A solid B+.
That's how Minnesota United's academy director Tim Carter assessed the first round of tryouts, finished May 31 and June 1, for the Loons' first Under-13 and Under-14 boys' teams.
"For the first time out, every field was full," Carter said. "There are some talented young players."
Carter estimated 175 to 180 players came to the first round of tryouts, mostly local kids from Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas. There will be another round of tryouts June 27-28. with call-backs from the first round as well as some new players, as the academy has been flexible with other club soccer commitments this summer.
There's also a third round, June 29-30 for the Under-12 age group, which will be a developmental program rather than a team. That means players stay with their current clubs and instead just have supplemental events with United. Instead of a strict 20-player roster limit, this program will have a "pool" of players bigger than that, according to Carter.
Carter said there's likely to be about 160 participants for these later rounds.
Carter and the academy staff had help at the tryouts from some of United's first team personnel, including sporting director Manny Lagos and goalkeeping coach Marius Rovde. United's former head coach at the North American Soccer League level, Carl Craig, also helped out as an evaluator, as did some local college and youth coaches.
"To have the guys who work with our first team to be a part of it shows a little bit how the club is, from a technical side, integrated, as well as their feelings about working with young players," Carter said. "Very positive."
