ECNL, MLS NEXT and Academy Soccer Tryout Prep: The 4-Week Plan
Tryouts at the ECNL, MLS NEXT, and academy level are not the open call a club runs in May. Many of these rosters are filled by invitation: a player is seen at a game or a showcase, or a club coach recommends them, and they are asked into an identification session or a set of training sessions with the team. Some clubs run open ID days too, and those are real, but the group is smaller and the bar is set by the players already on the roster. Your kid will be measured against them, on their field, in their drills.
That is the part that is hard to prepare for: playing with strangers, under pressure, at a pace faster than what they are used to, with a coach who says very little. Sessions are often structured like a normal team practice: a rondo, a possession game, a small-sided game, then a full scrimmage with the trialist dropped into the team’s shape. The coach is watching whether the player can find the pace and make simple decisions in it, not whether they can dominate it.
And the commitment, stated plainly: academy soccer is a year-round program with several sessions a week, travel most weekends in season, and real cost unless the club is fully funded. Families should know that before the tryout, not after the offer. The plan below is four weeks, built for a player who already plays at a high club level and needs to walk into a session sharp, fit, and ready to play fast with people they have never met.
What coaches are actually looking for
At this level, the basics are assumed. The coach expects a clean first touch, both feet, fitness, and positional understanding, and is looking past them for three things: speed of play, meaning how quickly the player takes in what is around them and acts; the ability to do a specific job in the team’s shape without being told twice; and composure under a press, which mostly means not giving the ball away in the defensive third. A trialist who plays one and two touch, keeps possession, and defends with the team is doing what the coach came to see.
Position matters more here, not less. An academy coach is often looking at a trialist for one spot, and knows it before the session. Ask, directly, what position the coach wants to see the player in and play that job. A center back who tries to be a playmaker is not showing the coach what the coach came for. Ask also how the team plays: high press, possession, direct. Ten minutes of research on the club’s style tells a player where to stand.
The last thing coaches at this level watch is how a player carries themselves around a team that did not invite them. Introducing themselves, asking the question when they do not know the drill, staying on their feet in a tackle, taking the correction without a look, running back when they lose it. Coaches building a year-long roster of teenagers pick the ones they want to coach every week, and that judgment is made in the first twenty minutes.
How evaluations and roster decisions actually work
An ID session is usually one to three sessions with the team, sometimes a scrimmage or a guest appearance in a friendly. Decisions can be fast (the same week) or slow (the club waits until it has seen every trialist for the spot). Ask before the first session how the club decides, how many sessions to expect, and when to expect an answer. A club that gives a straight answer now is a club that will give straight answers all year.
Offers at this level often come with a roster spot on a specific team, an expectation of full commitment (some leagues do not allow high school soccer, most do not allow a second club), and a deposit deadline. Some clubs offer a developmental or second-team spot as a step toward the top team. Ask what the path is and how often players move up mid-year. Ask what the playing-time expectation is for a first-year player; some clubs are candid that a trialist joins as depth, and that honesty is worth something.
The cost is real and it varies. Some MLS NEXT academies attached to professional clubs are fully funded; most ECNL, GA, and NPL programs charge club fees that can run from a few thousand dollars a year into the mid single-digit thousands before travel, and travel can double it. Ask for the all-in number: club fee, uniform kit, league and showcase fees, expected weekend travel by number of trips, and anything billed separately. Ask what happens to fees if a player is released or moves mid-year. Ask about funding and scholarships. Then decide as a family, honestly, whether the year fits.
This was written for every academy soccer player. ParentEdge writes one for yours.
Their position, their team, what they’re working on, and what the next few weeks actually look like. Two minutes, nothing to sign up for.
Tryout day checklist
- Guest-player or trialist registration, waiver, and any ID-session paperwork done before the day. Some leagues require a guest form before a player can train.
- Age verification or a copy of the current player card if the club asks for one.
- Shin guards, socks over them, boots for the surface, and a backup pair in the bag.
- A plain light shirt and a plain dark shirt; the club usually provides pinnies but not always.
- Two water bottles and a small snack. Sessions can run ninety minutes or more with a scrimmage after.
- Arrive twenty-five minutes early. Find the coach, introduce yourself, ask what position they want to see.
- Introduce yourself to the players around you in the first drill and use their names.
- Play simple in the first ten minutes: one and two touch, keep the ball, defend with the team. Sprint back on every turnover.
- Take corrections with "yes coach" and change the next rep. Stay on your feet in every tackle.
- After the session, write down what position you played, what the pace felt like, and one thing to fix before the next one.
How does a player get invited to an ECNL or MLS NEXT tryout?
By being seen. A current club coach recommending them, a showcase or league game where the academy staff were watching, or a direct email to the coach with a game schedule and a short note about position and current club. Many clubs also run open ID days, and those are real; the group is just smaller and the bar is the current roster. A highlight reel alone rarely does it.
Can my kid play high school soccer and academy soccer at the same time?
It depends on the league and the club. MLS NEXT generally does not allow it, with limited waivers; ECNL policies vary by region and club; GA and NPL are usually more flexible. Ask before accepting an offer, because for a lot of kids the high school season is the one they care about most, and it is a real trade.
How much does academy soccer cost?
Some MLS NEXT academies attached to professional clubs are fully funded. Most ECNL, GA, and NPL programs charge club fees that run from a few thousand dollars a year into the mid single-digit thousands before travel, and travel can double it. Ask for the all-in number, including the expected number of weekend trips, and ask what happens to fees if a player is released mid-year.
What if they do not get an offer?
Ask the coach for one specific thing to work on and whether they would look again next window. Stay at the current club and play well there; academy staff watch league games, and a lot of players are invited back the following year because they were visibly better at the one thing named. It is a long game, and one session is one data point.