What college soccer coaches look for when scouting?

dribble a soccer ball

Soccer in high school is played and coaches tend to look out for the best players while scouting. The majority of times, the soccer scouts look for skills and abilities instead of experience or how long someone has been playing soccer. This is a good agenda to select good players when scouting. 

Moreover, a lot of players have some confusion when they wonder about what is the main thing that soccer scouts look for in an individual. Well, collectively they look into many things that can determine your set of skills. 

However, today we will discuss more what college soccer scouts look when scouting. Therefore, if you want to know more about college soccer scouting then keep following.

What college soccer scouts look for when scouting?

Soccer is a kind of sport that needs good speed and agility. It requires a player to have excellent footwork and strength to kick the ball enough to make a goal.

However, these factors are not naturally habituated in the majority of people. Meanwhile, some people are naturally gifted. But it does not mean you cannot enhance those skills. 

Speed, agility, strength, and balance all can be mastered with a lot of practice. The main core of soccer or any sport is practice and a lot of it.

You need to be consistent in the journey of soccer if you want your soccer coach to select you for a tough competition. 

Besides that, there are many factors that soccer scouts look when they are scouting a college soccer. However, some of them which are considered to be Essential are mentioned in detail below.

How well the ball balances 

The first and foremost thing that the majority of coaches tend to look out for is the player’s relationship with the soccer ball. Yes, it matters a lot how you are handling the ball and how comfortable you are with it.

Coaches also observe your behavior with the ball once you are on the practice field. The way you pass, defend and keep the soccer ball under your possession is also observed quite keenly. 

Hence, you need to be smart enough to know what you are doing and aiming for. Do not hit a blind spot in a competitive reaction. Instead, you should know the timing of when to pass and when to go forward and aim for a goal. 

Athleticism speed or technique

As mentioned earlier, factors like speed, agility, and strength are not always God gifted. There is always the core of such factors that help to develop them or enhance them. 

  • However, the only way one can develop athleticism speed or technique is through a lot of practice. 
  • But you need to look and observe deeply so that you do not become obsessive over it. Coaches look for a player that is balanced in all ways. 

The speed, agility, and strength you work with towards the ball matter a lot. Since the game of soccer is all about the mentioned characteristics. 

How well balanced the players is?

The next thing that is the key to being selected for your college soccer game is how well your balance is. Now, here the word balance does not only refer to how well you can balance the ball within your range.

But what matters is how well you know your body and how you try to balance every part of it. 

  • Balancing is something that can be done quite easily only when you have enough practice. 
  • The way you move your legs, the way you perform footwork and how you dodge from sides, and much more are counted as a part of balancing. 

Therefore, try to exercise and go to the gym on a daily purpose to create a balance within yourself. It can be a good way to get selected and become a player that too a professional one. 

Using one’s weaknesses and developing it

There is nothing stronger than accepting your flaws and weaknesses. We all have some weaknesses and strengths.

Meanwhile, we all focus on the brighter side, our strengths, we often forget about the weaknesses can be our greatest strengths as well.

However, if we talk about this metaphoric example in terms of soccer.  Then we can say a player using their poor foot for kicking or performing the footwork then can be a way to impress the coach.

As it delivers everyone a message that they are trying to develop and get better at points where they are weak. This kind of attitude will help the players to get into the college soccer team.

Therefore, to sum up we can say the majority of coaches look for a player who is optimistic and works on their pessimistic thoughts thoroughly. 

Offense and defense set of skills

How well you defend your side of the goal and how well you take the offense side of the soccer game is also noticed by most of the coaches when they are scouting.

You need to know the right time and ways to show your field defense skills. Mainly, the coaches will look for those individuals who have a good ability to transition between offense and defense state. 

How quickly one tends to overcome the other state has a great impact on the soccer game. According to the coaches, players who often are successful in completing the game under such cases are idealized as a fit for their team.

As they have a quick and a proper flow of the game in their minds. Which is a very good sign of a conscious and fully awakened mind. 

Final Remarks:

Soccer games in college are fun and tough both. College soccer is a way by the help of which you can accept for playing international level soccer. But that does not just happen out of nowhere. For that, you need dedication and develop such skills that are the requirements of the majority of coaches when they are scouting.