Soccer hides players. Drop fifty kids into one big scrimmage and the ball drifts to the loud, confident few while a two-footed defender goes ten minutes without a touch. A tryout has to fix that. The drills that work pull each player out of the crowd and measure what they actually do with the ball.
Every drill below earns a score. Group them into four reads: a technical screen for first touch, passing, and dribbling; a speed and duels block for fitness and 1v1s; position stations for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards; and small-sided games that expose decisions. Each read puts a different number next to a player.
Everything here is written for the coach with a clipboard, not the player. Each drill spells out what it measures, the mistake to look for as you rate it, and the sign of a player ready for your roster. For the skill-development side once your team is picked, our soccer drills library covers dribbling, passing, and shooting right through the year, and the printable soccer tryout evaluation form turns every read below into a score.
Read First Touch and Technique
Begin with the ball at a player's feet. Before you weigh fitness or tactics, you need an honest read on technique, because anyone who cannot control and pass under a little pressure will struggle everywhere else on the field. First touch is the base every other part of a player's game sits on.
The four drills here screen technique fast and give each player a plain number. Keep the feeds honest. A comfortable touch in a slow line hides the players who fall apart the moment the tempo lifts, so push the pace once everyone knows the pattern. Tap the ones you want into your session as you go.
First-Touch Gates
Technical ScreenAll levels
Players: Groups of 4Time: 8 minEquipment: Cones, balls
Builds: A read on first touch and how quickly a player controls a moving ball
Set four small cone gates around a 15-yard square. A feeder passes a firm ball in, and the player takes one touch to control it and a second to play it out through any gate they choose. Give each player twelve balls at a steady rhythm. You are grading the first touch, whether it dies at their feet or bounces two yards away, and whether the second touch already has a plan.
Reps: 12 feeds, one control touch then one pass through a gate
Target: The player worth a second look kills the ball inside a stride and has already picked a gate as it reaches them.
Coaching cues
Cushion the first touch, do not stop it dead · Open the body before the ball comes · Head up between touches
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: A heavy first touch that forces a rushed, panicked second one
Fix: Slow the feed and ask the player to receive across their body so the touch sets up the next pass.
Passing Under a Clock
Technical ScreenAll levels
Players: Groups of 6Time: 8 minEquipment: Cones, balls
Builds: A read on passing weight and accuracy when the tempo climbs
Build a passing pattern in a diamond, players moving to the next cone after every pass. Run it slow for a round so everyone knows the pattern, then push the pace and count clean passes for sixty seconds. A pass that arrives on the wrong foot is a miss. Anyone looks tidy in a slow rehearsal, so the read is who keeps the weight right as the pattern speeds up.
Reps: 60 seconds at pace, clean passes counted
Target: Note the passer whose weight stays honest at speed and who checks their shoulder before the ball reaches them.
Coaching cues
Pass to the back foot · Firm and positive weight · Move after you pass, do not admire it
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Slowing the whole pattern down to keep passes tidy
Fix: Keep the clock running and reward players who hold the tempo, then re-count.
Dribble and Scan Circuit
Technical ScreenAll levels
Players: Any, one ball eachTime: 8 minEquipment: Cones, one ball per player
Builds: A read on close control and whether a player can dribble with their eyes up
Lay out a circuit with four short zones, each testing something different: tight cone weaves, a change of direction, a burst into space, and a turn back. Players run it one at a time on the clock. Hold up fingers as they exit the space zone and ask them to call the number, so you learn who can carry a ball without staring at it.
Reps: One timed lap, coach signals a number the player must call
Target: Circle the player who reads your signal without breaking stride and keeps the ball inside a yard the whole lap.
Coaching cues
Small touches in tight space, longer touches in the open · Eyes up on the burst · Cut with the outside foot
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Heads down over the ball, so the count is fast but the player sees nothing
Fix: Widen the cones a touch and reward a head-up lap over a quick one until the eyes come up.
Receive on the Half-Turn
Technical ScreenIntermediate
Players: PairsTime: 6 minEquipment: Cones, balls
Builds: A read on body shape and whether a player turns forward off the first touch
A player checks to a passer with a defender-cone behind them, receives across their body, and turns to play forward in one motion. Feed ten balls, alternating which shoulder they open toward. This one touch separates a midfielder who plays forward from one who only ever passes back, so watch the hips as much as the feet.
Reps: 10 checks, open shoulder alternated
Target: A tryout-ready player opens the hips before the ball lands and is facing forward by the second touch.
Coaching cues
Check away, then come to meet it · Open toward the space ahead · First touch out of the feet
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Receiving square and taking two extra touches to turn
Fix: Coach a shoulder check before the pass so the turn is decided before the ball arrives.
Test Speed, Fitness, and 1v1 Duels
Soccer is a running game full of one-on-one battles, and a tryout has to test both. Speed matters, but the speed that wins matches is the kind a player can repeat late in the second half. Duels matter more still, because a player who refuses to fight for a loose ball will let you down when it counts.
The drills below capture two things opinions cannot. A timed shuttle turns a player's engine into two honest numbers. A live 1v1 shows you who genuinely wants it. That block is where the quiet, hard-working player often outscores the flashy one, so watch closely.
Timed Sprint and Recovery
Speed & DuelsAll levels
Players: Groups of 6Time: 8 minEquipment: Cones, stopwatch
Builds: A read on raw speed and how well a player repeats efforts
Run a shuttle: sprint 20 yards, jog back, repeat six times on a tight turnaround. Time the first sprint and the last one. Soccer asks for repeated sprints across a match, so the number that matters is how much the last rep drops off from the first. Record both so a player's engine reads as two honest numbers you can trust.
Reps: 6 x 20-yard sprints, first and last timed
Target: Flag the player whose sixth sprint is within a hair of their first, that is a soccer engine you can build on.
Coaching cues
Drive the first three steps · Sharp turn, low hips · Same effort on rep six as rep one
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Coasting the early reps to save legs for the timed one
Fix: Time a surprise rep nobody can predict, so effort has to stay level throughout.
1v1 to Goal
Speed & DuelsAll levels
Players: Pairs plus a keeperTime: 10 minEquipment: Goal, keeper, balls
Builds: A read on attacking courage and defensive timing in a live duel
Put the attacker on the ball 25 yards out, with a defender a few yards off. At your call the attacker drives at goal while the defender looks to win it or shepherd them wide. Every player takes both roles. A single duel tells you more about competitiveness than any drill, because a tryout hides who truly wants the ball until you make them fight for it.
Reps: 4 attacks and 4 defends per player
Target: The attacker to circle takes on the defender rather than passing the problem sideways, and the defender to circle shows patience before the tackle.
Coaching cues
Attacker: commit to the move, do not slow down · Defender: jockey, do not dive in · Win the ball or send them nowhere
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: A defender lunging early and getting beaten every time
Fix: Coach the defender to hold their ground and delay, then score how often they force a bad touch.
Jockey the Channel
Speed & DuelsIntermediate
Players: PairsTime: 6 minEquipment: Cones, balls
Builds: A read on defensive body position and one-on-one discipline
Mark a channel five yards wide and fifteen long with a small goal at one end. The attacker tries to dribble through, the defender jockeys to steer them into the cones and win the ball. Six runs each way. Defending is a skill tryouts underrate, so this station finds the player who defends with their feet and their angle rather than a hopeful slide.
Reps: 6 attacks per defender, roles then swapped
Target: Look for the defender who stays side-on, shows the attacker the touchline, and never crosses their feet.
Coaching cues
Side-on stance, low and balanced · Show them one way, then take it · Feet, not a slide
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Squaring up flat and getting turned the moment the attacker moves
Fix: Turn the defender side-on and slow the channel down until the stance holds under a real move.
Grade Each Position on Its Own Job
Watch a goalkeeper try to prove herself in a dribbling circuit and the problem shows itself. The jobs a soccer tryout has to grade barely overlap from one position to the next, and a striker is asked for almost the opposite of what a holding midfielder gives you. One all-purpose test flatters some players and buries others. Score everyone off the same checklist and the players you lose are usually the specialists you most needed to keep.
Judge each one against their own role instead. A keeper is judged on handling and distribution, a defender on recovery and composure, a midfielder on the scan before the ball arrives, a forward on the finish under pressure. NCSA's soccer recruiting guidelines(opens in new tab) lay out the position keys college coaches look for, from a keeper's clean hands and long distribution to a center back who commands the back line. College benchmarks are not the point at a youth session. The lens is, scaled to whatever level you coach.
Read the table as a scoring key. The left column names what a player who belongs at each position shows you. The right column names the fault that most often sends a borderline one home.
Position
Strong at this position
Red flag to watch
Goalkeeper
Holds shots cleanly, commands the box vocally, and starts play with an accurate throw or driven pass.
Parries catchable balls and goes quiet, leaving the back line to organize itself.
Center back
Wins headers, reads danger early, and stays composed enough to pass out under pressure.
Clears every ball long and only defends once the attacker is already past the line.
Outside back
Recovers fast, defends the 1v1 without diving in, and overlaps to support the attack.
Gets turned on the touchline and cannot get back goal-side after joining the attack.
Central midfielder
Scans before receiving, turns forward off the first touch, and switches play to the free side.
Receives with head down and plays every ball back the way it came.
Winger
Beats a full-back one-on-one, delivers a reachable cross, and tracks back to help defend.
Dribbles into trouble with no end product and stops working when out of possession.
Forward
Moves across defenders, finishes quickly under pressure, and holds the ball up for support.
Waits for the perfect chance and disappears when the service is not clean.
Set the four stations below running at once, an evaluator fixed to each, and cycle small groups between them so nobody stacks up in a line. Grade every player for the job you truly need from them.
Goalkeeper: Stop and Start Play
GoalkeeperAdvanced
Players: Keeper plus feedersTime: 10 minEquipment: Goal, balls, targets
Builds: A read on handling, shot-stopping, and distribution
Fire shots and crosses at the keeper from mixed angles, then straight after each save ask for an accurate throw or a driven pass to a wide target. Twelve services. A keeper's job did not end when the shot was saved, so grade the handling and the first pass together. College coaches want clean, confident hands and distribution that can hit a throw of 35 to 45 yards, which is the right ceiling to look for.
Reps: 12 shots and crosses, each followed by a distribution to a target
Target: The keeper you want catches most balls cleanly, parries only when forced, and turns a save into an accurate pass without a beat of panic.
Coaching cues
Set feet before the shot · Catch it, do not push it back into play · Eyes up for the outlet the moment you have it
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Parrying shots that could be caught, then hurrying a loose clearance
Fix: Reward a clean catch over a spectacular parry, and ask for a target before the save is made.
Defender: Defend and Build Out
DefenderAdvanced
Players: Groups of 4 plus a keeperTime: 10 minEquipment: Goal, balls
Builds: A read on recovery speed, tackling, and composure on the ball
A defender starts goal-side, a coach plays a ball into a forward, and the defender defends the attack. Once they win possession, they have to start play out with a clean pass to a full-back target. Eight reps. A modern defender defends and builds, so grading only the tackle would miss half of what the job asks.
Reps: 8 defend-and-build reps
Target: Rate up the defender who stays composed under a first-touch pressure and picks the right pass out to keep possession alive.
Coaching cues
Recover goal-side first, then press · Delay before you commit · Calm on the ball, pick a pass
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Clearing every ball long the second they win it
Fix: Score the tackle and the pass out separately so a panicked clearance actually costs points.
Midfielder: Receive, Scan, Switch
MidfielderAdvanced
Players: Groups of 6Time: 10 minEquipment: Cones, balls
Builds: A read on scanning, first touch, and range of passing
Feed the midfielder in the middle of a grid with targets on all four sides. They receive, scan, and switch the play to the far side, sometimes short and sharp, sometimes a longer switch. Twelve balls, targets called late. A midfielder lives on what they saw before the ball arrived, so watch the head turn and grade the pass they chose against the pass that was on.
Reps: 12 receptions, target called as the ball travels
Target: The midfielder to circle has already scanned twice before the ball lands and finds the free target rather than the safe one.
Coaching cues
Scan before the ball reaches you · Open up to see the whole field · Match the pass to the distance
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Head down on the ball, so every pass goes back the way it came
Fix: Add a shoulder-check trigger before the feed and reward a forward or switched pass over a square one.
Forward: Finish Under Pressure
ForwardIntermediate
Players: Groups of 4 plus a keeperTime: 10 minEquipment: Goal, keeper, balls
Builds: A read on movement, composure, and finishing with a defender closing
Serve balls into the box from wide and central, a passive defender recovering onto the forward as they shoot. Mix crosses to finish first-time with balls to control and strike. Eight chances. Tryout nerves show up in the box, so this station finds the striker who stays calm when the goal is there and a defender is arriving.
Reps: 8 chances, defender recovering on each
Target: The forward worth a place gets a shot away before the defender arrives and hits the target far more often than not.
Coaching cues
Move across the defender, then attack the ball · One touch to set, one to finish · Pick a corner, do not just hit it
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Taking an extra touch and letting the recovering defender block the shot
Fix: Reward a quick, accurate finish over a powerful one and shrink the number of touches allowed.
What Small-Sided Games Reveal
Everything up to now has scored players in slices. A real game is the one place their whole soccer brain works at once, reading, deciding, and competing on the same rep. Plenty of players grind through the technical stations looking unremarkable, then see a live game two steps ahead of everyone the second the whistle blows. Save proper match time for the closing stretch of the session, once the station numbers are safely on paper.
Small-sided games are the sharpest tool you have here, because they give every player far more touches and decisions than a full 11v11 ever could. A word of caution keeps them honest, though. Research on evaluating individual soccer behavior(opens in new tab) warns that even a small game simplifies the real physical, spatial, and time pressures of competition, so treat what you see as one strong read among several rather than the final verdict.
Keep switching players between positions and sides as the games run. A player's ceiling shows up most when they have to solve an unfamiliar role, far more than when they sit in their comfort zone. Watch away from the ball as much as on it. The player who tracks back, plugs a gap, and organizes a teammate is usually the one making the seven around them better.
3v3 to Small Goals
Small-Sided GamesAll levels
Players: Teams of 3Time: 10 minEquipment: Small goals, balls
Builds: A read on decisions, work rate, and touches in a busy game
Play 3v3 to two small goals in a tight grid, no keepers, games to three goals or ninety seconds. Rotate teams so every player faces different opponents. A small game gives each player far more touches and decisions than a full-sided scrimmage, so you see technique and choices under real pressure fast.
Reps: Rolling games, teams rotated every round
Target: Mark the player who is always an option for a teammate and whose touches move the game forward, not sideways.
Coaching cues
Get open the moment a teammate has it · Quick decisions, few touches · Defend the second you lose it
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Scoring only the biggest moment and missing the player who never stops working
Fix: Keep a separate note for work rate so a quiet, tireless player does not get overlooked.
4v4 Directional Game
Small-Sided GamesAll levels
Players: Teams of 4Time: 10 minEquipment: Cones, balls, small goals
Builds: A read on transition, decision-making, and who reads the game
Play 4v4 across a rectangle with a goal or a line to attack at each end. Every time possession changes, the moment of transition is what you are watching. Rotate players through the games. Soccer is decided in the seconds after a turnover, so this is where a smart player who wins nothing on paper suddenly looks like your best pick.
Reps: Games to a target score, rosters mixed each round
Target: The player to circle reacts first when the ball turns over, either winning it back or breaking away before anyone else moves.
Coaching cues
React the moment possession flips · Spread out in attack, squeeze in defense · Talk teammates into position
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Standing still in the half-second after a turnover
Fix: Freeze the game on a turnover a few times and ask who moved, then reward it in the score.
7v7 Tryout Scrimmage
Small-Sided GamesAll levels
Players: Teams of 7Time: 15 minEquipment: Full or half field, goals, bibs
Builds: A read on how a player performs in a realistic game with everyone visible
Play 7v7 on a large grid with keepers, the closest thing to a real match that still keeps every player involved. Rotate positions so you see players in more than one role. Research on evaluating soccer players warns that even a game like this simplifies real competition, so treat it as one strong read among several, not the whole verdict.
Reps: Timed games, positions and teams rotated
Target: Note the player whose influence grows as the game opens up and who lifts the level of the seven around them.
Coaching cues
Find space between the lines · Communicate every phase · Compete the same when you are winning or losing
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Leaving players in one position so you only ever see half of them
Fix: Rotate every player through at least two roles so a versatile pick does not stay hidden.
Crossing and Finishing Game
Small-Sided GamesIntermediate
Players: Two teams plus wide playersTime: 8 minEquipment: Goal, keeper, balls
Builds: A read on wide delivery, attacking movement, and finishing in traffic
Two teams attack one goal, with wingers on each flank feeding crosses. A goal from a cross counts double, so players have to time runs and finish balls that are moving. Rotate the wide roles through. This game rewards the wide player who delivers and the striker who attacks the ball, two reads a stations circuit can only hint at.
Reps: Games to a target score, wingers rotated
Target: Circle the winger whose cross is consistently reachable and the forward who attacks the near post early to get there first.
Coaching cues
Winger: head up before you cross · Attackers: two runners, near and far post · Finish across the keeper
Common mistake & fix
Mistake: Crossing without looking, so the ball sails over everyone
Fix: Ask the winger to pick a target before crossing and reward reachable balls over powerful ones.
A Two-Hour Soccer Tryout Plan
All of it packs into a single session. The plan below fills two hours on one field, staffed by four or five evaluators and built for 30 to 50 players competing for more than one team. Hold every block to its time. Nothing wastes a tryout faster than one station running over while half the group stands on the touchline watching.
Print it for the touchline, or paste it into a sheet and slide the block times around to match your numbers. It shrinks for a youth session and stretches for a high-school squad without changing shape.
Two-Hour Soccer Tryout Plan
Player Name:
Jersey #:
Primary Position:
Age/Grade:
Date:
Evaluator:
Block
Time
What happens
Check-in and warm-up
0:00 to 0:20
Give every player a numbered bib, front and back. Move through a dynamic warm-up and a couple of rondos until touches are sharp, then note the two positions every player puts down for themselves.
Technical screen
0:20 to 0:40
Rotate small groups through first-touch gates, passing under a clock, the dribble circuit, and the half-turn station. Score each player 0 to 3 on the touch, and keep a single evaluator on each station.
Speed and 1v1
0:40 to 1:00
Time a sprint-and-recovery shuttle for every player, then run 1v1 to goal and channel jockeys. Let the stopwatch and the duels settle this block, with opinion kept out of it.
Position stations
1:00 to 1:25
Split by role so keepers stop and start play, defenders defend and build out, midfielders receive and switch, and forwards finish under pressure. One evaluator per station, scoring against that position.
Small-sided games
1:25 to 1:55
Run 3v3 and 4v4 games, then a 7v7 scrimmage with positions rotated. Watch decisions, transition, and who keeps competing once the ball is loose. Keep a separate note for work rate.
Wrap and next steps
1:55 to 2:00
Lay out exactly how and when decisions reach players. Gather every score sheet before the group scatters, so no rating gets invented from memory afterward.
Rather build the day around the drills that stood out to you? Every drill you tagged while reading collects into a single timed block here, ready to save, print, or pass to an assistant. Those same evaluation drills double as a sharp opening practice once the roster goes up, so the plan earns its keep twice. For the following week, our soccer practice plan shapes them into a full training schedule.
Your Soccer practice plan
Add drills from the sections above to build a session you can export, print, or copy
Tryout Mistakes That Cost You Good Players
No drill list, however good, saves a tryout you run carelessly. The costliest errors are the ordinary ones coaches make season after season, so watching for them protects your evaluation as surely as any station on the field.
Hold the position lens. Grade a keeper on dribbling or a center back on shooting and you will send home players who would have starred in their real role. Weigh each one by the job you actually need.
Keep every player moving. A long queue at one goal wastes the session for everyone in it. Break into smaller groups and put out more balls so nobody stands around waiting to be seen.
Never let the scrimmage decide alone. The ball gravitates to the confident few and buries the rest. Lean on the stations and duels so a quiet player still earns a fair hearing.
Log ratings while they are fresh. Get each score onto paper before the next name is called. An hour on, two similar midfielders blur together, and whatever you reconstruct is really a guess.
Keep comparisons private. Talk to each player only about their own game and their own next step. Measuring one child against another where others can hear will sour a squad quicker than anything.
A cut list is the part of a tryout that families remember for years. Handle it carelessly and a ten-year-old hears "not good enough" on the walk to the car. Decide the how before you ever run the session. Give everyone a clear date and method for the results, and when the news is hard, deliver it to each player yourself, face to face or in a private note to them alone.
Score What You See and Set the Roster
Most of your roster picks itself. The standouts jump off the sheet, and the clear cuts, though they sting, rarely start an argument. A tryout gets genuinely decided in the cluster of players in the middle, the ones split by a single rating or one assistant's comment nobody else thought to write down. That conversation is only ever as fair as the scores feeding it.
So hold the scoring identical for everyone. One scale from 1 to 5, a quick note on each player while the session is fresh, and category weights that lean toward the gap in your squad. Short of goals up front? Let finishing and pace count for more. Getting outrun through the middle? Reward the engine who covers every blade of grass. Our printable soccer tryout evaluation form keeps a scoring rubric behind each entry, so a 4 means one thing no matter whose hand filled in the card.
The companion scorecard for this guide. Rate technique, defending, athleticism, and game sense from 1 to 5, then drop the whole thing into a spreadsheet.