DT tryouts - questions for 01 parents

My son is an 02, and is going to be trying out for the Texans. I wanted to get some advice/stories from 01 parents because its always better to hear it from parents who went through it rather than staff. What were your experiences with the tryouts? Were there lots of people who showed up at tryouts who werent on teams before, and did you see players get bumped off of rosters who had been playing academy with the Texans? Also, do all of the coaches observe the tryouts or is it pretty much one coach/one tryout? Was there shuffling of kids between different academy teams to form stronger select teams, and if so, how did that work?

This is my first child to go through select, and I am somewhat of a noob in regards to club soccer. The whole process seems a little weird to me, as I would think that the academy team would try to stay as intact as possible, but a tryout makes it seem like that might not be the case. Thanks in advance!

Tryouts are the whole month of June. Signing day is July 1. Play with as many teams as possible so you can "tryout" the coach too. Finding a good fit is the most important. Try to play with or at least observe the coach during tournaments this month if poss. Do your homework, the decision that you make on July 1 lasts for a whole year.

rdg wrote:Tryouts are the whole month of June. Signing day is July 1. Play with as many teams as possible so you can "tryout" the coach too. Finding a good fit is the most important. Try to play with or at least observe the coach during tournaments this month if poss. Do your homework, the decision that you make on July 1 lasts for a whole year.

Strongly agree! The best experience is to see your son play with that team and the boys that the coach/parents mutually feel will be on the team. Team Managers should be candid, but some are not. Don't wait for tryouts to know where your kid stands with each coach you are considering. Talk to the coach after practices to get a feel for where your son fits. Most coaches will tell you straight. Most coaches on the better teams know who is on their team prior to tryouts and have informed the parents that they like their kid and he's in his top 16 (meaning he would sign him today if he could.) One coach, one tryout for the most part as they already know. Some coaches have a "signing party" for the team on the first night July 1.

Read the boards, talk to other parents about specific coaches, talk to parents that have been playing with a particular coach you are interested in. DO NOT BE SATISFIED WITH FLUFF ANSWERS! Dig deep especially wrt headcount, playing time philosophy, realistic league expectations, formation and where your kid would fit, ....

As a parent, it's important to find the right situation for your son. As I talk with different parents, I've said it's made up of a lot of factors that you will need to agree with:
.... Coach (personality, style, formation, head count, philosophy, encouragement)
.... Team (player mesh, attitude/bickering/challenging, 16 players or less - 15 is good, encouragement)
.... Practice location (proximity, amount of field space, practice time - demand 6-7:30 for U11 though most won't be able to commit to that time because it's "managed by the club")
.... Your son is somewhere in the middle if you ranked players (is your son in the middle of the pack with enough players to challenge your son but not too many to wear he struggles to be in the starting 11 meaning hard to see the field)
.... Players (attitude, work, personality, teamwork, encouragement) - this is one of the most important factors because they spend so much time together
.... Parents (friendly, not overbearing, encouraging)
.... Team manager (communication is key, friendliness, accommodating, prepares parents well in advance, organized)

Finally, I would talk with other parents to get their feel for the team's you are considering. It would be ideal to speak with parents who have experience with multiple teams and who know about the teams that you are considering.

Just .02

I know open practices are ongoing up to July 1st, and with signing day being July 1st, why all the hoopla about 3 day tryouts then? Is it just glorified practice time, except maybe to find the last few kids to fill out the roster? In other words, is it not something to worry about?

heyyouguys wrote:I know open practices are ongoing up to July 1st, and with signing day being July 1st, why all the hoopla about 3 day tryouts then? Is it just glorified practice time, except maybe to find the last few kids to fill out the roster? In other words, is it not something to worry about?

Worry about? This is coach dependent. You are probably worried about your July 4th vacation plans. With Select, you will want to understand and coordinate vacations around team events. With some coaches, this want is a need.

Coaches will identify their team as early as possible leaving the last few positions as their grey area (i.e. no commitment to player) in case someone is identified near the end of June. Coaches have a good feel leading up to this and should let you know where your boy ranks. If he doesn't give you a rank, how is your son being used in scrimmages and games? If your boys is >=13, you should really be looking for other options as well. This might mean your son is practicing M-F with different teams.

But as a parent, you want options to compare the above list of considerations. You also want options in case your son isn't in the plans of the team he/you really wanted. Be very aware of head count the coach wants (15 is good, 16 is ok, 17-18 is ridiculous and the coach is looking more for money).

Each team you visit on July 1 must give you a Fact Sheet about their team and have you sign their player tryout log. This details the team, financial commitment, tournament expectations, organization specifics, etc. This is a North Texas requirement. However, you won't get it until July 1. The team manager knows most of the information after roughly the last week of June.

July 1st comes, many coaches who think they are top 30 material (i.e. think they'll qualify for Classic League) will know. If they have their 15 identified and verbal commitments, they're done. If the coach needs to see a few more players, the coach, team manager, and committed parents will be trying to get other players to come out. These players may not have made the team they were hoping for. The organization might push players to your coach and he'll want to look at them mixed in with his other commitments.

Don't forget to make sure and reserve the weekend for the Classic League tournament in August. The coach will also identify a tournament or two in July (e.g. King Tut at FC Dallas Complex mid July) to get warmed up. July 1 - Aug Qualifying Tournament are a sprint for the coach/team to prepare for QT.

Be prepared, ask the tough questions, know where your kid stands with each coach.