Advice on going to EA league

A

aong cangkol

SILVER
Need advice...Our team is maybe top 2 or 3 in Socal League Flight 2. The coach will move the team to EA league next year, selling it as better competition....etc..
I don't think it makes sense, why not flight 1? Some parents were sold, some hesitant but afraid to pull their kids.
I cannot believe I have to go through painful exercise finding another team/coach/club. I suspect the club has agreement with the EA league? maybe someone can explain to me. Should I really stay with the club? It is for younger age group 11 years old. Maybe Socal league refuse to move us to Flight 1?
I really cannot understand what is the purpose of moving to another league.
 
Can't speak to the specific motivations for the coach or the club. But just by looking at Soccer Rankings, if you look at the 2012's, 5 of the top 10 teams are in EA, including the top 3. If you look at the 2011's, 6 of the top 10 (and 3 of the top 5) are in EA.

2012: 2012.jpg

2011: 2011.jpg
 
EA also has an EA2 league which (correct me if I'm wrong) exclusively for lower flight teams, currently there's 11 teams registered for this season (SoCal Elite, Albion, Oaks FC, LAUFA, LA Surf, FCGS, Mission Viejo, FRAM, Sand and Surf and Rush) if your club is not one of those, they'll definitely add more closer to the start of next season. Here's a link for further context EA2 - Elite Academy League
 
Cant say anything about the level of competition.

It does look like all games are local LA with one in Bakersfield. Not having to drive 5+ hours (each way) for league games is nice
 
aong cangkol said:
Need advice...Our team is maybe top 2 or 3 in Socal League Flight 2. The coach will move the team to EA league next year, selling it as better competition....etc..
I don't think it makes sense, why not flight 1? Some parents were sold, some hesitant but afraid to pull their kids.
I cannot believe I have to go through painful exercise finding another team/coach/club. I suspect the club has agreement with the EA league? maybe someone can explain to me. Should I really stay with the club? It is for younger age group 11 years old. Maybe Socal league refuse to move us to Flight 1?
I really cannot understand what is the purpose of moving to another league.
Click to expand...

a. like MLS Next, the club not the team joins EA. Your coach if you are the top team in the age group for the club (or if you are the second team and the top team is in or joining MLS Next, though I think your age group might be a little young if they are rising 11s) he doesn't have a choice since they are almost always required to field a team for every age group
b. if the team is not up to snuff, get ready for cuts. The EA name will attract a higher quality player particularly at that age since looking to play MLS Next. Your team as it exists now no longer exists if you are flight 2. The parents afraid to pull their kids might find they don't have a choice. Sorry to say but particularly if you are playing EA1, your team is effectively over.
c. which is why it's very important to know if you are going to be EA or EA2. If EA, I believe in your age group you might still be up against the MLS academy teams if you are rising 11s. Get ready for a pounding. If it's EA2 the quality varies year to year and as they are growing EA2 the competition might be a very mixed bag. There may very well be some blow outs and there might very well be some you blow out....for some of the larger clubs EA2 is for the 3rd teams and there are also clubs that can't just put together an effective squad in that age group.
 
Speaking of socal flight 1, could someone in the know comment on how a team get to play in flight 1? I have heard from a DOC that if he wants to he can have any team in flight 1. How true is that? Do they need to justify and convince someone from the league to enter flight 1?
 
Grace T. said:
a. like MLS Next, the club not the team joins EA. Your coach if you are the top team in the age group for the club (or if you are the second team and the top team is in or joining MLS Next, though I think your age group might be a little young if they are rising 11s) he doesn't have a choice since they are almost always required to field a team for every age group
b. if the team is not up to snuff, get ready for cuts. The EA name will attract a higher quality player particularly at that age since looking to play MLS Next. Your team as it exists now no longer exists if you are flight 2. The parents afraid to pull their kids might find they don't have a choice. Sorry to say but particularly if you are playing EA1, your team is effectively over.
c. which is why it's very important to know if you are going to be EA or EA2. If EA, I believe in your age group you might still be up against the MLS academy teams if you are rising 11s. Get ready for a pounding. If it's EA2 the quality varies year to year and as they are growing EA2 the competition might be a very mixed bag. There may very well be some blow outs and there might very well be some you blow out....for some of the larger clubs EA2 is for the 3rd teams and there are also clubs that can't just put together an effective squad in that age group.
Click to expand...
Since it is definitely higher level as you and others suggested, most likely an EA2. Our team is definitely not that good, I would say mid tier Flight 1 Socal league. Now, if it is EA2, I really think it is better to stay in Flight 1 because I do not see the competitive advantage with longer drive/commute (which I would not be able to do anyway).
As far as the motivation of the club, they might want to get more exposure or under pressure to field more team but I really do not see the advantage to the kids (compared to Socal Flight 1).
 
aong cangkol said:
Since it is definitely higher level as you and others suggested, most likely an EA2. Our team is definitely not that good, I would say mid tier Flight 1 Socal league. Now, if it is EA2, I really think it is better to stay in Flight 1 because I do not see the competitive advantage with longer drive/commute (which I would not be able to do anyway).
As far as the motivation of the club, they might want to get more exposure or under pressure to field more team but I really do not see the advantage to the kids (compared to Socal Flight 1).
Click to expand...
Starting age 12, socal flight 1s are not really the top level competitions anymore. Good teams leave socal to play MLS Next and ECNL. EA is for clubs that can't get into MLS next and ECNL. I would call EA the flight 2 equivalent. And socal flight 1 becomes the flight 3 equivalent.
 
Jamisfoes said:
Speaking of socal flight 1, could someone in the know comment on how a team get to play in flight 1? I have heard from a DOC that if he wants to he can have any team in flight 1. How true is that? Do they need to justify and convince someone from the league to enter flight 1?
Click to expand...
I think the DOC is right. Most clubs prefer to avoid playing Flight 1 (younger age group)). See below bracket, nobody wants to be in Flight 1 in West,East,South thus SOCAL has to create Flight 1/2 to accommodate the demand for Flight 2.
I remember the parents in my team wants to play Flight 1 but the coach (or club) rejected the idea even though the league allow us to join (I believe we beat some Flight 1 teams in the summer but I don't know for sure, team names and players are interchangeable).

1671562101583.png
 
Jamisfoes said:
Starting age 12, socal flight 1s are not really the top level competitions anymore. Good teams leave socal to play MLS Next and ECNL. EA is for clubs that can't get into MLS next and ECNL. I would call EA the flight 2 equivalent. And socal flight 1 becomes the flight 3 equivalent.
Click to expand...

Good and bad teams so long as they are the top team at the registered club must leave because the club must field a team in the age group. If the team is not up to snuff, the hope is recruitment makes up for it as the top players are all looking for MLS/ECNL opportunities.

Flight 1 at the larger clubs actually becomes the fourth or even 5th team (after MLS Next, EA, EA2/NPL/E64)
 
aong cangkol said:
I think the DOC is right. Most clubs prefer to avoid playing Flight 1 (younger age group)). See below bracket, nobody wants to be in Flight 1 in West,East,South thus SOCAL has to create Flight 1/2 to accommodate the demand for Flight 2.
I remember the parents in my team wants to play Flight 1 but the coach (or club) rejected the idea even though the league allow us to join (I believe we beat some Flight 1 teams in the summer but I don't know for sure, team names and players are interchangeable).
Click to expand...
It's better to win a lot of games then to lose a bunch. Their thinking is winning keeps the team together and money coming in. Teams like these will lose their best players to flight 1 eventually and they forever toil in lower fights.
 
aong cangkol said:
Since it is definitely higher level as you and others suggested, most likely an EA2. Our team is definitely not that good, I would say mid tier Flight 1 Socal league. Now, if it is EA2, I really think it is better to stay in Flight 1 because I do not see the competitive advantage with longer drive/commute (which I would not be able to do anyway).
As far as the motivation of the club, they might want to get more exposure or under pressure to field more team but I really do not see the advantage to the kids (compared to Socal Flight 1).
Click to expand...

The issue is all the clubs eventually want to field an MLS Next team. Without it, or at least ECNL, they are at a significant disadvantage in recruitment. Flight 1 for 15 year old boys isn't going to cut it because flight 1 is essentially the 4th or 5th tier by that age, and if it's the top team than the club is in trouble, so they no doubt are building out for the future. Some clubs like SoCal Elite really have their eyes on the prize and have been pushing for MLS Next status and have built a few teams in a few age groups to justify that. Some clubs, most notably AYSO United, have been frozen out, hence why Elite 64 exists. But that's the ultimate goal of the DOC. It's the secondary effects of having a closed system.

the other distortion of the closed system is some years you'll have great teams and some years you won't. If you look at even strikers, they have some at the top of the EA and EA2 brackets, and some which just didn't work out, despite overall having a knack for recruiting really great teams capable of playing even a level up from where they are placed. But that's because it's the club, not the team, which is qualified, and they must field a team for the relevant level...the club as a whole is also being evaluated based on all the teams playing.

Jamisfoes said:
It's better to win a lot of games then to lose a bunch. Their thinking is winning keeps the team together and money coming in. Teams like these will lose their best players to flight 1 eventually and they forever toil in lower fights.
Click to expand...

This changes once they move into the closed loop systems of MLS Next, EA and ECNL. Then many players would prefer to be at the lowest ranked MLS Next Team than the highest ranked EA team, or a SoCal team taking a run at winning NPL/flight 1 state cup.
 
EA is just another league. It will be hit and miss as to the quality of teams since the youth soccer landscape is so diluted. It's not affiliated with MLS Next, but the EA league was originally created by a few MLS Next clubs (mostly Socal) to sell to parents a so-called stepping stone to MLS Next. It was done to compete with the ECNL's regional league, or ECNL-R, and to offer MLS Next clubs' affiliates (like Albion) an "acronym league" to play in. EA falls somewhere probably in the 3rd tier of youth soccer in SoCal.
 
But OP has a good point though, sounds like his club is EA2, if that's the case why not just play socal flight 1? It's a crap shoot.
My suggestion to OP, if he cares about having his kid on a true "flight 1" team, is switch to a club with MLS next or ECNL offering.
 
Jamisfoes said:
Speaking of socal flight 1, could someone in the know comment on how a team get to play in flight 1? I have heard from a DOC that if he wants to he can have any team in flight 1. How true is that? Do they need to justify and convince someone from the league to enter flight 1?
Click to expand...
DOC/coach decides whether to place the team in F1, F2, or F3. SoCal does not care.

For the olders, prior to Covid there were some rules about entrance into the Discovery bracket. Not sure if those rules are still valid.
 
Thank you all for the input.
I looked it up and have better understanding now. For U13 and older is quite clear in this order MLSNext,ECNL,EA then NPL/EA2/ECRL/Flight1
For U12 and younger is not quite clear, there are only EA/Pre-ECNL/Flight 1. Is this the right order?
 
Thank you all for the input.
I looked it up and have better understanding now. For U13 and older is quite clear MLSNext,ECNL,EA then maybe NPL/EA2/ECRL/Flight1
For U12 and younger it is not quite clear, there are only EA/Pre-ECNL/Flight 1. Is it the right order?
 
aong cangkol said:
Need advice...Our team is maybe top 2 or 3 in Socal League Flight 2. The coach will move the team to EA league next year, selling it as better competition....etc..
I don't think it makes sense, why not flight 1? Some parents were sold, some hesitant but afraid to pull their kids.
I cannot believe I have to go through painful exercise finding another team/coach/club. I suspect the club has agreement with the EA league? maybe someone can explain to me. Should I really stay with the club? It is for younger age group 11 years old. Maybe Socal league refuse to move us to Flight 1?
I really cannot understand what is the purpose of moving to another league.
Click to expand...

You should absolutely ask your Coach and the Club Director these questions. Face to face if possible, or at a minimum on the phone. This way you will have a better understanding of their intentions for the team in the future. As many have already said, it is a club move, not the individual team. The director may have already written off the players on this team if they are not already performing at the level of play they are being entered into. The Coach may not have a choice, but will know if they expect the team perform. The sooner you have a conversation, and the expectations of both sides are know, the better. You can make decisions based on the expectations, and not wonder what the future intentions are.
 
aong cangkol said:
Thank you all for the input.
I looked it up and have better understanding now. For U13 and older is quite clear MLSNext,ECNL,EA then maybe NPL/EA2/ECRL/Flight1
For U12 and younger it is not quite clear, there are only EA/Pre-ECNL/Flight 1. Is it the right order?
Click to expand...

You are never going to get everyone to agree on the hierarchy of Leagues, especially in this forum. The boys and girls side are also not aligned due to MLS Next for the boys, and no NWSL product for the girls (not yet anyway). Almost everyone will agree that MLS next for the boys and ECNL for the girls are the top leagues. I made a chart of the older leagues to help myself understand how all these leagues are related, and who the overseeing organizations are that are competing with each other for "the best" product/league. This chart was made with the Southwest teams in comparison. The GA and EA may be in higher Tiers in other regions, but it has been very evident this year that they are not as strong in the Southwest.Capture.PNG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top