Pro Soccer Tryouts 2026–27: Open Tryout List and How to Prepare

Which pro soccer tryouts are coming up?

These are open tryouts confirmed on each club’s official website when we checked on October 13, 2026. Register only through the club’s own site, and check the details there before you book travel, because dates and fees can change.

Ventura County FC’s tryout is two 60-minute 9 v 9 matches, one each day. Travel, food and accommodation are not included, which is normal for open tryouts.

When did other clubs hold tryouts last season?

Most clubs haven’t announced their 2027 tryouts yet. These are the dates and fees they used last cycle, confirmed on their official pages, so you know roughly when to watch for an announcement and what to budget.

Do MLS first teams hold open tryouts? Not currently. Clubs like the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes run their open tryouts for their MLS NEXT Pro teams, which is the realistic way in. New USL clubs joining for 2027 often hold open tryouts too, so they’re worth watching from November.

How do pro soccer tryouts work?

A professional soccer tryout (called a “trial” in most football countries) is an open event where any eligible player can register, pay a fee and play in front of a pro club’s coaching staff. It is the first filter. Players who stand out are invited to a smaller, invite-only combine or to preseason training, and only after that might a club offer a contract.

The usual path looks like this:

1. Open tryout. Usually one day, mostly matches.
2. Combine or second session. Invite only. San Jose’s MLS NEXT Pro side, for example, invited selected players to a December combine.
3. Preseason trial. You train with the first team. Sacramento Republic FC guarantees at least one tryout player an invitation to preseason camp.
4. Contract, or not. Some clubs sign players this way. Chattanooga FC’s head coach said, “We have signed a player from the open tryout every year that I’ve been here.” Sacramento says six players have signed with its first team after tryouts since 2014.

Those are real outcomes, but they are a handful of players out of many. Treat a tryout as a chance to be seen and to measure yourself, not as a likely contract.

Which leagues and clubs hold open tryouts?

Open tryouts are held mostly by USL Championship, USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro clubs, plus pre-pro and amateur teams in USL League Two and UPSL. The ones we checked ran between November and April, before each season. When people search “MLS tryouts”, what they usually find are tryouts for MLS clubs’ second teams in MLS NEXT Pro.

Checked October 2026 on each club’s official page (links at the bottom). These are past events: next season’s dates and prices will be different, and some events sell out early (Brooklyn closed registration a day before its deadline). Search “[club name] open tryout” and only trust the club’s own website.

Who can try out for a pro soccer team?

Most US open tryouts are for players aged 16 to 25, but each club sets its own limits. In the tryouts we checked, minimum ages were 16 (Sacramento, Snohomish), 17 (Brooklyn) and 18 (San Jose, which capped it at 25). Under-18s often need a parent or guardian to sign a waiver.

• Register the right position. San Jose required players to play the position they registered.
• College players: trying out with a pro team, or having a club pay your costs, can affect NCAA eligibility. Ask your school’s compliance office before you sign up.
• You pay your own way. At the tryouts that mentioned it, travel, food and hotel were on the player.

How should you prepare in the 8 weeks before a tryout?

Use the 8 weeks to get match fit for two full games in one day, sharpen your first touch and scanning, and practise making quick, simple decisions in your position. Don’t try to learn new skills. Get reliable at what you already do, then taper in the last week so you arrive fresh.

What should you bring to a soccer tryout?

Bring everything you’d need for two full matches, plus the paperwork. Pack the night before so the morning is calm. Most open tryouts tell you what to bring in the registration email, so check that first and follow it.

What should you do the day before and the morning of a tryout?

Keep the day before easy: a light session at most, a normal dinner, your bag packed and a proper night’s sleep. On the morning, eat a breakfast you’re used to a few hours before, arrive early, and warm up properly. Don’t try anything new on tryout day, from food to boots.

• Day before: light touches or rest, no hard training, plenty of water, bag packed, route and parking checked.
• Night before: go to bed at your normal time or a little earlier. Watch a few clips of a pro in your position, not your phone until 2am.
• Morning: a familiar breakfast a few hours before kick-off, then a small snack closer to the start if you need one.
• Arrival: 30 to 45 minutes early. Check in, find your group, learn a few names.
• Warm-up: do your own if theirs is short. You want to be sharp in the first five minutes.

How do you deal with tryout nerves?

Nerves are normal and usually mean you care. Give your mind simple jobs: win your first duel, complete your first three passes, talk early. Plan your first two actions before kick-off, and after a mistake use one breath and one word to reset. The coaches judge your whole session, not one moment.

What happens on tryout day, and what drills should you expect?

Expect check-in, a short warm-up, maybe a few drills, then most of the day in 11v11 matches. Spokane’s USL League One tryout gave each player two 60-minute matches, and San Jose’s MLS NEXT Pro tryout ran two 50-minute matches with a long rest between. Clubs judge you in games far more than in drills.

Common soccer tryout drills, if a club uses them before the games:

• Rondos (for example 5v2): quick passing, body shape, scanning.
• Passing patterns: clean, firm passes with both feet.
• 1v1s: attacking and defending in tight space.
• Small-sided games (4v4 to 7v7): lots of touches, decisions under pressure.
• Finishing and crossing: mostly for forwards and wide players.
• Goalkeeper sessions: handling, distribution, crosses. Spokane added a separate 40-minute GK session.

What to bring: boots for firm and soft ground, shin guards, two water bottles, food for the break, a printed or phone copy of your registration. Arrive early: Chattanooga’s check-in was an hour before the first session.

What do coaches watch for at pro tryouts?

Coaches watch whether you make the right decision quickly, check your surroundings before receiving, work hard without the ball and talk to teammates you met that morning. Brooklyn FC’s staff said they assess technical ability, tactical understanding, physical readiness and professionalism. Tricks matter far less than doing simple things well and fast.

Open tryouts are messy: you play with people you’ve never met, so the ball won’t always come to you. The player who still moves, talks and makes the right choice when it does come stands out. Our guide to decision-making training shows how to practise that alone.

What do coaches look for by position?

What mistakes should you avoid at a soccer tryout?

The biggest mistakes are trying to do too much, hiding when the game gets hard and arriving unfit for two full matches. Coaches have a short time to judge many players, so a few lost balls from forcing tricks can outweigh one great moment.

• Forcing highlight moments. Keep it simple until you’ve earned the ball and the picture is clear.
• Playing out of position. Register your best position and play it properly.
• Going quiet. Silent players look lost in a team of strangers.
• Sulking after a mistake. Coaches watch your next five seconds.
• Peaking in the first game. Save energy for the second match. It often matters more.
• Doing one tryout and stopping. Ask for feedback if you can, then go again next season.

How do you spot a pay-to-try soccer scam?

A registration fee paid on a club’s official website is normal for US open tryouts. The red flags are being asked to pay a person, an “agent” or a third party for a private trial, promises of guaranteed contracts or scouts, and invitations that come through social media instead of the club. Check every offer with the club directly.

• Paying an agent for a trial. FIFPRO, the global players’ union, warns that “a club will never ask you to pay for a trial” arranged through an agent, and that a real agent is paid only after you sign a contract.
• Invitation by DM or personal email. A real trial invite comes from the club’s official email. FIFPRO advises checking it with the club.
• Guarantees. Real clubs don’t promise anything: the San Jose and Brooklyn tryout pages both say selection isn’t guaranteed.
• Not on the club’s site. If the event isn’t on the club’s official website or social accounts, assume it isn’t real.
• “European trial” packages. FIFA rules ban international transfers of players under 18, with narrow exceptions. Be very careful with paid offers to go abroad.

What should you do after a soccer tryout?

Whatever happens, write down what went well and what didn’t the same day, while you remember. If you’re invited back, reply quickly and prepare for a higher level. If you’re not selected, ask politely for one piece of feedback, make it your next training target and look for the next tryout.

• If you’re invited to a second stage: confirm by the deadline, ask what the next session involves, and keep your routine the same.
• If you don’t hear back: check the timeline the club gave. If it has passed, one short, polite email is fine.
• If you’re cut: it’s information, not a verdict. Most players who turn pro were rejected along the way.

Then go straight back to work: film your next match, use our soccer training plan to build your week, and check the decision side with the free soccer IQ test and scanning test. For the full route from here, see how to become a professional soccer player.

FAQ

Sources (checked October 2026): San Jose Earthquakes, MLS NEXT Pro team tryout · Chattanooga FC, 2026 open tryouts · Sacramento Republic FC, open tryouts · Brooklyn FC, open tryouts · Spokane Velocity FC, open tryout · Snohomish United, USL League Two tryouts · Rochester FC, 2026 tryouts · MLS NEXT Pro, About · FIFPRO, Fake agents are scamming players · FIFA RSTP Article 19 (via The FA)