Private Youth Soccer Player Evaluations

Criteria, Scoring and What Coaches Look For

Whether your child is brand new to soccer, already playing club, or quietly falling behind teammates, a TNT Futbol private player evaluation is the fastest way to replace guessing with a named answer. These are 1-on-1 sessions, not group evaluations, so there is no line of teammates watching and no peer pressure to perform. A hard hour of training is easy to produce. Diagnosis is not, and that is what this session is for.

Coach Elmer Chacon runs private evaluations once a week, one player at a time, watching where a player sits on the road to becoming a competitive athlete, or how much further the competitive player in front of him can be pushed. He names one fault instead of stacking more drills on top of it.

Each session runs about 15 minutes and costs $50, and typically covers a skills evaluation followed by a knowledge evaluation.

Parents leave with the strengths, the one or two gaps worth working on, and the honest next step, which is sometimes a training block and sometimes a conversation at home instead. Elmer will not promise team placement or roster spots, because selection belongs to club coaches and their needs that year. What an evaluation does is measure the things evaluators actually notice: first touch, both feet, decision speed, defensive work rate, and coachability.

What Coach Elmer is watching for

Every private evaluation is age appropriate, and because it is one on one, the read is on the player alone rather than on how they look next to a group. A U10 is not judged against a U12 standard, and the same goes for U14 and U18. What counts as strong ball control at one age is only a starting point at the next, so the bar moves with the player. If you want the longer view of what each stage should look like, see our breakdown of youth soccer development by age.

Can he keep the ball under pressure, and where does it go next?

Elmer watches how the ball travels with the player and, more telling, how it leaves them: passes at the correct pace, to feet and into space, on the ground and lofted. His hardest look is at whether both feet and every surface of the foot are genuinely available, or whether one foot is quietly doing all the work while the other hides.

Does he ask for the ball, and does the first touch survive?

Elmer starts here because it is the fault he names most often. Does the player show for the ball rather than hide from it, receive cleanly with either foot, and use the body to kill a ball out of the air? A touch that dies under pressure is usually the reason a player stops asking for the ball in certain areas of the field.

Is the strike repeatable, or was that one lucky?

Elmer asks for the same strike from different ranges and angles, off a pass and out of the air, to see whether the technique holds up when it is repeated instead of landing once. He also looks at driven balls from goal kicks and corners, and at composure in front of goal, which is the part that separates a shooter from a scorer.

How fast does he think, not just how fast does he run?

Decision speed is what club evaluators notice, so Elmer separates it from raw pace. He clocks speed with the ball, speed without it, and reaction time off the first cue, then checks whether the technique still works when the tempo goes up. Plenty of quick players slow the game down the moment the ball arrives.

Would he still be doing this in minute eighty?

Elmer is less interested in gym numbers than in game shape: whether a player can hold their level for a full match, change pace and direction late, and stay strong on and off the ball when they are tired. Fatigue is also one of the three things parents most often mistake for a player losing interest, so it matters here.

What does he do the second the ball is lost? (U11+)

Defensive work rate is on every evaluator’s list, so Elmer watches the transition moment closely. Does the player recognize the switch to defending, contain instead of diving in, pick the right moment to challenge, and win the ball under control rather than just clearing it? He also looks for basic support behind the ball, not just the tackle itself.

Game Sense (U11+)

How well the player understands the tactical side of the game. Players understanding of principles of attacking and defending, and rules of the game. Aware of situational play, transition between attack and defend, makes a different in the play.

Positioning/Spatial Awareness (U11+)

A player’s ability to read the game as it develops and to position themselves in the most advantageous area from which to support their team effectively. A player’s understanding of their position and other positions on the field. Understands positions and format the team is playing. Adjusts dynamically and accordingly.

Commitment and coachability

Shows up for practices, listens, makes progress, shows good sportsmanship and applies lessons. Shows a desire to play soccer for the love of the game. Focused at games and practices. Eager to learn. Always makes best effort.

Skills Scoring

Every area above gets a number from 1 to 5. The number is not a grade, it is a starting point. Here is what Elmer means by each one:

5 – One of the best in the age group at this. Fine tuning already developed skills and protect what’s already been built.

4 – Ahead of what the age group should look like. A real strength, and close enough to a 5 that small details are worth chasing.

3 – On target for the age. Nothing wrong, nothing separating him yet. Remember the bar moves at the next age group, so on target today is the starting point tomorrow.

2 – Behind where the age group should be. This is usually the one or two gaps Elmer names, and it is the most useful number on the sheet, because it tells you exactly where the work goes.

1 – The player is not putting effort into this area. That is not a technical problem, it is an effort or a confidence problem, and it is usually worth a conversation at home before another hour of field time.

Once a weakness is named out loud it stops being a character trait and becomes a coaching problem, which is a much better problem to have. If touch is the gap the score exposes, our training in Irvine and Orange County is usually the next step.

Evaluation criteria at a glance

Every criterion below is scored 1 to 5 against the standard for the player’s own age group. Criteria marked U11+ only are assessed once players are old enough for the tactical side of the game to be a fair thing to judge.

Criterion	What it means	What 1 to 5 looks like
Dribbling / Ball Control	How the ball travels with the player, with both feet and every surface of the foot genuinely available rather than one foot doing all the work.	5 one of the best in the age group; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 behind the age group and a named gap; 1 no real effort going into this area.
Receiving / First Touch	Showing for the ball rather than hiding from it, receiving cleanly with either foot, and using the body to kill a ball out of the air.	5 touch survives real pressure every time; 4 a clear strength with small details left; 3 on target for the age; 2 the touch dies under pressure and the player stops asking for the ball; 1 not attempting to receive properly.
Passing	How the ball leaves the player: correct pace, to feet and into space, on the ground and lofted, off either foot.	5 weights and picks passes better than peers; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 behind the age group, usually one-footed or one-paced; 1 no effort into passing technique.
Shooting / Striking	Whether the same strike repeats from different ranges and angles, off a pass and out of the air, plus driven balls and composure in front of goal.	5 repeatable technique and composure that turns a shooter into a scorer; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 lands one and cannot repeat it; 1 no effort into the strike.
Speed and Reaction	Speed with the ball, speed without it, reaction off the first cue, and whether the technique still works when the tempo goes up.	5 quick and still technical at speed; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 quick but slows the game the moment the ball arrives, or slow to the first cue; 1 not competing for the moment.
Fitness / Game Shape	Holding their level for a full match, changing pace and direction late, and staying strong on and off the ball when tired.	5 same player in minute eighty as in minute five; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 drops off well before the end; 1 not putting effort into the running side of the game.
Defensive Technique (U11+ only)	What happens the second the ball is lost: recognizing the switch to defending, containing instead of diving in, choosing the moment to challenge, and winning the ball under control.	5 reads transition and wins it cleanly; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 dives in, or clears rather than wins; 1 no reaction when possession is lost.
Game Sense (U11+ only)	Understanding of the principles of attacking and defending and the rules, awareness of situational play, and reading the transition between attack and defense.	5 changes the play with what he understands; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 behind the age group and reacting late to situations; 1 disengaged from what the game is asking.
Positioning / Spatial Awareness (U11+ only)	Reading the game as it develops, taking up the most advantageous position to support the team, and understanding their own position and the others in the format the team plays.	5 adjusts dynamically and is consistently in the right place; 4 ahead of the age group; 3 on target for the age; 2 out of position often, unclear on the role; 1 no attempt to hold a position.
Commitment / Coachability	Shows up, listens, applies lessons, makes progress, shows good sportsmanship, and plays for the love of the game.	5 focused, eager to learn, best effort every time; 4 consistently coachable; 3 on target for the age; 2 inconsistent focus or slow to apply corrections; 1 an effort or confidence problem, usually worth a conversation at home before more field time.

U8-U10 evaluation standards

At this stage the evaluation stays on the ball and the player, not on tactics. The tactical criteria marked U11+ are not scored yet, because judging shape and game sense before a player has the technical base is unfair and tells you nothing useful. Elmer is watching dribbling and ball control, receiving and first touch, passing, striking, speed and reaction, game shape, and coachability.

A 3 out of 5 at U8-U10 looks like this: the player keeps the ball close in open space, receives a rolling pass cleanly with the stronger foot, passes at a reasonable pace to a teammate’s feet over short distances, and gets a shot on frame from close range. The weaker foot exists but does not do much. Under light pressure the touch is still there; under real pressure it gets away. He asks for the ball in the areas he is comfortable in. Nothing is wrong, and nothing separates him yet.

A 2 at this age is almost always the weak foot or a first touch that dies the moment anyone closes in. A 1 is rarely technical at this age. It is effort or confidence.

U11-U14 evaluation standards

This is where the full sheet comes into play. Defensive technique, game sense, and positioning and spatial awareness are scored from U11 up, on top of everything already being measured at the younger ages. The bar on the technical criteria also moves: what earned a 3 at U10 will not earn a 3 here.

A 3 out of 5 at U11-U14 looks like this: both feet are genuinely available, even if one is clearly preferred, and the first touch survives a defender arriving. Passes are weighted correctly to feet and into space over range, on the ground and lofted. The strike repeats from more than one angle rather than landing once. On the defensive side he recognizes the moment possession is lost, contains rather than diving in, and holds a sensible position for the format the team plays. He understands his role and the roles around him, though he is reacting to the game rather than reading it early.

A 2 at this age is usually decision speed rather than technique. The player is quick, works hard, and still slows the game down the second the ball arrives, or gets minutes without getting the ball. That is the gap most worth naming here, because it is the one club evaluators notice first.

High school and elite evaluation standards

For high school age and competitive players, the evaluation is less about whether the skills exist and more about how much further the player in front of Elmer can be pushed. Every criterion is scored, and the standard is the level the player is trying to compete at, not the level he is currently playing at.

A 3 out of 5 at this stage looks like this: technically sound on both feet, first touch reliable under real pressure, passing range and weight that hold up at tempo, a repeatable strike with composure in front of goal. He defends the transition moment without being told, positions himself correctly for the format, and holds his level deep into a match. He is a solid, dependable player who has not yet found the thing that separates him. That is not a criticism, it is the honest read, and it usually points to one specific area worth attacking rather than more of everything.

A 2 here is often narrow and fixable: a one-footed final ball, composure in front of goal, or game shape that drops in the last twenty minutes. Club tryouts generally run late May through June, so if that is the target, the useful work starts months beforehand, not the week of. If you are weighing what to do with the result, our guide to youth soccer development programs in Irvine lays the formats out side by side.

Book a private evaluation

To book a private evaluation, call Elmer directly at (714) 248-2592 and describe what you are seeing in games. Share the evaluation image above with any parent asking what a session actually covers. That call costs nothing and usually tells you within five minutes whether an evaluation is even the right answer. If the sessions are your idea and not your player’s, say so on the phone. That is a different conversation, and we would rather have it than sell you field time your player resents. More on that in our guide for parents supporting a player off the field.