How to evaluate soccer players at tryouts

Soccer tryouts at a glance

How to structure the sessions: the AYSO station model

AYSO's open tryout handbook is one of the most complete published tryout procedures in U.S. youth soccer, and it scales down well for a single club team (AYSO).

Why games and not drills: small-sided games show "game speed" under pressure. A player who looks great in a passing line may not find space in a game, and vice versa (SoccerHelp). Avoid full 11v11 scrimmages at tryouts, because players can "hide weaknesses in crowd" (Digital Record Board).

Scaled-down plan for one team (75 minutes)

What to evaluate in field players

AYSO's rubric gives each station its own criteria and adds a separate 1–5 score for "Sportsmanship, Coachability, Attitude and Leadership" at every station (AYSO):

• Technical: dribbling (turning, touch, shielding, feints, change of speed), passing (accuracy, pace, timing, deception), receiving (multiple surfaces, moving into the line of the ball, cushioning, setting up the next move).
• Tactical: field awareness, communication, leadership, team shape, play on and off the ball, supporting runs.
• Attacking: keeping the ball under pressure, creating space, turning a defender, going directly at goal, timing of shots.
• Defending: control and balance, marking distance, goal-side and ball-side positioning, stopping the attacker from turning, tackling.

SoccerHelp's scrimmage checklist is a good thing to read before the first game: who defends bravely, who scores, who passes well, who hogs the ball, who shows courage in contact, who wins the ball and forces turnovers, and who moves well off the ball (SoccerHelp).

Fitness testing: we found no authoritative fitness standard for youth soccer tryouts. Some guides mention timed runs and shuttles without benchmarks. The free form rates speed and stamina from what you see in games, which is more honest than an arbitrary time.

How to evaluate goalkeepers

Use a separate evaluator for keepers. AYSO staffs a goalkeeper evaluator at every station (AYSO). Its keeper rubric covers:

• Ready position and adjusting to the angle
• Taking the initiative from the attacker and reading the line
• Focus, and clear, loud communication
• Starting the attack, making saves, and range of distribution

Other useful things to watch: handling high balls under pressure, 1v1s, decisions about coming off the line, and composure after a mistake (Digital Record Board). Rotate keepers so each one faces both a busy and a quiet half. A keeper who barely touches the ball in a game hasn't been evaluated.

Scoring and evaluators

• Describe every number. AYSO's 1–5 scale runs from Outstanding to Needs Improvement, with words for each level (AYSO). Example definition for passing at 5: "consistently delivers balls to target feet under pressure" (Digital Record Board).
• Simpler alternative: SoccerHelp suggests placing each player in the top, middle or lower third of the group (SoccerHelp). It's quick, and it works as a first pass before detailed scoring.
• Evaluators do nothing else. No running drills, no checking players in (AYSO).
• Same number every session. Burlington SC hands out numbered shirts and asks players to wear them to every session (Burlington SC).
• Give every player their evaluation. AYSO gives each player a copy of their evaluation summary, marked selected or not selected (AYSO).
• Weighting: we found no authoritative source for weighting categories. Ignore any "40/40/20" formula you see online unless your club has decided on it.

The relative age effect: soccer's best-documented bias

Youth soccer groups players by birth year (January 1 to December 31 in the U.S.). That means a January-born and a December-born player can be almost a year apart in the same tryout.

The German finding is the practical one. Coaches judged specific skills fairly but drifted toward older players in their gut-feel overall ratings. Score the ten skill rows first and total them; don't start from an overall impression.

• Record birth year (and month if you can) on the card. Some researchers suggest making birth quarter visible to evaluators, for example through shirt numbers (PMC).
• Coach education alone isn't enough: "Isolated coach education is not sufficient" (PMC). Build the check into the process.
• Bio-banding, grouping by maturity rather than age, gave late developers "more opportunity to… express themselves" in a University of Bath study with Premier League clubs (University of Bath).

Age-appropriate formats (U.S. and Canada)

Evaluate players in the format they actually play. U.S. Soccer's Player Development Initiatives set small-sided standards by age:

• Heading (U.S.): no heading for U11 and younger, in practice or games; limited heading practice at U12–U13 (SoccerWire). Don't evaluate heading at those ages.
• Canada: Canada Soccer's long-term development pathway builds play up to age 12 on small-sided games with "no league standings," and introduces position-specific technique later (Canada Soccer LTPD).
• At the youngest ages the decision is often grouping, not cutting. Use the form's Development group option.

Telling players the result

• Call players who didn't make it before the roster is posted. Never leave "not selected" in a voicemail (Soccer America).
• Give positives and things to work on, follow up with a short letter, and stay available afterwards.
• Give every player a written summary, as AYSO does (AYSO). The Strengths and Areas to develop lines on the form are written for this.

Common soccer tryout mistakes

• Judging from cone drills instead of games (SoccerHelp).
• Deciding from a single session (Calgary Blizzard SC; Burlington SC).
• One evaluator, or a scale with no definitions (AYSO).
• Over-rating bigger, early-born players (PMC; U.S. Soccer PDI).
• Big scrimmages where weaker players can hide (Digital Record Board).
• Putting a field evaluator on goalkeepers, or giving a keeper nothing to do in a game.

What coaches say on video

We watched coaches’ tryout videos and read their transcripts. These are the specific, usable points from each. Where they disagree with each other or with the guidance above, we say so.

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Designing a Tryout Session!

Inside Surf Soccer · YouTube

• Three phases: 10–15 minutes of ball activation (for comfort, not assessment), 1v1 lanes where players can score on either goal, then 5v5 to 7v7 games.
• Grow the 1v1s into 2v2 and 3v3 with end-line players.
• Keep stoppages and coaching to a minimum. Short games keep the tempo high.

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A Player Centered Approach to Youth Soccer Tryouts

Coach KW · YouTube

• A pool of 5–7 neutral evaluators picks teams, not the coaches. No one rates an age group where they coach or have a child.
• No drills: players play the format they're moving into (e.g. 9v9), because unfamiliar drills make kids choke.
• Four categories at 25% each: technical, tactical, physical and "engagement". Physical is reduced at younger ages to counter big-kid bias.
• Bubble swaps only when scores are within 2 points.

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Running Successful Soccer Tryouts

Coaches Training Room · YouTube

• All evaluators agree uniform criteria: game intelligence, scanning, balance, first touch, desire.
• Balance short repetition stations with small-sided games, because players perform differently in each.
• Beware of picking for early physical maturity.

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Youth Soccer Player Evaluation Best Practices

Coach Rory Soccer · YouTube

• Make feedback actionable, e.g. "15 minutes of weak-foot work three times a week."
• Under about 13, meet with parents. From 13–14, meet with the player.