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Frequently Asked Questions
When and where are tryouts?The Brass no longer holds formal tryouts. Over the past three years over 1,000 players have contact the Brass, along with over a hundred college coaches, seeking information about tryouts. It has reached a point where it is impossible to accommodate the many deserving players, especially since the Brass, unlike many PDL teams does not charge a fee for trying out. As a consequence, the coaching staff of the Brass has decided to do “tryouts” on an invitation only basis, with the “tryout” held in conjunction with a regular Brass practice. If you wish to be issued an invitation e-mail the coaches, Jefferson and Lincoln Roblee, at kcpace@aol.com or the brass office at Info@kc-brass.com. Your request should include a brief description with your playing history and contact information for your most recent coach, be it your college or club coach. Note: NCAA Division I players should not attend the practices in April. NCAA Division I players are not allowed to participate in any non NCAA soccer activities until after May 1st. NCAA Division I players should e-mail Info@kc-brass.com for an invitation to a later tryout. You can get updates by calling the Brass at 913-488-3331. Keep in mind that tryouts never stop. New players will constantly be coming to the practices and competing for roster spots. Expect the NCAA players to start returning after May 15 when they finish their finals. If you do not make the team initially continue to practice with the squad. Due to injuries and player improvement five players who tried out last March did not make the team until July. If they had quit on learning that they had not been taken, or left on being cut in May, they would never have been rostered in July. How much are tickets & how can I get them?The Brass play 9 regular season home games. Tickets are $6.00 for Adults, children 10 and younger are free. The Special Season Packet is $45.00. Tickets may be obtained at the ticket window during games. What is the Kansas City Brass?The Kansas City Brass participates in the USL’s Premier Development League, the only national U-23 League sanctioned in the United States by the United States Soccer Federation. The Kansas City Brass is owned by Kansas City Youth Soccer, Inc., a Kansas Not for Profit Corporation. Kansas City Youth Soccer, Inc., is not a Section 501(c)(3) or charitable / tax-deductible corporation, so donations are not tax deductible for individuals. The Brass was formed in 1997 by Dr. Emilio John, Alan Blinzler and Kirk French, to serve two missions: 1) To prepare graduating high school seniors for college soccer by introducing them to the level of speed and physical play found at the highest levels of college soccer; and, 2) To prepare players for the level of competition found at the First and Second Division levels of professional soccer. Among PDL teams the Brass is unique. It is focused on developing talent with a Kansas City connection and that is under the age of 23. The Brass is one of the few PDL teams with a roster that does not include former professionals. The purpose of the Brass is to prepare as many players as possible for higher level play. How successful has the Brass been in meeting its missions?During the past eight seasons 114 Kansas City high school seniors have either played with the Brass or regularly attended our practices that run from March through July. Of those players, all made their college squads, and over 60 became starters as freshman. In comparison, during the same time, 87 other high school seniors who were selected to either the first or second All-Metro teams by the Kansas City Star sought to join their colleges’ soccer teams. Of those 87, only 22 made their colleges’ teams, and of that 22, only 7 became regular starters. Playing with the Brass not only keeps you in shape, it prepares you for a level of soccer far faster and more demanding than even the best youth competition. Ask Brass players from previous years and they will confirm this. You will also find that they attend some of the best programs in the country including: UCLA, Creighton, Southwest Missouri State University, St. Louis University, Truman State, Rockhurst, UMKC, Marquette, Evansville, Wake Forest, Emory, Western Illinois, Tulsa, State Fair Community College, Johnson County Community College, and Baker University. Though we have only played eight seasons, a number of former Brass players have earned recognition from professional teams. These include: Will John, Ryan Barber, Ryan Raybould, Jason Cole, and Josh Duffy who signed MLS contracts; Dustin Ottesen, David Weibenga and Giorgio Antongirolami among others who went to the USL 1st Division (formerly known as the “A League”); and, over twenty other players who played professionally indoors teams like the Kansas City Attack, Kansas City comets, St. Louis Steamers and the Detroit Rockers. What does the Brass provide its players?To start, top competition. If you make the team you will play in the highest amateur league in the United States, a League that is professional in every respect other than name and the fact that we do not pay our players. This includes: Open Cup competition; scrimmages against the top area college teams and the Wizards; and, play with and against former professional players. Excellent coaching. Our head coach is Jefferson Roblee, a Missouri ODP Coach, who played for Tulsa University. Jefferson and his brother have led youth teams from Kansas City to the final eight in the nation on two occasions. Past Brass coaches who still assist in player evaluations include Jim Schwab and Robi Goff. Schwab is the former head coach of the Kansas City Attack, which under his direction secured the Attack’s last Indoor National Championship, and who as the head men’s coach at Johnson County Community College from 1989 to 1999, won over 80% of his matches and as the current head women’s coach. Goff played professionally for the Kansas City Attack and led the Brass to the playoffs in its first season. Uniforms, laundry, travel expenses, practice and stadium fields, the opportunity to earn extra money assisting as camp coaches and much more. It costs approximately $60,000.00 per year to operate the Brass. A sample of our costs would include: Stadium rental - $6,700.00; uniforms - $5,000.00; travel - $10,000; referees - $2,000.00; and, League fees - $8,000.00 per year. We pay a host of other expenses each year such as printing, telephone, and insurance, just so you can play. This means we spend approximately $2,000.00 per player each season. What does the Brass expect from me?Your dedication and commitment. We expect you to attend all practices and games, whether you made the active roster or are a practice player. In the past this has been a problem. Players would skip practices and even games to go on family vacations or weekend trips to the Lake. This meant that we could not field a consistent team and further that we as a team would be fined by the League for not having at least fourteen players available to play at a game. We will not tolerate players that are willing to take what we provide but are unwilling to make themselves available for practices and games and thereby deprive their teammates and our fans of a quality team. How often and where does the Brass practice?How often the team practices in any given week will be left to the coaching staff. Generally, we will practice three days a week, and presently we plan on practicing at Park Hill South High School Swope Park field. Practices run about two hours. What about conflicts between my youth club team or ODP?Your youth club and ODP take precedence over your obligations to the Brass. This means you will be excused to attend youth club practices, games, and tournaments if there is a conflict. However, if you tell us there is a conflict and there is none, or if you tell your youth coach you missed a practice for a Brass commitment when you in fact chose to skip both, expect us to fine you for missing the Brass commitment and dismiss you from the team. When you contemplate how you should act when you are with the Brass keep in mind that most college coaches of Brass players call our coaching staff to learn how their players are performing. We tell them not only how you play, but also how reliable and mature you act. How does playing with the Brass affect my college eligibility?It has no impact at all. The Brass and the USL work with the NCAA and NAIA to keep players eligible. This means we cannot provide anything of value to our players. No player on the team is paid. The uniforms remain the property of the team. In accordance with NCAA rules the Brass and the Premier Development League are always referred to as “Amateur” and never as “Professional” or “Semi-Pro.” (Though the Brass and the PDL strive to act in a business like and professional manner.) We do not have any NCAA coaches on our coaching staff. We do not allow more than five players from the same school to be on our team (an NCAA rule). We DO pay for our players’ expenses, but we pay the vendor (i.e., hotel or restaurant) and do not give the player a per diem. What will be the Brass’ schedule for this year?It is subject to change by the League until March 15. In years past it has changed as often as seven times between January 1 and April 20, so be wary about relying on it too much. In addition, we will schedule a number of scrimmages with college teams and the Wizards. If we advance in Open Cup competition we will also have mid week games against A-League and MLS teams during June.
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