2023-2024 Travel Season Tryouts for New-to-Travel Players

Thursday, June 1    OR    Tuesday, June 6

Two sessions each night, based on player birth year (BY)

• 2015 birth year (BY) players:   6:15 arrival and check in 6:30-7:30 try outs
• 2014 birth year (BY) and older players:   7:15 arrival and check 7:30-8:30 try outs

Check in at the Schenley Oval gazebo between the tennis courts.  Tryouts will be on the grass. 

Register through the link below which will collect player and parent information through Sports Connect. If you are part of the Dynamo Recreation program, please use your existing account login and player profile to register. 

There is no cost to try out. If a player is invited to join a team, the total fee for both Fall+Spring seasons is $299 (scholarships available). 

Players need to sign up for only one session. Tryouts are for players new to the Dynamo Travel program only.

Players should wear weather-appropriate soccer-playing clothing, shin guards, and cleats or tennis shoes, and should bring a ball and water. 

Tryouts will be held in rain (but not in thunder or lightning). 

 Parents can stay for the tryouts but are asked to keep a reasonable distance from the tryout area and not coach from the sidelines. 

More info about the process and teams:
Tryouts are run by a third-party vendor who rates the players primarily on skill level. Current coaches may observe to determine appropriate team placement. 

During the month of June, Dynamo Travel commission will work with coaches to form teams and fill open roster slots (see philosophy below). Players will be notified via email regarding placement but this may not happen until late June. (See volunteer message below.)  

Coaches will be needed for new 2015 U9 teams. Additional coach support may be needed for existing teams. Please indicate your interest during registration and we will reach out as teams are formed and players assigned to teams. (See volunteer message below.)

Dynamo philosophy and tryout realities

Dynamo is an organization where we want to accommodate as many players as possible where a travel-level competitive atmosphere is the right fit. So, we do our best to place any players who try out to a team as long as those players have the requisite interest and openness to skill development. However, the reality is that we have limits on roster sizes, coaching staff, and field space. In some cases, players who try out will not be assigned to a team. 

New teams will be formed for 2015BY/U9 players, so we anticipate and need greater numbers of those players. Roster limit is 12 per team. 

2013BY/U11 and 2011BY/U13 teams are expanding to larger rosters so 2-3 additional players are needed for these teams.

If sufficient interest exists any age group, we can form new teams. Roster limits are 12 players for 2014BY/U10, 14 players for 2013BY/U11 and 2012BY/U12, and 18 players for 2011BY/U13 and older. 

2009BY/U15 and 2008 BY/U16 teams are tentative in the fall, as that is when high schools have their season and fewer players are available for additional travel practice and play. We will form a mixed age team if we have enough players. Please do sign up for tryouts so we can gauge interest. These teams will be formed in the spring season and we will reach out in winter with details.

Dynamo organization and commission

Dynamo is an all-volunteer organization. We have day jobs that pay the bills.

Forming teams is a multiple constrained puzzle with players, coaches, ages, roster sizes, remembering that this coming year 2013=U11 but 2011=U13 oy vey! and to communicate with existing players and coaches (all of whom will be on vacation at different times) and so yes, it may take us a month to form the teams for the coming fall. 

If you like this kind of task, or have any other abilities that would help in running a youth sports organization, and want to help us out, please volunteer. We have several tasks that are stand alone / once or twice a year activities that don't involve answering email daily: team formation (summer), uniform order/distribution (summer), team equipment organization (summer, early spring), field equipment organization (summer, early spring), website updates (no html experience needed). Send an email to [email protected], and thank you!

• Players are expected to want to play soccer. That may seem obvious, but practices and games don't work if players aren't committed to attending. If you want your child simply to be active and be part of a team, the recreational Dynamo teams may be more appropriate.
• Players should have some competitive spirit, but recognize that winning isn't everything. Players who want a more focused development should investigate the club level programs in the area. We do some dual rostering with those programs as permitted. 

• Teams play in the PA West Soccer organization and specifically in District 1/East. 
• Teams form in June/July and play both a Fall and Spring season. Players are expected to commit to both seasons. 
• Teams start at U9. 
• Teams for high school age players U15 through U19 may only be available for Spring season pending interest. 
  
• Some roster space may be available on teams for the Spring season. 
• Teams are single gendered, but some crossover is permitted. 

• Coaches are volunteers, usually parents of a player. In some cases, coaches are local college students or adults who just love soccer. Please volunteer to be a coach. 
• Coaches are required by PA West rules to have full clearances and jump through some other hoops to show you are a good person.

• Practices are twice a week at Schenley Oval, usually from 6:30p-8:00p, and for older age teams from 8:00p-9:30p.
• Practices start in late August for the Fall season and in late March for the Spring season. 
• Practice can be on grass or on turf. 
• Practice happens in all kinds of weather because games happen in all kinds of weather.

• Games are on Sundays, anytime between 11:30a and 8:00p. Younger age teams tend to play on the earlier side. 
• Games run from September through end of October or the first week of November for the Fall season. Games run from April through early June for the Spring season. 
• Home games are typically played at Schenley Oval, on grass for younger age teams and on turf for older age teams. 
• Away games are played in the greater Southwest PA area. See the bottom of the District 1/East page for teams in our district. These locations can be an hour or so drive away from Pittsburgh. 
• No games on major Sunday holidays. Mother's Day in Spring is not considered a major holiday. The author of this content has had her Mother's Day dinner at 7:30p at the Somerset Diner, because that is what we do for our kids. They did have good pie. 

• Program organization is all volunteer. Please volunteer to help as a player parent. 
• Program questions can be directed to [email protected]. Program organization is all volunteer. Please be patient for a response.