How to prepare for soccer tryouts

What soccer tryouts actually test

Here’s the uncomfortable part first. One session can’t show everything you can do, and some decisions come down to what a team needs: a left back, a second keeper, a player born in a certain year. You can’t control that. You can control whether coaches see a player who is reliable, competes and stays in it after a mistake.

Most club and school tryouts follow the same shape: a warm-up, technical work in pairs or small groups, small-sided games, then a bigger scrimmage. The general version of this plan lives in our guide on how to prepare for tryouts. Here’s the soccer version, segment by segment.

For the full list across sports, see what coaches look for at tryouts.

A 14-day soccer tryout plan

Keep regular team training if you have it. Add 20 to 30 minutes of this on non-practice days. Don’t start a brand-new hard running program. Sore legs on tryout day cost more than a little extra fitness gains you.

1. 01

   Days 14 to 10: first touch every day

   Wall passes and receiving on both feet. Goal: the ball never stops dead. Add one 1v1 session with a friend or sibling.

2. 02

   Days 9 to 6: add pressure

   Same touch work, faster, with a scan before every receive. Two 1v1 sessions. One short fitness day of repeated sprints with full rest.

3. 03

   Days 5 to 3: play small games

   Get into any small-sided game you can: pickup, futsal, team scrimmage. Practice talking and defending the second you lose it.

4. 04

   Day 2: sharpen, don’t drain

   Fifteen minutes of crisp passing and a few finishing reps. Stop while your legs still feel fresh.

5. 05

   Day 1: rest and pack

   Light touches only. Pack the bag, check the field location, eat a normal dinner and get to bed on time.

Three soccer tryout drills with reps and a cue

Each drill has one cue word. Say it in your head every rep. On tryout day the cue is already there when you need it.

1. 01

   First touch: wall to space (cue: “open up”)

   Stand about five big steps from a wall. Pass, then receive across your body with your back foot so your hips open to the field. Twenty reps right foot, twenty left, then twenty with a touch away from an imaginary defender. Three rounds.

2. 02

   1v1: the channel (cue: “front foot”)

   Mark a channel about the width of a penalty box. Attacker tries to dribble over the end line, defender tries to win it or force it out. Twenty-second reps, six as attacker and six as defender. Rest fully between reps so every one is game speed.

3. 03

   Fitness: recovery runs (cue: “behind the ball”)

   Sprint about 30 yards, as if you just lost the ball, then walk back. Six to eight reps, two sets. This is the run coaches notice most: the one after a turnover.

Goalkeepers: swap the 1v1 channel for 1v1 breakaways and add crosses if you can. Your reset after a goal matters as much as your saves. See how goalkeepers reset after conceding.

What to wear and bring to soccer tryouts

The club’s invite is always the final word. This is the checklist that covers almost every tryout. Shin guards aren’t optional: the Laws of the Game list them as compulsory equipment that must be covered by the socks, and they ban jewelry on the field.

Wear plain training gear in a color you can move in. No jewelry. Sleep counts as gear too: the CDC recommends 8–10 hours a night for teens 13 to 17. Aim for that all week, not just the night before.

Tryout day, start to finish

1. 01

   Arrive 20 to 30 minutes early

   Check in, find the field, check the surface and pick your shoes. Then get quiet touches on your own ball.

2. 02

   Make the first five minutes simple

   Your first pass should be the safe one. Clean and simple tells coaches you’re reliable before you try anything bigger.

3. 03

   Talk in short words

   “Man on.” “Time.” “Turn.” “Hold.” One clear call each phase of play is enough if you’re naturally quiet.

4. 04

   Say yes to a new position

   If a coach moves you to outside back, say “got it” and play it hard. Coachability is part of the evaluation.

5. 05

   Take corrections in one line

   Hear it, say “got it,” and try it on the next rep. No explaining, no eye roll.

The mental side: plan your reset before the first drill

Every player loses the ball at a tryout. The coach with the clipboard has already seen it a hundred times. What they haven’t seen yet is what you do next. A player who sprints back after a turnover looks better than a player who never risked a pass.

If your stomach is in knots the morning of, that’s normal. Here’s how to work with it: how to calm tryout nerves. For soccer-specific mental skills all season, see mental training for soccer.

For parents: before, during and after

• How to help your child prepare for tryouts
• What to say when your child does not make the team
• How to run tryouts (for coaches)

Practice the reset like a first touch

You wouldn’t show up to tryouts without touching a ball for two weeks. Don’t show up without practicing what you’ll do after the bad touch, either.

That’s what reset is built for. It’s the mental training app for athletes: two minutes a day, three steps. Notice. Name. Return. Try a 2-minute reset, or join the waitlist.