1)  Positive attitude  -  Does the player listen to the coaches or slough off input? - Does the player have a strong work ethic all over the field? - Does the player have the ability to look at themselves and see when they are not performing the way they should? - Does the player accept constructive criticism? - Does the player work on their weaknesses, or only focus on the things they already like to do?

2)  Work Ethic - The willingness to work hard, really hard, to improve your skills is vital.  Being a good teammate is not necessarily being the most popular, but it will include setting important examples, especially in terms of work ethic.

3) Supporting a fellow player when they are down - The true team player knows when a teammate is struggling or needs a pat on the back, and is quick to give that player a shot of confidence.  On my recreational team, we had a player, Hayden, who was not the most talented in terms of skill, but who made the entire team better by her presence.  She was always quick to support her teammates.

4) Helping other players - The best team player senses when a newer player on the team is nervous.  Your true team player will spend some time with the newer player, talking with them and helping them to feel a part of the team and will go out of their way to include the newer player in team or social activities.  When I was coaching a game, I came down very hard on my daughter, in a way I would have been furious with another coach for doing.  She took it, but was clearly hurt and went off to sit by herself.  Hayden went over to her, knelt in front of her and they spoke for a few minutes.  My daughter's shoulders lifted and she felt much better.  That day, a 10 year old did more for my daughter's growth and development than I did.

5) Showing genuine happiness when others succeed - This is hard for adults and that makes it quite exceptional to see in a young athlete.  A team which has players who are really glad for the success of their teammates will go far.

6) Negative body language - Visit any soccer pitch and you will find even young players demonstrating negative body language.  Examples of negative body language are players who shoot an evil look at a teammate thought to have made a mistake; throwing hands in the air when a referee makes a call against them or their team; a player who won't look the coach in the eye; slouching shoulders or hands on the hips in the field.  All of these can be small but important signs that this player will let you down at crunch time.

7) The selfish player - A selfish player is not just the player who "will not pass the ball".  That is certainly a hallmark of a selfish player, but selfish play shows in other ways as well, such as berating teammates or officials or the other team.  A selfish player will skip practices or just work on fun things during practice.

8) The blame game - Far too many young athletes simply look to blame others when things go wrong.  Rather than look at their own performance, they pick at teammates, blame others for goals that are not scored or scored by the other team, and generally fail to recognize their own errors while focusing on the mistakes of others.

9) "I'm Better Than You" - Everyone has an opinion of course.  But they become an issue when parents start thinking their kid is better than everyone else's.  And when the young players themselves act as though they are better than their teammates - either in the actual things they say, the tone or attitude they adopt when interacting with their teammates, coaches, or the way they exclude certain teammates on or off the field, it is a major problem.  This attitude creates an environment of failure on many levels.

10) "I'll Play Anywhere Coach" - Every coach loves the player who is versatile, can play different positions and will accept tough roles.  A true team player is the kind of player that a coach can count on to embrace low-profile but important assignments.

11) Humility - All athletes need to remind themselves that no one accomplishes things totally on their own.  You need helpful and supportive parents, excellent coaches, and teammates who also strive to be better, all as part of your support system.  The professional sports world is full of self-centered individuals.  A true team player is blessed with humility.  And the greater the talent, the more precious is the humility.

12) A focus on fitness - Technical skills are important to soccer.  Fitness is essential.  There is no question that if a young person wants to be an elite athlete, they need to get into outstanding physical condition, especially in soccer.  To get to the elite level, you need to be conditioned so that you will not shut down late in a tough game; you need to be in better physical condition than the player opposite you.

13) Welcoming 'New" players to the team - Coming onto a new team is an awkward transition period for any athlete, and especially for the younger players.  A team player will welcome newcomers to the team, answer their questions, share experiences and generally offer a warm welcome, on and off the field.

14) Respect - No player at any level will always agree with their coach and no parent will always agree with their child's coach either.  Whether the issue is playing time, playing position, method of instruction, discipline, or whatever, there will always be the potential for disagreement.  But the team player and parents will recognize that the coach may be looking at a "bigger picture" and will try to follow the coach's plan for the team.  A team player will not freelance and do their own thing.  And respect must be directed not only at the coach, but also toward the other teammates or the other parents of the teammates.  Those who treat those around them with respect are worth their weight in gold.  No team can flourish without an abundance of respect.

15) The follower - Not every athlete is a leader, so the coach, in looking for a true team player, must be careful in picking players who will lead the majority of the followers.  There is nothing wrong in being a follower, but the coach must be aware that followers can follow good leaders as easily as bad leaders.  A coach would do well to select a lesser skilled player with good attitudes over a more skilled leader with attitudes which are more destructive.  One influential player with a negative attitude can carry other followers with them, leading the team into a downward spiral of negativity.

The bulk of this came from finesoccer.com newsletters via email.  It was written by and about soccer players, but applies to many life situations.