The Open Trial process is one which gives prospective players the opportunity to attend training sessions with established Emerald City FC teams.   These players will fully participate in all training activities, will be given instruction on techniques and tactics, and will have the chance to develop camaraderie with coaches and current team members.  In short, these Trials are to determine if players and teams are a good “fit” for each other.  Those teams that have the ability to add players to its current roster may then make an offer to players where the fit seems right.

There is a huge difference between the two. In general, tryouts are events that occur over a short period of time (usually a weekend), are attended by large numbers of players each vying for an evaluator’s attention, have a high degree of pressure placed on the players themselves, and are often a challenge for the individual players to stand out or showcase their abilities. Fatigue from long sessions and three consecutive days of playing can often affect the players performance and if mistakes are made, there is rarely an opportunity to remedy the evaluator’s impression.

Open Trials, however, offer a less pressure-filled environment for the player because the event is similar to their normal practices. Players can be evaluated over a greater period of time with attention to a wider spectrum of their abilities, including their ability to grasp concepts and techniques that are taught to them during the training sessions. Player visibility is also improved as the coach is able to focus more on the new players, their skills, and how they fit into the team dynamics.

Open trials are availabe at any time if the team’s coach is looking to fill vacancies.  Please contact coaches directly to inquire regarding open trails at your child’s age group.  Please view our team pages for team info and coach contacts:
Boys: https://www.emeraldcityfc.org/Teams/Boys/index_E.html
Girls: https://www.emeraldcityfc.org/Teams/Girls/index_E.html

Not necessarily, however, it may be their best interest to do so.  As with any organization, the more exposure the player and team have with each other, the better each can make an informed decision about what is best for them.  Besides, if a player attends at least four training sessions, they will receive a written evaluation of their abilities from the professional Emerald City coaches.

Each Emerald City team trains two times per week with some specialty or optional training opportunities also available.  Players participating in the Open Trial process are welcome to attend any activity for which they are available.

As these training sessions are a part of a team’s normal training, the team’s head coach will be directing each session. EmeraldCity is fortunate to have one of the highest qualified coaching staffs in the Pacific Northwest.  Seven of our eleven head coaches have a US Soccer Federation national “A” license or its international equivalent and many have additional National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) coaching diplomas at the highest level.  Among our coaching staff, we have coaches that have coached on professional soccer teams, collegiate teams, US National teams, and Regional and State Olympic Development teams.  For more information on the coaching staff, please click here.

Contact the coach of the team you wish to trial with. The coach of the individual team will contact you with their training schedule.  Players may attend as many training sessions as they would like, but are encouraged to participate in as many as possible.

No.

Registration is free and ensures that the necessary waivers are complete and that we have your contact information.  This covers 2 weeks of open tryouts (attending practices): Register for Open Trials

The most obvious benefit is that your player will receive professional instruction by highly qualified, nationally-licensed coaches during the sessions that they attend.  Beyond that, players will also receive a written evaluation if they attend at least four training sessions which will give your family a good indication of your player’s abilities.  Finally, some players may also receive an invitation to join an Emerald City premier-level team.

Each team has 12 to 18 players, depending on the age group (U11 and U12 teams will be on the smaller side with 12 to 14 players because they play mod 9 vs. 9). Fielding at least two teams per age group is optimal for the players and coaches as it gives plenty of opportunities for combined practices, scrimmages, and the like.