Competitive

For boys and girls ages 10-18 born in 2015-2007

TRYOUTS: MAY 12-15, 2025

The classic competitive soccer experience!

Our competitive program for is for committed players ages U11-19 who are looking to continue improving their game in a fun, developmental, and challenging environment. Teams are formed after tryouts based on skill level.

Led by professional, US Soccer licensed coaches, teams practice 2x a week and play around the state in OYSA leagues over the course of the year.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

 

Quality coaching throughout the year from our licensed coaching staff

All competitive coaches at CFC have a minimum of a “D” coaching license through US Soccer and work within the curriculum and development pathway of Capital FC. This curriculum-based approach sets the competitive program apart, ensuring players receive training on areas such as:

  • Developing individual technique with an emphasis on good decision making.

  • Positional play as it relates 9v9 and 11v11.

  • Developing understanding of basic team attacking and defending concepts.

  • Individualized player evaluations

  • To foster a love of the game in players that develops internal motivation to improve on their own and continue playing long into the future.

League play in fall and spring through Oregon Youth Soccer

Teams participate in Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) Leagues in the fall and the spring (U11-14) and winter (HS). Our staff ensures placement in leagues that allow for the correct mix of challenge and success to promote learning for each player.

In addition to league play, teams compete in 3 tournaments throughout the summer, as well as optional winter training program.

Breaks are built in throughout the season for players with flexible attendance periods to allow for participation in other sports. Though we do not control the league schedule, we do our best to accommodate multi-sport participation

High School Competitive teams take the fall off to participate with their High School soccer team.

 

Is this the right program for my child?

  • The program is for players that were born between 2015 and 2007.

    Players born in 2015 and 2014 play 9v9 while 2013’s and 2012’s play 11v11.

    High School (2011-2007) play 11v11.

  • $155/mo for June-April + $100 annual membership

    Includes coaching and director fees, equipment, field rentals, tournament costs, and league fees.

    Uniforms are not included in program expense.

    Scholarships of up to 75% of the fee are available for families based on need.

  • This program is for players who have shown interest in the game and want a year-round commitment. Players are organized by ability and have opportunities to guest play with other teams in our programs as it is available.

    This is a step above our recreational/select programs and the step below our Pre-Academy and Academy programs.

  • Season Length: 12 months, with several breaks built into the season. 36 weeks total. HS Teams take the fall off to play with their local HS team.

    Practices: 2 practices per week (~1:30 hour length)

    Tournaments: 3 tournaments consisting of 3-5 games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the summer time.

    League Play: 1-2 games per weekend in the fall and spring (U11-14) and Winter (U15-19). Games are played on Saturdays and Sundays.

    State Cup Play: OYSA President’s or Founders Cup play at conclusion of the season in the fall/spring.

  • Practices are held either Capital FC’s Complex, Pioneer Sports Park/

    League games are in a home/away format and happen at home in Salem or around the state, with most opponents coming from the Portland area. Depending on which teams are in which leagues, there may be 1 or 2 games in the year as far away as Bend or Medford.

2025-2026 PROGRAM ANNUAL PLAN

Though these dates are not set in stone, here is an overview of what you can expect for the year.

 

SUMMER

MAY - AUGUST

TRYOUTS | May 12-15

All players entering Capital FC’s Competitive Program must participate in tryouts. Please register in advance for the event online.

CFC Staff Coaches evaluate players based on the four pillars of the game – 

  • Technical ability

  • Tactical insight (decision making)

  • Physical ability

  • Social (personality)

Upon acceptance of position, players and families will be invited to an organizational meeting to go over details for the calendar year.

Organizational Meeting Details:

Wednesday, May 28th, from 6-7pm

Where: East Salem Community Center (1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, OR 97305)

Tryout Schedule:

2015 Boys and Girls: May 12th and 13th, 5:30-7

2014 Boys and Girls: May 12th and 13th, 7-8:30

2013 Boys and Girls: May 12th and 13th, 5:30-7

2012 Boys and Girls: May 12th and 13th, 7-8:30

2011 Boys: May 14th and 15th, 7-8:30

2011 Girls: May 14th and 15th, 5:30-7

2010 Boys: May 14th and 15th, 5:30-7

2010 Girls: May 14th and 15th, 7-8:30

2009 Boys and Girls: May 14th and 15th, 5:30-7

2008/07 Boys and Girls: May 8th and 9th, 7-8:30


SUMMER TRAINING AND TOURNAMENT PLAY | June- August

Age groups will receive two 90-minute trainings per week beginning end of May/beginning of June.  Summer tournaments will consist of one tournament per month for the months of June, July & August.   

Summer Tournament Schedule by team:

FALL

SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER*

*All High School Aged Players will take this period off to participate in High School Soccer through Oregon Schools.

LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT

CFC will be hosting a fall kickoff tournament over Labor Day, the Cherry City Cup. Games will be played Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31. This will be for White Teams.

FALL TRAINING

Players will continue training twice weekly through the fall (75-90 minute sessions). These sessions will be held at Pioneer Sports Park.

FALL LEAGUE PLAY

After Labor Day, teams will compete on the weekends in the Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) Leagues. Teams will play games on both Saturdays and Sundays and will be required to do some traveling. 

Teams will compete in ~10 league games.

Most travel will be to Portland or Eugene, but some teams will occasionally travel as far as Bend or Medford for a game. At least 50% of league games will be played in Salem.

One important note is that rosters are somewhat “fluid” for the teams. Teams will be assigned a primary roster for the season, but they may be asked to play in more than one game or to change rosters to fit the development needs of the player as well as the needs of the teams throughout the season.

WINTER

NOVEMBER - JANUARY

OPTIONAL WINTER OFFERINGS

Players have a little more flexibility in the winter. For those looking for more, the following options are available: Thanksgiving Tournament, Christmas Tournament, Coerver Performance Academy, Coerver Christmas Break Camp.

OPTIONAL HIGH SCHOOL OFFERING

Teams/players that opt in may begin training and participate in the Timbers Alliance Showcase Tournament in December and/or PacNW Winter Classic in Seattle in January.. The families will be responsible for the entry fee, as this is not included in the club fee.

SPRING

FEBRUARY - APRIL

SPRING TRAINING

Players will resume training twice weekly during the month of January (HS) and February (U11-14). These sessions will be held either at Salem Indoor or at Pioneer Sports Park.

WINTER/SPRING LEAGUE PLAY

Black and White teams begin league play at the end of February/beginning of March through OYSA’s leagues. OYSA has yet to determine a firm start date, so there may be some overlap with other sports schedules in February. Teams will be placed in appropriate divisions according to team ability level.

Games and training will conclude in April. All players will then participate in competitive program tryouts for the following seasonal year, taking place in May.

OTHER INFORMATION

CONCLUSION OF SEASON

At the conclusion of the spring component, players will then be asked to participate in competitive program tryouts for the following seasonal year, taking place in May of 2026.

BREAKS

Note that there are the following breaks that are built into the season:

  • Week of Thanksgiving

  • Two weeks of Christmas Break

  • Spring Break

  • Last week of school

  • Any Salem-Keizer School District closure

TEAM, ROSTER SIZE, and PLAYING TIME

Our objective is to form 2 teams per age group & per gender with roster equity of between 12-16 players placed per team for 9v9 and 16-22 players per team for 11v11. If these roster numbers are incomplete, the club may add players after the tryout to the team upon evaluation.

As the players get older, roster sizes may increase to beyond the 18 players that can be rostered for a match. We may roster up to 22 players per team, because we find that player availability decreases due to injury, work, or school conflicts as the players get older.

COST

$155/mo for June-April + $100 annual membership due in May to reserve your spot.

Includes coaching and director fees, equipment, field rentals, tournament costs, and league fees.

Uniforms are not included in program expense.

Scholarships of up to 75% of the fee are available for families based on need.

  • JOE WENTWORTH

    CFC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

    Wentworth oversees the player development pathway and team elements of the Competitive Program.

    Wentworth has his USSF “A - Youth” Coaching License, and USSF Instructor’s License.

    Wentworth is well respected across the national soccer community and grew up in the Northwest, calling Woodburn his home for some time and playing in the Willamette League as a young adult. He is deeply dedicated to teaching kids the game of soccer at all ages and ability levels.

  • MARTIN MALDONADO

    DIRECTOR OF COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS

    Martin joined CFC in 2020 after working with Westside and United PDX previously. He has a wealth of experience in the soccer world and continues to bring his expertise and energy to the fields and families at CFC.

    He currently is a candidate for his USSF “B” Coaching License

  • LU WENTZ

    DIRECTOR OF COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS - GIRLS

    Originally from Brazil, Wentz joined CFC’s staff in 2023. She has secured many accolades including the 2020 Oregon Girls Academy Coach of the Year, the 2021 West Region Competitive Coach of the Year.

    Wentz holds her USSF “B“ License.

BOYS COACHING STAFF

To be released.

GIRLS COACHING STAFF

To be released.

FAQs

  • It is all about commitment level. A big indicator of this is how much your player chooses to play at home or at school with friends. If your child loves soccer and wants to improve, then this is the program for them.

  • Rosters serve as a baseline for how teams will train and practice together. The coaching staff will form rosters so that all players are at a similar level to maximize their individual player development. At the discretion of the coaching staff, some players may be asked to practice and/or play with a different team for specific games or tournaments. These decisions will all be based on how to help each player develop appropriately.

  • Yes, although at times this may be difficult. Refer to the Program Overview above to see that there are a few “down times” in the program. These would be the best times to play other sports.

    If a player on the roster of a competitive team desires to play another sport that has an overlapping season, it may be possible to play both sports. Some compromises may need to be worked out with the coaches of both sports regarding participation in practices and games. Some players may be able to successfully divide their energies, but some may find it very difficult to manage. A player in the competitive program who chooses another activity or sport instead of participating in the Competitive Program will not be penalized for making that decision, though this decision may affect their development and playing time. A player may be dropped from the program if the player fails to attend a significant number of practices and games.

  • Yes. We have several programs that are available to you if you decide that your family is not ready for the greater time and financial commitment of the Competitive Program. Players from 4th-8th grade can continue to play in our Recreational Program in the fall and the spring.

    We also encourage players to participate with their school programs in middle and high school If they are not ready for this level of commitment.

    There are also other camps and clinics offered by CFC and Coerver during the summer and the winter. Check our website for details as they become available.

  • Yes. There are two reasons our competitive programs are organized this way. First, we believe it is very important for kids to have continuity and consistency in the training environment in order to develop properly. Players develop individually within the context of a team. The team needs to stay consistent and to go through the important process of winning, losing, team building, etc.

    Secondly, youth sports are expensive. We work very hard to keep costs down as much as possible through partnerships, fundraising, pursuing sponsorships, and being frugal and efficient as an organization. That being said, there are many costs associated with a soccer team including insurance, facility maintenance and rental, league and referee fees, equipment expenses, etc. We do not make money on our program fees. We pass the cost of services on to you – and therefore when we form a team at the beginning of the year, those fees have already been spent to set the team up for the year.

  • You can find all this on the Policies and Parent Resources page on our website.

  • Though this is subject to change, the plan is:

    Junior Academy and Competitive teams will train Monday/Wednesday.

    Academy and Pre-Academy teams will train Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.

  • Players should wear a white shirt and black shorts.

    Players will check-in at their field upon arrival.

  • There is a required package for the jerseys and then some additional items that are optional for purchase.

    The required jersey kit includes home and away jersey, home and away short, home and away sock, and training jersey. This will cost between $150-$200.

  • No.

    Tryouts will take place over two days with both the Academy team and Competitive teams in mind. Players offered a spot on the Academy team will be connected after day one of tryouts. Competitive team positions will be offered after day two.

    You can choose to accept or decline your position on either the Academy or Competitive team.

  • Yes. Our Red teams will play in the Academy leagues whereas Competitive teams will be placed under our Black and/or White teams.

    Note that this year, our U13-19 Boys “Black” teams now will participate in the Boys ECNL - Regional League Program. Details can be found here.

Have more questions? Reach out!

Send us a message via the form, or reach out directly to our program director, Joe Wentworth.

joe@cfcsalem.com
(503) 673-6708