches are coaching the team you want and what you will agree to. Meaning if the C team coach is really really bad and they offer you the C team, will you take it just to join the club and work towards the B team next year or will you go to another club. Or if the ECNL team coach is winning but is really really bad, but the A team coach is really really good, would you move your kid down to get the good coach.

Thanks for the tips. I have a U-Little, loves their coach/teammates, but the club does not have an ECNL program. Is it better to move to the ECNL club early, or wait until they're at the right age group (for a fair shot/tryout)?

[Unregistered]

At U-little, honestly none of it matters but touches on the ball, ball mastery, 1v1s. Putting them in lots of scenarios where they experience ball mastery at low pressure and high pressure. Wherever you can get that is where you should go. Note: You can't get that solely at any club. You need to do lots of outside club trainings/games. Trying to plan on club politics and positioning yourself into clubs to make a 4 letter team in the future is a fools errand and I guarantee you, even if you make the ECNL team through that method your kid will just be a filler player because your family focused on making a team vs making your player more skillful. And more important than all of that, is a creating a love of the game, however you can instill that as a family. That love of the game and enjoying training will carry them forward through their whole life and push them to compete when competing actually matters later in life. And the unintended consequence of that is you will probably find they can make any ECNL team at any club because they have more skill than the other kids and have a competitive drive due to the love of the game. Now of course skill is not all that matters and we see plenty of unskilled players on ECNL teams that are fast and strong. If genetics are in their favor, and you focused on skill, then after puberty you will know if they have the strength and speed to combine with their skill to take soccer to another level.

So in short don't worry about clubs worry about your kid. At U13 once ECNL starts and you think your kid should be playing ECNL follow the tryout advice. Even if you are overlooked and make the A team. If your kid is a baller they will end up on the ECNL team the next year.

[Unregistered]

At U-little, honestly none of it matters but touches on the ball, ball mastery, 1v1s. Putting them in lots of scenarios where they experience ball mastery at low pressure and high pressure. Wherever you can get that is where you should go. Note: You can't get that solely at any club. You need to do lots of outside club trainings/games. Trying to plan on club politics and positioning yourself into clubs to make a 4 letter team in the future is a fools errand and I guarantee you, even if you make the ECNL team through that method your kid will just be a filler player because your family focused on making a team vs making your player more skillful. And more important than all of that, is a creating a love of the game, however you can instill that as a family. That love of the game and enjoying training will carry them forward through their whole life and push them to compete when competing actually matters later in life. And the unintended consequence of that is you will probably find they can make any ECNL team at any club because they have more skill than the other kids and have a competitive drive due to the love of the game. Now of course skill is not all that matters and we see plenty of unskilled players on ECNL teams that are fast and strong. If genetics are in their favor, and you focused on skill, then after puberty you will know if they have the strength and speed to combine with their skill to take soccer to another level.

So in short don't worry about clubs worry about your kid. At U13 once ECNL starts and you think your kid should be playing ECNL follow the tryout advice. Even if you are overlooked and make the A team. If your kid is a baller they will end up on the ECNL team the next year.

The is a few of those posts on this forum that stay positive, informative and constructive. Applauses to you. I agree with every bit what you said based on my own experience.

[Unregistered]

Have fun

I have doing this my whole life as a player and now as a coach for the past 30 years. What I know is very very few kids receive life changing scholarship money. So find a team that is fun because before you know it youth soccer is over. All levels of youth soccer are recreational you should have fun doing it not under pressure to do anything but enjoy yourself.

I see so many empty promises and hope being sold on a parents wallet that will be empty in few years.

Find the right club and coach. The rest will take care of itself.

[Unregistered]

Amen. There are also quality clubs that are neither RCL or ECNL and some of the RCL ones will probably move to EAL so that changes the landscape. Find the right club based on integrity, belief system, and go with that. Don't underestimate the importance of the organization and coaching staff.

[Unregistered]

At U-little, honestly none of it matters but touches on the ball, ball mastery, 1v1s. Putting them in lots of scenarios where they experience ball mastery at low pressure and high pressure. Wherever you can get that is where you should go. Note: You can't get that solely at any club. You need to do lots of outside club trainings/games. Trying to plan on club politics and positioning yourself into clubs to make a 4 letter team in the future is a fools errand and I guarantee you, even if you make the ECNL team through that method your kid will just be a filler player because your family focused on making a team vs making your player more skillful. And more important than all of that, is a creating a love of the game, however you can instill that as a family. That love of the game and enjoying training will carry them forward through their whole life and push them to compete when competing actually matters later in life. And the unintended consequence of that is you will probably find they can make any ECNL team at any club because they have more skill than the other kids and have a competitive drive due to the love of the game. Now of course skill is not all that matters and we see plenty of unskilled players on ECNL teams that are fast and strong. If genetics are in their favor, and you focused on skill, then after puberty you will know if they have the strength and speed to combine with their skill to take soccer to another level.

So in short don't worry about clubs worry about your kid. At U13 once ECNL starts and you think your kid should be playing ECNL follow the tryout advice. Even if you are overlooked and make the A team. If your kid is a baller they will end up on the ECNL team the next year.

Agreed that the most important thing is finding the best spot for your kid to develop. On the whole, I would say that the ECNL clubs will have the best coaches on their top teams even at the youngest ages. Also, training with/against other good players their age will probably be good for their development, a la Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers theory of the slippery slope of being in the best environment. And the earlier you get in, the less competition you have as players from outside the club will be trying to join every year.
BUT there are absolutely some smaller clubs that may have one or two good coaches who see your kid as special and are able to connect with them, nurture their development, and challenge them in a way that by the time you are ready to make the leap your player stands out at tryouts.
AND don't listen to the salty people complaining about "politics". Some coach decisions may be influenced and a player might end up one spot above where they belong, but it is in the coach's best interest to select the best players. If your kid is the best, they will be picked. Full stop.

[Unregistered]

Solid advice, thanks all. I'm relatively new to the area, and not at all plugged into the club soccer ecosystem (soccer was not my sport growing up). From the looks of the other threads, topics quickly devolve into a cesspool of name calling. :)