Noticer
BRONZE
I did not ask you an out of line question and did not mean to trigger you. But these clubs are not making decisions in a vacuum.
Expansion
- Thread starter VegasParent
- Start date
Ok since you asked. I don't see a few clubs leaving GA as a sign of a coming apocalypse.
- Lonestar is an ECRL level club that happened to do well at the G2010 level because they had a M2F trans playing goalie. Also one of their coaches went to Sting and was recruiting players over. By moving into ECRL Lonestar is able to slow Sting from continuing to poach talent because ECNL to ECNL transfers can only happen at the end of the season.
- Colorado Rush moving over to ECNL gets them into the Texas ECNL Conference which has Solar, Sting, Colorado Rapids, etc. However if you look at Rush's results in GA I wouldn't expect much in ECNL especially playing against the big Texas teams.
- Ukies have a lot of parent coaches. This means drama and when the parents kid ages out they'll quit coaching. Long term I don't see Ukies being successful in ECNL unless they start bringing on more professional coaches that don't have kids in the club.
- Nationals is a good club and will likely be successful in ECNL
GA has 92 teams and has recently added 10 more. Unless like 20 teams all left at the same time I think they'll will be fine.
RandomSoccerFan
GOLD
OK - but if the league is replacing strong clubs (who left to a league with more perceived opportunity), with clubs from lesser leagues, who are not expected to make the destination league more challenging, let alone keep it stable - do you see that as a potential problem? These leagues aren't trading clubs back and forth, there is a clear pathway from lesser leagues --> GA --> ECNL. On the one hand, it's good for all of these clubs throughout their journey, and it's good for GA as long as their numbers stay relatively stable (or grow). On the other hand, it makes it impossible to state with a straight face that GA and ECNL are competing neck & neck for clubs, talent, or college attention.
I think it depends on the club. Some ECNL clubs are TERRIBLE. Some GA clubs are very good and vice versa.
Being a terrible club in a high level league won't make teams better. They'll just get shelled week after week and because of it players will quit.
WatchthemPlay
BRONZE
For the 2009, 2008 and 2007 kids it’s a bad decision. Exposure is WAY better through GA for college recruitment compared to ECRL.
RandomSoccerFan
GOLD
You might think so, and I might fully agree with you, but for reasons that neither of us understand, there are instances where bottom-dwelling teams (and even clubs), stay in that position for years and years - whether it's ECNL or the rec club down the street. At the top level, I guess you can believe that it still is best option for an individual, and they may still get the training, exposure, camaraderie, or anything else they are seeking out of soccer. But part of the push for pro/rel isn't just so qualified teams can be promoted, it's to have a mechanism where terrible teams can't stay at the top level, even if they want to.
Code
SILVER ELITE
I recall E64 requiring a three year commitment to the league when joining. I don't recall what the penalty fee was for leaving early; wasn't cheap, but wasn't over the top for a high earning club. I wonder if Coppermine and South Valley Surf are just planning on eating the penalty and moving on? Will we see more clubs jumping ship from E64?
TeamDadJokes
SILVER ELITE
Maybe they put their B teams in E64 instead of DPL until that contract expires?
I think this is the case. Coppermine has three different regions.
"Coppermine Soccer Club (CSC) was established in 2014 by our parent company Coppermine Fieldhouse LLC. The club is based in Baltimore, Maryland and serves over 1,000 families in three regions – Central, North, and West. It has quickly become one of Maryland’s largest and fastest growing youth soccer clubs. "
One GA team that the top players that the different regions funnel into and three separate E64/DPL teams (One for each region) makes the most sense.
Coppermine appears to have very nice facilities, but they also run lacrosse, gymnastics, field hockey, etc etc etc. Might be a jack of all trades but master of none situation going on.
GA apocalypse? GA is a well run league. They’ll be fine.
They do have a few outliers, like Top Hat. The question is whether those few teams leave for ECNL. The rest of GA is probably happy to be right where they are.
I think what most ECNL people don't understand about GA is that while in spirit GA is the continuation of DA.
In reality they just copied everything ECNL was doing and called it GA. All the stuff that frustrated people about DA is gone.
I just don't feel the need to call the club out by name in the context of this discussion.
ECNL has asked 3 different East Coast clubs to merge...
mcleansoccer.org
Fairfax BRAVE and Virginia Union who currently have ECNL/RL will merge with Vienna Youth Soccer who is ECRL. The end result is that that a single ECNL team will emerge called Fairfax Virginia Union with 3 ECRL local clubs.
Interesting way to get rid of one ECNL team where everyone saves face. (from a club perspective) The alternative would have been to drop a single club which would have sent them packing to GA.
I'm sure it's a hunger games type situation for the ECNL players right now that going from two teams into one. Assuming they care about playing on ECNL vs an ECRL team.
Fairfax Virginia Soccer Clubs Unite – Mclean Soccer
mcleansoccer.org
Fairfax BRAVE and Virginia Union who currently have ECNL/RL will merge with Vienna Youth Soccer who is ECRL. The end result is that that a single ECNL team will emerge called Fairfax Virginia Union with 3 ECRL local clubs.
Interesting way to get rid of one ECNL team where everyone saves face. (from a club perspective) The alternative would have been to drop a single club which would have sent them packing to GA.
I'm sure it's a hunger games type situation for the ECNL players right now that going from two teams into one. Assuming they care about playing on ECNL vs an ECRL team.
Figured out how Colorado Rush is planning to be competitive in the Texas ECNL conference. Apparently in Jan they merged with b-elite.
I don’t think it will matter. Having a deeper pool of players will be helpful. But, there needs to be a lot more in place which doesn’t currently exist at Colorado Rush.
CO Rush/B-Elite Merger
www.coloradorush.com
Noticer
BRONZE
I was hoping to see an unbiased update on your "tracker" after seeing this.ECNL has asked 3 different East Coast clubs to merge...
Fairfax Virginia Soccer Clubs Unite – Mclean Soccer
Fairfax BRAVE and Virginia Union who currently have ECNL/RL will merge with Vienna Youth Soccer who is ECRL. The end result is that that a single ECNL team will emerge called Fairfax Virginia Union with 3 ECRL local clubs.
Interesting way to get rid of one ECNL team where everyone saves face. (from a club perspective) The alternative would have been to drop a single club which would have sent them packing to GA.
I'm sure it's a hunger games type situation for the ECNL players right now that going from two teams into one. Assuming they care about playing on ECNL vs an ECRL team.
You might want to add these clubs to the ECNL side even though they're being forced to combine clubs to one club for access to ECNL.
Also, I used the app that you advertise for and noticed, again, that these clubs are ranked significantly higher than the clubs GA has been adding. For a more accurate "tracker" maybe consider including the club rankings from your app.
It would be super useful.
I did these clubs that were most recently added for you:
Braddock road SC -#423
Mclean YS - #80
Vienna YS - #276
A sign of an ECNL apocolypse!ECNL has asked 3 different East Coast clubs to merge...
Fairfax Virginia Soccer Clubs Unite – Mclean Soccer
Fairfax BRAVE and Virginia Union who currently have ECNL/RL will merge with Vienna Youth Soccer who is ECRL. The end result is that that a single ECNL team will emerge called Fairfax Virginia Union with 3 ECRL local clubs.
Interesting way to get rid of one ECNL team where everyone saves face. (from a club perspective) The alternative would have been to drop a single club which would have sent them packing to GA.
I'm sure it's a hunger games type situation for the ECNL players right now that going from two teams into one. Assuming they care about playing on ECNL vs an ECRL team.
Honestly that's way too much work. But, you're more than welcome to add the rankings if you'd like.
I'm glad that you're starting to see that playing in a specific high level league only matters if you're on a winning team. Bottom feeder clubs and teams from any league are just a waste of everyone's time.
The only time I get upset is when bottom feeder team people talk about how great the league they lose in week after week is.
Tracker...
1. GA was Promoted by US Soccer
2. GA added Liverpool FC International Academy (CA)
3. GA added SYC
4. GA added Revolution
5. GA added Seattle Celtic
6. GA added Westside Metros FC
7. GA added Oregon Premier
8. GA added South Valley Surf
9. GA added KC Scott Gallagher
10. GA added Coppermine SC
11. GA added Cap City SC
1. DPL added Idaho Inferno
2. DPL added Augusta Arsenal
1. ECNL added Colorado Rush
2. ECNL added Nationals
3. ECNL added Ukies
1. ECRL added Lonestar
1. GA was Promoted by US Soccer
2. GA added Liverpool FC International Academy (CA)
3. GA added SYC
4. GA added Revolution
5. GA added Seattle Celtic
6. GA added Westside Metros FC
7. GA added Oregon Premier
8. GA added South Valley Surf
9. GA added KC Scott Gallagher
10. GA added Coppermine SC
11. GA added Cap City SC
1. DPL added Idaho Inferno
2. DPL added Augusta Arsenal
1. ECNL added Colorado Rush
2. ECNL added Nationals
3. ECNL added Ukies
1. ECRL added Lonestar
TeamDadJokes
SILVER ELITE
I heard like 2-3 weeks ago that Fullerton Rangers got GA. I didn’t see anything formally announced though
That would be interesting.
There's also a bunch of new DPL teams that I haven't added to the list.