Preparing Youth Players for College Game

Presented by the Duke Men’s and Women’s Soccer Coaches

What are qualities are college coaches looking for (in no particular order): 

• Competitiveness--youth coaches must own this by adding competition into all training sessions, keep scores/results, have a winner in exercises/games
• Athleticism-- small sharp movement, changing directions, acceleration, deceleration
• Willingness to take players on 1v1--take risks at the right time
• Do they have a special quality? Good in the air, strike a ball well, scoring goals?
• Working off the ball--forcing the defenders to make a decision, move off the shoulder of a defender
• Coachable--willingness to play different positions; how does the player react to the coach, referees, teammates, opponents?
• Fitness--physically strong for 90 minutes; is your second game of a tournament played at the same physical level as your first game?
• Psychology--mental toughness for 90 minutes
• Experience--what level do they play at? ODP? National team?  Has their Club team been active in attending showcase tournaments? 

What holds players back from playing in college right away: 

• Grades--if you can’t get into the school, it won’t matter; once in, you must maintain your academic eligibility
• Defending--you absolutely must be able to defend in 1v1 situations
• Speed of play--physical and mental speed during the game
• Final third risk taker (if you feel you are an attacking player)
• Heading
• Playing under pressure--technique without pressure is not good enough; what can you do when a defender enters the play?
• Understanding structure--flexible to play in and between various systems
• Fitness--being healthy and fit coming into college season 

**When sending a video to college coaches, you must highlight yourself both on and off the ball in a game situation.  Do not send a clip of yourself demonstrating various techniques and Coerver moves.