What do Soccer Coaches Look for in Tryouts? 15 Traits
No matter where you are in your soccer journey, youth, amateur, college, or semi-professional, it is important to understand what soccer coaches are looking for in players during soccer tryouts. During soccer tryouts, coaches evaluate soccer skills such as tactical awareness, positional play, and decision making, technical skills like ball control, passing, and dribbling, along with physical skills such as speed, stamina, and excellent conditioning.
Some other skills soccer coaches might look for include positive attitudes, mental toughness, and the ability to work hard and communicate effectively with teammates. Once you know what coaches are looking for, you can better prepare for your tryouts and stand out from the competition.
What do Soccer Coaches Look for at Tryouts?
The following skills and traits are what soccer coaches look for during tryouts. Although these are some of the general skills that can help you stand out, the main thing soccer coaches will look for is for a specific player to fit their current team.
Coaches are always looking for players who can complement the strengths and weaknesses of their current roster, whether by filling a specific position or adding depth. This means that getting signed through a trial is not all about how good you are; that is a huge factor, of course, but it’s also about how well you align with the club’s and coach’s vision and the team’s dynamics.
For example, if the best player at a trial is a striker, but that team already has a main striker and backups, the chances of that player getting signed might be lower than the third-best player at the trial, who, for example, is a very good central midfielder and the team is currently in desperate need of a central midfielder.
This is when luck meets preparation: you have to make sure you are ready to take that opportunity when it actually comes up.
Talent
Mindset
Soccer IQ
Decision Making
Technical Ability
Speed (Physical or Mental)
Composure
Creativity
Awareness
Physical Ability and Conditioning
Attitude towards Teammates
Personality
Work Ethic
Reputation
Coach-ability
Summary
To summarize, in this blog post, I provided a list of key traits and characteristics that soccer coaches look for in players during trials and tryouts. I also provided links to blogs that go more in-depth on each topic, so the main goal of this post is to give you a basic guide or roadmap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of teams require soccer tryouts?
Many different types of teams require soccer tryouts, such as
- Youth soccer tryouts for recreational teams, competitive clubs, and academies
- High school JV and varsity team
- Colleges and Universities
- Semi-professional soccer teams
- Professional soccer teams
How can I begin improving my soccer skills right now?
To begin improving your soccer skills right now, check out our post on the best soccer training drills. If you are looking to accelerate your progress and you’re looking for private training, check out Coach Daniel’s website and fill out the player interest form.
How can I learn more about the game?
To increase your soccer knowledge, you can play the game, variations of the game, analyze high level games, record your own games with a soccer camera and analyze them. Also read soccer books, listen to podcasts and interviews watch soccer documentaries, as well as some movies, tv shows, and anime.
