Wings Soccer ClubMinnesota's Premier Soccer Organization!
About Tryouts
| Travel Soccer Tryouts and Evaluations for 2008 Teams |
Wings SC seeks to form the most competitive teams possible at each age level. Wings is dedicated to developing competitive soccer teams in the North West suburbs and also the state of Minnesota. Wings SC welcomes soccer players from all of the Twin Cities to attend the club's tryouts for the spring season of 2008.
Commitment levels for Premier and C1 are high, if your child cannot make the required commitment please let us know in advance and they will not be considered at these levels.
If you have missed our tryouts - please contact the office for additional information. 763-535-4536.
| Tryout Format |
In game-related evals, players will be assessed on four major components of the game:
. Technical development — passing, dribbling, tackling, first touch
. Tactical development — Awareness, decision making, positional sense, communication
. Physical development — Strength, speed, endurance, stamina
. Psychological development — attitude, composure, desire.
Players will play mainly 4 v 4, 8 v 8 and 11 v 11 (for the relevant age groups) allowing lots of touches on the ball for players and lots of opportunities to be observed within this format. Goal Keepers will be included if available.
Each coach and evaluator will be asked to rate each player on the above with a 1-5 scale (1 being excellent). Coach's results will be pooled and averaged out.
2. Each 2007 player will have been assessed and have an evaluation on their ability. This evaluation will be taken into consideration for team placement.
3. Wherever possible—Continuous Assessment: a player is always being assessed in winter sessions, summer practices, team training, fall soccer, and their own team games during the season.
| Why Tryout? |
| Where are they? |
Plymouth Field House (Plymouth Creek Center 14800 34th Ave. N. Plymouth, MN 55447)
| What to expect? |
| When do Goal Keepers tryout? |
| Which age group is mine? |
Example:
U11 - No older than 11 on July 31, 08
U12 - No older than 12 on July 31, 08
U13 - No older than 13 on July 31, 08
And so on..
Any player wishing to play in an older age group or "play up", must attend both age own age level and older age level tryouts and alert the club in writing prior to the first session.
| When are teams announced? |
| What happens if no team is available? |
PREPARING FOR SOCCER TRYOUTS
[This article, with some modifications, is republished from the "On the Touchlines", a
web site sponsored by the Wheaton Wings Soccer Club in Illinois.]
Practice Your Technique and Comfort on the Ball
Weeks of preparation on the ball, receiving, trapping and control all pay off. Close control, or lack of it, is one of the easiest things to observe in a tryout (the other is pace). When bored with skill work, get some friends and play 3v3 or 4v4 to cones.
Work on Your Athleticism
Pace is only one part of athleticism. Agility and balance are also easy to observe. Besides good running and stopping technique, working on change of direction with and without the ball will show.
Arrive Early and Get Touches on The Ball
Most players first 100 touches on the ball are not their best, yet many players come to tryouts and don't get 100 touches on the ball. From a practical point of view, come early and with a partner get at least 15 minutes of ball work and movement in before the tryout begins.
Wear Distinctive Clothing
At some tryouts, white tee shirts are mandated and club uniforms are prohibited. But if you don't have to wear white, why not wear something distinctive? It is a lot easier when coaches can point to someone with yellow shorts and ask an opinion, rather than pointing to a group of girls all wearing white T-shirts and blue shorts.
Play With Vigor and Influence the Game
Most tryouts start with small-sided games, like 2v4 or 4v4 to goals, and work up to 8v8 to goals with goalies. Most decisions are made in the small-sided phase. Often, players are rated 1) definitely, 2) maybe, and 3) certainly not. In the 8v8 stage, the 2's might get the most playing time because a decision must be reached. Don't try to guess whether you made it or note by which team you are on. Play vigorously, don't hold back, and try to win as many balls as possible to have as great an impact on the game. For defenders, this means winning balls and then attaching out of the back by overlapping forward or attacking with the ball. Midfielders and strikers too should win and use as many balls as possible. The secret of staying involved in the attack is not to hog the ball, but to provide instant and continuous support for passes.
Communicate in the Games
Players who give instruction and help other players with verbal and visual cues stand out as leaders. It does not have to be long winded or a continuous narrative, but good communication makes players stand out in a positive way to observers. Silent players appear to be out of the game mentally.
Introduce Yourself and Ask Questions
Whenever there is a moment, players should greet the coaches. It is sad to hear kids say that they went to the tryout but did not know who had evaluated them. Players should ask questions to ensure that they understand what's going to happen at both the tryout and during any follow-up tryouts or the team notification process.
Ask For the Job!
Please tell the coaches that you had a good time and want to play for the team!
