Who should try out for travel soccer?

Any player who is enthusiastic about the game of soccer, has a willingness and desire for continuing individual and team development. Additionally, players with a combination of excellent athletic ability, high caliber soccer skills based on their age group, positive attitude, size and speed, and an intense desire to compete at the highest level.

Is extensive travel required?

Depending on the age group and the league your child plays in; Mid-Michigan, travel is limited to the immediate Tri-cities area. In Mid-Michigan the farthest distance may be Lansing or Davison.

Our U–13 through U–18 teams play in the MSPSL or Michigan State Premier Soccer League. Depending on the home and away schedule given by the league, these teams can typically expect to play 4–5 games that require travel. These games may include travel ranging from 1 hour to 3 hours of travel, one way.

Does playing Fusion soccer mean my child will not be able to participate in other activities?

While your commitment to the Fusion program through Michigan Youth Soccer is year round, players may compete in other sports.  Players are expected to attend practices and games but our open practice policy and academy structure allow players who miss some practices due to conflicts the ability to continue to improve their skills by taking advantage of these opportunities.  It should be noted that there are some fees associated with participation that are required, regardless of a players participation or not; e.g. indoor winter training.

Can my child play up to an older age group?

Talented and committed players may sometimes play on older teams because it is best for their individual development.  During the seasonal year, the Technical Director in consultation with the MSC coaching staff, may recommend the use of club pass systems and dual carding players on two rosters to give those top players on a team the chance to experience play at a higher level. 

Those players wishing to play up should contact our Technical Director prior to tryouts in June.  At tryouts, those players wishing to try to play up will attend their own age group tryout on the first day of tryouts.  If they are evaluated as a top 3 player on their age group team, they may be asked to attend the older age tryout.  Players playing up MUST be able to start for the older age group to be rostered on that team.  The use of the club pass card and/or dual rostering can be used for those who fail to make the older team at tryouts but as the year progresses develop to the point where the next logical step is to get some experience at a higher level.

Who are the Coaches?

A notable advantage of our Fusion coaching staff is that we employ a full time technical director as well as attract and employ some of the top coaches in the area. We use licensed coaches - which represent over 34 years of NCAA Division I experience as well as many who also played college soccer or coach high school soccer – who are positive role models and focus on player development in order to develop the team and club. 

What is the time commitment for travel soccer?

Players selected for travel soccer are committing themselves to both the Fall and Spring seasons, unless they are of the high school age groups. Typically teams practice two to three times a week, with practices typically running for an hour and a half. During the season, it can be expected that teams will play at least one game per weekend, maybe two depending on the schedule arranged by the coach. Teams can also expect to participate in at least two tournaments per season.

Teams will also participate in winter training sessions twice a week typically from the beginning of January through the middle of April.

How do Tryouts work?

Some general information about Fusion tryouts:

• Our tryouts are crafted to evaluate technical and tactical proficency through our activities which push players to make different decisions and display different skill sets as the tryouts progresses.  Players should attend both sessions of tryouts. Players are not penalized for only attending one session but failure to show up to both eliminates the ability for our staff to fully evaluate that player in all categories.
• There is no fee for trying out. Player registration fees, uniform fees, and tournament fees are all collected after a player has been offered a roster spot.
• Players may be notified regarding roster spots at any time during the tryout period.

What are the costs associated with Fusion teams?

The annual fees for Fusion teams / age groups can be found on our Player/Parent Handbook

Currently, the required fees for Fusion cover the following: administration fees, field usage and maintenance, referee fees for all fall and/or spring outdoor league play, player registration, state and league fees, MIT and FIT tournament registrations, indoor winter training, and coaches fees.

What other costs are families responsible for?

Uniforms (every 2 years), travel to and from away games, and lodging at tournaments for themselves and a stipend for their coach. Additional fees may be required if teams decides to play additional indoor sessions or tournaments.

What do the colors for the teams mean?

The color of the teams refer to league/level the teams play in...

Green teams play in higher level state competitions when they reach U12.  These teams may play in WSSL or MSPSP (premier) and will participate in state cup competitions as well as higher level tournaments.

White teams play in more local leagues like MMYSL and WSSL.  They do not play in state cup often.

Black teams are teams dedicated to fulfilling our mission of offering a higher level of play for those who want to pursue soccer as a sport of choice or who want to spend more time playing.  These teams are joined in conjunction to a Green and, in some cases, White teams.  The primary goal is to play in tournaments between state league seasons and they will attend tournaments in Janurary-March and June-August. These teams are carded through US Club Soccer and/or USYSA and there is an extra fee which covers player registration and tournament costs.  The teams formed will also be mixed age teams.  For more information, contact our technical director