Montgomery Travelers Soccer Club

Travel Program Overview

We're glad you're interested in the MTSC Travel Program for your child.

Tryout registration is open to experienced players for the following 2022-23 travel teams:
Girls: 2014 and 2015
Boys: 2012, 2013, and 2015
All other teams are now full.

Tryouts are held in the last week of April, and on a rolling / space-available basis after that. Register for a free tryout by clicking the "Log In" or "My Account" button at the top of the page, select the 2022-23 Travel Program, and complete the registration all the way through to checkout. You will receive an immediate email confirmation, then we will contact you for tryout date/time.

The Travel Program is for experienced players who have participated in our Rec program, enjoyed it, and want to learn the finer points of the game in real game settings against well-matched players from other nearby towns. Players with experience from other clubs' travel programs are also welcome to try out.

First, a clarification: When we say "travel" we mean that half the games will be played here at Mill Pond, and half away, within about a 1 hour drive. We don't participate in leagues that require long distance travel or overnight hotels.

For those who are familiar with our Rec Program, Travel differs in these important ways:

Participation requires a tryout to ensure the player has the required skills to support his/her team and has the confidence to enjoy playing with the team. You must register for a tryout (free), then based on the result of the tryout your child will be invited to join the program. That said, your child is not expected to be a World Cup contender in order to join!
The player is making a commitment to his/her team for the fall and spring (September to November, and March to June). The fee for 2022-23 is $ 1,290 and covers both seasons (exception: High School 2004-2008 birth years, see below).
The fee includes:
- Fall: Kickoff sessions in early September, a tournament (4 games in 1 weekend) in September, 10 regular season games (usually Sunday), 2 practices each week, and bonus sessions on Mondays.
- Spring: Weekly outdoor turf sessions at Iron Peak in March; 10 regular season games (usually Sunday), 2 practices each week (April to June), and bonus sessions on Mondays.
The fee does not include:
- The uniform, which costs about $ 150 and must be replaced in odd-numbered years.
- Indoor winter practices or indoor futsal or turf games in January and February; these are completely optional and at additional cost. This allows players who wish to play another sport in the winter to do so.
- Additional opportunities (such as more tournaments) that may be organized as the parents, team manager, and coach agree. These are optional and at additional cost.
The team operates together for fall and spring, getting to know their coach, teammates, and teammates' parents very well.
The expectation is that the player will be present at all practices and games unless there is a compelling reason -- his/her teammates are depending on him/her!
Players specialize in one or more positions based on their strengths and skills, though coaches will sometimes change a player's position during a game as needed.
Practices are more focused on team strategy rather than individual skills, for example, passing plays, corner kick formations, and the like.
The team is assigned an MTSC professional coach who is present at all practices and games; a parent volunteer coach assists during training sessions and act as a backup in case the coach can't make a game.
One parent volunteers to be the Team Manager, coordinating game times with opponents, communicating with parents, and organizing additional activities. (S)he is helped by other parents on the team, for example, bringing equipment to games, having team parties, etc.
Games are officiated by trained, professional referees.
High-School aged teams (2004-08 birth year) do not play league games or have regular practices in the fall season, so as not to conflict with High School soccer teams. These teams have a few practices in November, an weekly indoor session plus an indoor weekly tournament at Iron Peak in Jan and Feb; weekly outdoor turf sessions at Iron Peak in March; tournament (4 games in 1 weekend) in late March, and the regular season in the spring with 10 regular season games (usually Sunday), 2 practices each week, and bonus sessions on Mondays. The fee for 2022-23 is $ 820.

Please scroll down for more information on timelines, tryout criteria, and expectations.

We hope this answers most of your questions about the Travel Program. If you have more questions, or want to discuss if Travel is right for your child, please feel free to contact our Director of Coaching at [email protected]

Tryout Overview

Why MTSC Travel Soccer? -- Our program provides the opportunity for younger players to learn the fundamentals of soccer and teamwork, while experiencing the fun that these accomplishments can offer. As players progress in age and skill, they are taught more advanced levels of soccer, compete at higher levels, and enjoy the self-satisfaction that this growth brings.

Travel Team Year --- Teams are formed in May/June for the following playing year, which runs from September to June. For this reason, you are strongly encouraged to register for a tryout in March/April, as tryouts for later registrants will only be given if there is a remaining roster spot in an age group.

Joining a Travel Team --- Joining a travel team is a multi-step process:
(1: Mar - June) You log in to your account to register your player for a tryout (free). Your registration confirmation will contain the date, time, and location of the tryout.
(2: April or June) Your player attends the tryout.
(3: May or June) If your player passes the tryout, we will extend an offer to join the travel program.
(4: May or June) You log in to your account within 7 days to accept the offer, upload documents, and pay fees.
(5: July) You order a uniform.
(6: August) We notify you which team (if more than 1) your child will play with, set you up with team communication, and post the practice and preliminary match schedule.
(7: September) Team begins practices and matches.

For late registrants (after mid-June), when you register for a tryout we will contact you to let you know if a roster spot is available, and if so, when your player can try out.

How Tryouts Work --- Our free tryouts are designed to provide an objective evaluation of players interested in participating in travel soccer. Two publicly announced tryouts are conducted in April. Players (including current team players) should attend both if possible, where they are evaluated and ranked. We hold more tryouts in June for younger players who may need the spring Rec season to prepare for tryouts.

The Offer -- If successful with the tryout, within a week or so you will receive an email offer to join the age group roster (if not, a coach will contact you to explain why your player did not receive an offer). The offer expires in 7 days so that we can offer that roster spot to another player. Before accepting your player's offer, please understand the financial, time, and effort commitment you and your player are making.

Fees --- When you accept the offer, you will have the option to pay the full annual fee (which covers fall and spring), or break it up into 3 installments: 1/3 immediately, 1/3 by Sept 1, and 1/3 by Jan 1. Because your player is taking a roster spot that could have gone to someone else, fees are nonrefundable.

Formation of teams --- The Club follows USYS mandates for team sizes, ages, and field sizes. This includes high school age teams which are typically Winter/Spring teams. Per USYS rules, travel teams are based on birth year, not school grade.

Roster Size -- The Club recommends a minimum of 11 players for “7v7” teams, 13 for "9v9" teams and 15 for the older “11v11” teams. Experience indicates these numbers allow for absences, needed substitutions, and are reasonable numbers to still be able to provide adequate playing time for all players.

Flighting -- Teams are "flighted" with like teams in the league, the goal being that the team wins about half the time. Winning too little is frustrating for the players; winning too much is boring and prevents development of good play habits. Each season, teams will move up or down in flight based on their win/loss record the prior season.

"Green" teams -- Depending on enrollment, there will be 1 or 2 teams at each age group and gender. If there are 2 teams, one will be flighted against tougher opponents, and the other (Green) against easier opponents. Players will be assigned to play primarily to one team or the other based on skill level and effort, but may occasionally play for the other team as needs and development warrant. These decisions are made by the coach in consultation with the Director of Coaching; parent or player preference is not part of the criteria. When you accept an offer, you are accepting an offer to the age group, not to a team.

Playing Up -- MTSC encourages players to play on teams of the appropriate age and ability. Typically, that is the age based upon their date of birth. USYS rules allows "playing up" one year, but an older player may never "play down". Players significantly ahead in their development for their age may tryout and play for an older team if it is appropriate for their development. If you would like to request your child to "play up", please discuss with the Director of Coaching, who makes all decisions regarding this.

The only other situation where a younger player may be invited to play for an older team is if the player does not make their age appropriate team(s) and the Club is considering forming an older team of similar abilities and that team needs players to complete its roster.

Attendance and Timeliness --- Travel soccer differs from Rec in that you and your player are making a significant commitment to the Club and your team. Every player on the team has a more rewarding experience, and develops more quickly, when every player and parent honors that commitment. Except for compelling reasons (e.g. school event, health, family vacation), your player is expected to be at every practice (on the field and ready to play at the start time), and every match (home or away, on the field ready to warm up 30 minutes before the match start time).

Match Scheduling --- Matches will vary in start time from week to week, usually on Sunday, but occasionally on a Saturday. Your team manager will work with opposing teams to determine match times as far in advance as possible, but occasionally you may not know the start time of a match until just a few days prior.

Practice Scheduling --- Generally, practices are either 5:00 or 6:30, on either Tue/Thu or Wed/Fri, each week. You will be informed as to your team's practice schedule about a month before the start of the season. Because we are juggling coach and field availability, we cannot use parent preference to set or change practice times.

TeamSnap -- Before the start of the season in September, you will receive instructions on how to download and use TeamSnap, the app we use to communicate amongst parents and coaches on each team. This is where you will get practice and match times / locations (with maps), and be able to chat with parents to ask questions, arrange carpools, organize parties, etc. Most importantly, parents must update the availability of players for every match and practice so that the coach can plan (for example, finding players to fill in for absent players)