• Current Travel Players - Every current Travel player that is in good standing (2019-2020 season club fees paid in full), will be offered a spot to return for the 2020-2021 season. Though we expect that most players will remain on their current team for next season, there is a chance that some players will be offered a spot on a different team within the club. Newly assigned coaches will consult with current team coaches on player movement.

• Team Placement and Offer Process - Placement and corresponding offers will be sent no later than May 20th with an acceptance deadline of May 25th. Players will be required to register using the link provided to them and submit a deposit to hold their spot. Please visit our Staff page to view the 2020-2021 Coaching Assignments.

• Juniors Program - Current 2012 Juniors Program players will be offered spots in the U9 travel age group and selected 2013 birth year players will be placed in Juniors. Placement for these two age groups will be based on recommendations from Juniors program and Recreation coaches. Future placement sessions may be held when feasible.

Players who are not currently rostered on an MYS Travel team and are interested in joining for the 2020-2021 seasonal, please fill out this FORM so the club can be in contact with you.

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFO: Please make sure that the email address listed for the PRIMARY PARENT is current and active. This is the email address that will be used to communicate any schedule changes, information and offers.

• All players interested in trying out for teams ages U8 through U19, including current members of MYS Travel teams (ECNL, CCL, and all other travel leagues), must complete this registration process. There is only one tryout registration that covers the entire age group - both for ECNL as well as non-ECNL teams. The player chooses if they want to attend the ECNL and Green teams tryout sessions or non-ECNL teams (White, Gold, Silver) tryout sessions or both.
• There is NO FEE to register for tryouts.
• Players should review the information below (Tryout Information) for more details about what to bring, what to wear, what to expect, etc!
  
• If you have any questions about tryouts, registration or travel teams, please email [email protected].

League Information: Please visit our league pages for more information about each league!

• Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Girls
• Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Boys
• Club Champions League (CCL)
• National Capital Soccer League (NCSL)

Overview of Program

The McLean Youth Soccer Travel Program offers a variety of levels of travel teams, competing in different travel leagues: ECNL (Elite Clubs National League), CCL (Club Champions League), and NCSL (National Capital Soccer League). The ECNL teams are appropriate for elite level players.

Age Group Chart (2020-2021 seasonal year)

Coaching Staff
The McLean Youth Soccer professional technical staff is led by Technical Director, Clyde Watson. Along with Goalkeeper Director, John Szaro, the leadership is rounded out with Age Group Directors, Jamil Faryadi, Jaon Ahmad, Jamil Walker, Cindi Harkes and Alan Portillo.

All MYS Travel Teams are coached by professional coaches with extensive experience. All coaches are employed by the club. The list of coaching assignments can be found on the Staff 2020-2021 page.

Practice Times / Locations
Travel team practices are typically held on weekday afternoon and evenings on fields located in the McLean area.

Commitment
Travel team players commit to their team for the entire 2020-2021 seasonal year. Travel teams typically practice 2-4 times a week, and play games on weekends throughout the fall and spring season. In addition, teams may have 'offseason' activities. Commitment is typically higher for more competitive teams where there may be additional required sessions in the winter and summer.

Player Evaluation

The tryout process will occur over several days where players are evaluated based on all pertinent areas of the game for both current performance and predicted future performance. During the process, evaluations from multiple staff coaches will be taken into account in order to select the team.

Team Formation
Teams are formed based on the results of entire age group tryouts. MYS typically offers 3 teams per age group. However, this number may vary from year-to-year based on the results of the tryout process. The non-ECNL teams are labeled and tiered "Green", "White" and "Gold".

Player Fees

• There is no fee to tryout.

Participation in the travel program consists of two fees:

• Club Fees varies by age group and team level. This fee addresses technical staff compensation, league registration, field fees, insurance, administration, and other club-related fees. Club Fees can be found here.
• Team Fees address team tournament costs, travel costs and other individual team-related fees. These fees varies by team.
• McLean Youth Soccer is committed to providing Financial Assistance to help players who would otherwise be unable to participate in the MYS program. We encourage families to apply as soon as possible and no later than three weeks prior to the start of the season. Questions should be directed to [email protected]

TRAVEL TRYOUT INFORMATION

Tryout Registration

• All players (including current players) are REQUIRED to register online.
• Tryout Registration will close 24 hours before the first scheduled tryout in an age group.
• If you are not able to register within 24 hours of the first scheduled tryout, you should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the first session to register on site.

Tryout Attendance

• It is in the player's best interest to attend all tryout sessions.
• MYS conducts open tryouts. Returning players are required to tryout in the same manner as players new to the club.
• Only players and active technical staff are permitted on the playing surface during the tryout session. Parents should remain off the fields. For example, at the Lewinsville Park fields, parents should remain outside the fenced area. At the Police field, parents should remain at the top of the ramp. At Spring Hill Rec # 2, parents should remain on the paved path.

Playing "Up"

Players must attend the tryouts for their specific birth year. The technical staff will determine if it is appropriate for a player to tryout in an older age group. If a player is interested in trying out for an older age group, please follow this procedure:

• Register online for age appropriate group tryouts.
• Email [email protected] with the following information: Player name, date of birth, current team, requested age group. You will be provided a form to complete so the technical staff will be notified of your request.
• All players are required to attend at least the FIRST session with their age appropriate age group (even if approved to tryout with an older group).
• Players should NOT attend a tryout without appropriate registration as it will further delay the process, and the technical staff will not have your information on their evaluation sheets.

What to Bring and Wear to Tryouts

• Players should arrive 20 minutes prior to each session to check-in and get their tryout number.
• Players will be given a number to attach to their shorts with safety pins (also provided). This number needs to be kept and used by the players at each tryout they attend.
• Please bring ball, water, shin guards and cleats to all tryouts.
• The staff requests that players not wear any travel uniform jerseys from any club to tryouts.

Player Notification Process

• Within 72 hours after the final tryout, MYS will provide a list of players selected by posting their assigned tryout number on the MYS Travel Tryouts website page. Age Group Directors (AGDs) work closely with coaches to provide guidance in the selection process and to ensure timelines are met.
• Coaches will email each player with a specific offer and a link will be provided for selected players to accept their offer by registering for the team. Players have 48 hours to accept the offer and submit the required fee to secure a roster spot on the team. Not adhering to this policy may result in the withdrawal of the offer.
• Note: A player is not officially rostered to a team until they are registered and have paid their deposit.
• In some cases, a coach may extend a verbal or email offer after the first tryout. Should a tryout participant receive an offer before the end of a tryout for an age group or team, this offer MUST NOT be spoken about on the field during tryouts and should be kept confidential throughout both the tryout and notification process.
• Additionally, players can be extended an offer after the initial player selection (due to offers declined or open roster spots still remaining after tryouts).

Inclement Weather Information

When the forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms or inclement weather, please review the information below. We recommend that if possible you stay in the area in case of a cancellation during the tryout so you can get your player in a timely manner. If we know ahead of time that a field has been closed or a tryout is being cancelled, an email will be sent to all registered participants and information will be updated on the Tryout Schedule and posted on the home page under the Field Status section. Every reasonable effort will be made to hold each tryout session. For the full MYS Weather Policy click here.

Player Evaluation - Feedback

MYS understands that the tryout process is very stressful for players and families, and sometimes the outcome is not what a young player may have hoped for. The MYS Technical Leadership shares this informational document with insight into why a player may not be offered a roster spot on a team.

Questions
If you have any further questions about McLean Youth Soccer Travel Team Tryouts, please contact [email protected].