By Don Williams (SRUSA Head of Operations - Americas)
I went to scout a major College Soccer showcase tournament in Vegas recently and a few things struck me as I thought about why players do not stand out and will struggle getting the attention of college coaches at showcase events.
1) Players need to show coaches they are ready to impact a college program.
What college coaches do not need more of is project players that may or may not see playing time for them. Players need to stand out and impact a game. They must show that they can break lines in attack and stop attacks by their opponents. It is never enough to be on the field making a few passes, run around and say you played today.
2) Energy matters.
Youth soccer in the USA at tournaments is difficult when players have to play 3-5 matches in 2-3 days. That said, some players seem to have the energy to go, go, go for all 5 matches while others are worn out after just 1. Fitness, nutrition, hydration, and mental toughness to keep going are vital to standing out.
3) Contact college coaches weeks ahead of the tournament with your match film (if it is good and represents the real you), see if you can get them interested enough in you to come out and see you play. DO NOT wait until a few days before the event or even worse, the day of the event. Coaches plan their schedules around player they have been wanting to see. Waiting until the week of the event may well mean you get left off of their schedule.
Coaches are looking for stand out players who they can see impacting their program. College showcases are full of thousands of players who do not look any different than the other thousands of players at the event. We do however notice players who look different, play different, act different and stand out! Those are the players we will go after to help impact our programs.
If you need help being seen by College Soccer Coaches, please feel free to get in touch with Don on don@srusasoccer.com
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