Realistically, soccer coaches and managers look out for different things in soccer players during the recruitment process.
It is vital for students to visit schools that they've shown interest in and know about how they can fit in. No college is the same as another, so visiting the college you'd like to enroll in will aid your decision making.
Monitoring different colleges' social media accounts during recruitment processes will give an insight into activities done during those times and how to get involved in them.
Your Academics Must Be of Good Standing
Being selected into a college soccer team is a dream of many. For most colleges we know, your academic results must reflect that you are doing well. Some soccer coaches will not accept players who perform poorly in their academics. After academics, then you can talk about commitment, passion and character.
How Strong Is Your Mental Toughness?
One of the things managers try to observe in the various players available during recruitment is their mental toughness. It simply means the kind of response given by team members when losing or winning a match. Coaches try to know if a player is negatively affected or is not downtrodden or overjoyed and carried away by the happenings around him.
A player's reaction after his team finds the back of the net is also key in determining how tough a player is mentally. When losing, team members need to understand that it is not over until it is over, so they should fight till the blast of the final whistle.
Talent And Athleticism Give More Advantage
Talent and athleticism are looked out for also. If you possess these as a player, you are a hot cake. However, discipline is important as well. If you fail to remain disciplined, you will not go far.
Talent can only take an athlete to certain places, but it will never be enough to achieve their full potential. That is why discipline needs to be inculcated by any budding soccer player - and sportsperson in general. Scouts and coaches will closely monitor your technical and tactical awareness, so make sure you are excellent at what you do.
Be A Fighter and Be Ready to Accept Criticisms
Some coaches look for a fighter or a competitor. Some of these coaches believe that any player who loves to compete will go the extra mile in achieving success as an individual and with the team as well. Therefore, players' work ethic helps them get selected during the recruitment process.
As a beginner, criticisms will surely come. So be prepared on how to receive criticisms. Do not react negatively to them but instead see them as an avenue to improve wherever you may be lacking sufficiency and work on whatever area you have been instructed to work on.
Focus And Teachability Are Nonnegotiable
Focus is also very important for any player. Once a player is focused, there is almost no impossibility with him. Ensure you are teachable and coachable as an athlete by doing away with any form of pride. No coach will like to work with any player that is always pompous and cocky.
The managers detest players that derail from instructions by doing contrary to the coaching crew's laid out plans and strategies. Also, coaches want players who want to improve and learn more about their positions and soccer in general.
