Since most of the posters on this thread are very knowledgable on this topic, I thought I would ask a few questions. If a 19 year old American wants to play pro in Europe, what steps does he need to take to at least get some tryouts? The player is in college, but for any number of reasons, college soccer is not his thing. The player does have international experience with regional youth teams. Is it all about being at the right place at the right time? Thanks for the insight and help on this!
i think a lot of it is being at the right place at the right time, a friend of mine got a trial w/ real madrid because one of their scouts was in houston recruiting basketball players for the madrid basketball team, saw my friend and offered him a trial with madrid youth,this was six years ago, but usually it seems for american players if you play in the regional youth competitions and your teams go play in tournaments abroad you will get some looks, otherwise, i say pack up your stuff, move to europe and camp outside some teams training ground and beg for a trial. who knows you might get lucky.
i am going to europe in january. My friends uncle is a fifa agent, so he is going to get me to try-out with some teams. And i am a nobody. so i guess you need conections.im 18. You can also e-mail teams and the will respond to you. ? where does your 19 year old friend live anywhere arond boston,ma?
USA players going overseas? The idea of a USA player going overseas (specifically Europe) is ALOT more complicated than most people realize. Here's a few points to ponder. (1) Work Permit - depending on the country, this can be nearly impossible (UK) to just really difficult. In the UK, a player must have have appeared in 75% of his country's National Team matches over the past 3 years (and the country must be high up in the FIFA rankings!). Some may consider younger players with U-23 (Olympic) appearances. Otherwise the player must qualify for a European passport through his family, and this may mean only being able to go back one generaton. Note - recall how Bobby Convey got turned down for his work permit by the UK Government to join Tottemham! (2) Timing - if we're talking about Europe you have to deal with the European transfer window! "Most" of the teams play fall to spring (other than the colder Scandinavian leagues like Finland). They can sign new players during their winter break (January) or after the season (June/July). If everything else is all set, a player might go over for a few weeks before the window so they could get a trial and be considered when the team can sign players. Otherwise, you could spend ALOT of money and time for nothing! (3) Roster Limitations - some countries have league requirements limiting the number of non-native players on any one roster. Sometimes these rules even vary from division to division! (4) Team Introductions - you can't just show up to a training ground and say "I'm a soccer player and I'd like a trial"! Everyone there is already doing that. You have to pursue it like any other job - present a resume (and preferabley game tape showing high level competition) with references that a club would know and respect...and follow up yourself over and over and over and..... (5) MONEY! - these clubs do not house or feed potential USA players. You have to prove yourself THEN get an offer you can survive on. You better be prepared to spend time and money on things such as flights, ground transportaton, housing, food, etc.... because it's all on the player until you get a contract! A player may have to travel to various cities (or even countries) to attend trials at his own expense. You're always going to hear about exceptions - For example, a young player (U-19) might go over someplace and get an offer from a club for it's reserve side BUT it will be contingent upon getting a visa so the team says "get a student visa. We'll put you up and you can train with us". Great, you got your foot in the door - but remember they can't PAY you under a student visa! People should seriuosly consider stuff like this BEFORE going over because it will save ALOT of time, money and frustration! I have a few friends who have learned alot the hard way, sharing some real frustrating experiences! As more USA based players have success overseas, it seems to be opening a few more doors but it's a slow process - I say "good luck" to anybody pursueing their dream but be realistic and do your prep work!