# Eagles DA?? Any thoughts?



## SFV818-SoccerDad

The


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## SFV818-SoccerDad

SFV818-SoccerDad said:


> The


The Eagles have been a good club over the years however last year their ECNL record for the 2003 team wasn't that great.  What is the forum's thoughts on how their DA will be??


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## Porkchop

DA would have new coach-  the previous encl Eagles coach placed second In presidents ,also had additional team in quarter finals-


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## Soccer123

SFV818-SoccerDad said:


> The Eagles have been a good club over the years however last year their ECNL record for the 2003 team wasn't that great.  What is the forum's thoughts on how their DA will be??


I think Eagles 03 changed in many ways due to the age change and they lost many of the 03's to Real SoCal Ecnl. Rebuilding season for the Team in my opinion.


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## bababooey

Soccer123 said:


> I think Eagles 03 changed in many ways due to the age change and they lost many of the 03's to Real SoCal Ecnl. Rebuilding season for the Team in my opinion.


I agree. The Eagles 03 ECNL team has not been as strong as I thought an Eagles ECNL team would be. They have had a lot of success over the years with other teams (ECNL and non-ECNL), so I just figured the 03's would be strong too.

I suspect they have as good of a chance as any other GDA team at this point to be successful. Time will tell.


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## IntheknowSoccer

Soccer123 said:


> I think Eagles 03 changed in many ways due to the age change and they lost many of the 03's to Real SoCal Ecnl. Rebuilding season for the Team in my opinion.


Eagles lost only two '03 girls to RSC '03 ECNL who were originally RSC players before they played for Eagles. The Eagles '03 ECNL were not ECNL ready players not to mention the U13 team before the age change was as made up of mostly 02's.


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## Soccer43

Looking at their ECNL records only their U15 team is going to the championship playoffs and that team has slipped down to 4th place so just making the cut.  Their other teams are in the lower half of the groups.  They may also have a problem next year in the DA because their top players may have other options with Beach and LA Premier added to the group.


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## Dos Equis

Soccer43 said:


> Looking at their ECNL records only their U15 team is going to the championship playoffs and that team has slipped down to 4th place so just making the cut.  Their other teams are in the lower half of the groups.  They may also have a problem next year in the DA because their top players may have other options with Beach and LA Premier added to the group.


The commute between the South Bay and Camarillo, in either direction, is a pretty big barrier.  Unless you are aware of specific '03 players, I would be surprised to see a material impact on the Eagles from the entry of Beach into the DA.  I do agree that the talent pool is only so big, and having 13 DA clubs and 8 ECNL clubs in Socal will have some interesting consequences in terms of the level and balance of competition within both DA and ECNL. 

There is a recurring myth that, with the creation of each new league, all of the talent will move, the balance of power will shift or, even more preposterous, all this new talent, previously unaccounted for and playing in third tier clubs/teams/leagues, will finally see the light and find their way to clubs/teams in the new league.  Perhaps the US Soccer seal of approval this time will help finally make that a reality. 

I expect it will not.


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## MakeAPlay

Dos Equis said:


> The commute between the South Bay and Camarillo, in either direction, is a pretty big barrier.  Unless you are aware of specific '03 players, I would be surprised to see a material impact on the Eagles from the entry of Beach into the DA.  I do agree that the talent pool is only so big, and having 13 DA clubs and 8 ECNL clubs in Socal will have some interesting consequences in terms of the level and balance of competition within both DA and ECNL.
> 
> There is a recurring myth that, with the creation of each new league, all of the talent will move, the balance of power will shift or, even more preposterous, all this new talent, previously unaccounted for and playing in third tier clubs/teams/leagues, will finally see the light and find their way to clubs/teams in the new league.  Perhaps the US Soccer seal of approval this time will help finally make that a reality.
> 
> I expect it will not.



@Dos Equis As you clearly have been there and done that and seen this sort of a change happen, it is funny how the assumption always is that everyone wants the shiny new toy.  I agree with you wholeheartedly that with every new change we have seen a little bit more dilution and a whole lot of turmoil.  I doubt that any DA team next season will be as strong as the top ECNL teams this year.  I am interested to see how it all unfolds.


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## Desert Hound

MakeAPlay said:


> @Dos Equis As you clearly have been there and done that and seen this sort of a change happen, it is funny how the assumption always is that everyone wants the shiny new toy.  I agree with you wholeheartedly that with every new change we have seen a little bit more dilution and a whole lot of turmoil.  I doubt that any DA team next season will be as strong as the top ECNL teams this year.  I am interested to see how it all unfolds.


It seems...at least from reading these forums that many of the better girls are moving over to DA. Is that not correct? If it is correct...then is it not safe to assume that there will be some very strong DA teams?

I agree it will be VERY interesting to see how this all unfolds this year and in the following years.


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## Sheriff Joe

MakeAPlay said:


> @Dos Equis As you clearly have been there and done that and seen this sort of a change happen, it is funny how the assumption always is that everyone wants the shiny new toy.  I agree with you wholeheartedly that with every new change we have seen a little bit more dilution and a whole lot of turmoil.  I doubt that any DA team next season will be as strong as the top ECNL teams this year.  I am interested to see how it all unfolds.


Agreed, I, like maybe many others, think it might be best to see how things go this coming year, then see what is best for our players. I also think the no high school rule is a big point to consider.


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## NoGoal

Sheriff Joe said:


> Agreed, I, like maybe many others, think it might be best to see how things go this coming year, then see what is best for our players. I also think the no high school rule is a big point to consider.


That's very wise decision and what I would have done, if I had a DD in 8th or 9th grade.  

What sucks is parents don't know what the future holds.  It's not a guarantee any player on a Girls DA team will play college soccer, just like not all ECNL players end up playing college soccer.  If the DA player isn't recruited to by the college she wants to attend.  Then she sacrificed skipping for HS soccer for nothing.


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## MakeAPlay

Desert Hound said:


> It seems...at least from reading these forums that many of the better girls are moving over to DA. Is that not correct? If it is correct...then is it not safe to assume that there will be some very strong DA teams?
> 
> I agree it will be VERY interesting to see how this all unfolds this year and in the following years.


We will not know who moved until August/September.  Not to mention that on the mixed age group teams many of the top players from the lower age group may not make a team.  Even if they do they may not play much due to substitution rules.  I am one that believe that there are 30 elite players give or take per age group in all of SoCal.  Adding more teams to spread those players around isn't going to concentrate the talent is will be the opposite.  I would not be surprised if instead of having 3-6 elite players per team you are going to have 1-3.  I just don't see this going off as cleanly as most believe it will.  Split age groups is going to have a HUGE affect on the girls side I can guarantee that.

I am definitely going to watch a GDA game this year to see what I see.


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## Desert Hound

MakeAPlay said:


> We will not know who moved until August/September.  Not to mention that on the mixed age group teams many of the top players from the lower age group may not make a team.  Even if they do they may not play much due to substitution rules.  I am one that believe that there are 30 elite players give or take per age group in all of SoCal.  Adding more teams to spread those players around isn't going to concentrate the talent is will be the opposite.  I would not be surprised if instead of having 3-6 elite players per team you are going to have 1-3.  I just don't see this going off as cleanly as most believe it will.  Split age groups is going to have a HUGE affect on the girls side I can guarantee that.
> 
> I am definitely going to watch a GDA game this year to see what I see.


You think that at some point GDA will move to single age groups for all teams? It would seem logical IF they want to make it more difficult for ECNL.


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## Sheriff Joe

NoGoal said:


> That's very wise decision and what I would have done, if I had a DD in 8th or 9th grade.
> 
> What sucks is parents don't know what the future holds.  It's not a guarantee any player on a Girls DA team will play college soccer, just like not all ECNL players end up playing college soccer.  If the DA player isn't recruited to by the college she wants to attend.  Then she sacrificed skipping for HS soccer for nothing.


Thank you,
One more thing to think about is whos' decision it is or will be to go to DA and miss high school, the girls might be doing it to appease their parents or the parents might not be giving the player a choice. I haven't heard of that many girls wanting to miss high school soccer.
Not playing high school isn't even a consideration in my daughters mind.


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## MakeAPlay

Desert Hound said:


> You think that at some point GDA will move to single age groups for all teams? It would seem logical IF they want to make it more difficult for ECNL.


We will see what they do.  I think that a single age group would get more players involved.  I don't really think that participation is their goal.  I seem to remember that they are trying to focus programming on the top .01%.  That is a bunch of players tossed to the side after giving up high school soccer and other sports.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens.  There are plenty of takers for the shiny new toy so we have plenty of guinea pigs for this experiment.


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## GoWest

MakeAPlay said:


> We will see what they do.  I think that a single age group would get more players involved.  I don't really think that participation is their goal.  I seem to remember that they are trying to focus programming on the top .01%.  That is a bunch of players tossed to the side after giving up high school soccer and other sports.
> 
> It's going to be interesting to see what happens.  There are plenty of takers for the shiny new toy so we have plenty of guinea pigs for this experiment.


You are spot on @MaP. There are plenty of takers for the "shiny new toy." From what I am hearing just from parents in the SW ECNL conference Big 3 (Surf, Slammers and Blues) it's full steam ahead into the DA. Good, bad or indifferent it's happening and seems a couple of the teams are attracting talent that will make them even stronger then their current roster make up.

Much to be seen yet.


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## Simisoccerfan

Sheriff Joe said:


> Thank you,
> One more thing to think about is whos' decision it is or will be to go to DA and miss high school, the girls might be doing it to appease their parents or the parents might not be giving the player a choice. I haven't heard of that many girls wanting to miss high school soccer.
> Not playing high school isn't even a consideration in my daughters mind.


My dd's opinion is exactly the opposite.  Even though our HS is a top team, her and her friends know that the quality of soccer is not good and the chance of serious injury is greater.  The general feeling is that quality of HS is going to be even weaker with DA.  Many of the better girls are thinking about sitting out even if they don't make DA though I do know of a few ECNL girls not going to DA so they can play HS.  The HS season is going to be wide open next year.  Personally, I loved the HS experience for my dd but it is not about what I want.  It is what she wants.


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## chargerfan

Simisoccerfan said:


> My dd's opinion is exactly the opposite.  Even though our HS is a top team, her and her friends know that the quality of soccer is not good and the chance of serious injury is greater.  The general feeling is that quality of HS is going to be even weaker with DA.  Many of the better girls are thinking about sitting out even if they don't make DA though I do know of a few ECNL girls not going to DA so they can play HS.  The HS season is going to be wide open next year.  Personally, I loved the HS experience for my dd but it is not about what I want.  It is what she wants.


Isn't HS soccer more about the social aspect and school spirit than the level of play anyway?


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## Sandypk

03's and 04's don't really have to worry about HS soccer yet b/c the 04's are in 7th/8th grade and some 03's are in 8th grade.
The 03's that are going to HS will only miss their Freshman year of soccer to see what the GDA is like.  Missing Freshman year of HS soccer is not that big of a deal....


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## Sandypk

Soccer123 said:


> I think Eagles 03 changed in many ways due to the age change and they lost many of the 03's to Real SoCal Ecnl. Rebuilding season for the Team in my opinion.


Where will Eagles get more 03 players from?  Just wondering who will make that drive to Camarillo when there are more options for girls GDA in LA and South Bay?   The 02/03 Eagles team was very good from U8-U11 and then they had a coaching change as well as the age change.  Those two factors hit the Eagles 03 team hard.  They lost a few 02's and replaced them with a few new 03's.  For some reason, Eagles 02/03 went from fast/skilled players to  03's bigger more aggressive players.  The new coach seemed to change the style of play and the type of girls who were being recruited. JMO


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## PLSAP

MakeAPlay said:


> We will not know who moved until August/September.  Not to mention that on the mixed age group teams many of the top players from the lower age group may not make a team.  Even if they do they may not play much due to substitution rules.  I am one that believe that there are 30 elite players give or take per age group in all of SoCal.  Adding more teams to spread those players around isn't going to concentrate the talent is will be the opposite.  I would not be surprised if instead of having 3-6 elite players per team you are going to have 1-3.  I just don't see this going off as cleanly as most believe it will.  Split age groups is going to have a HUGE affect on the girls side I can guarantee that.
> 
> I am definitely going to watch a GDA game this year to see what I see.


Great point! Also, here is something I was thinking about:

Why is US Soccer going to come forward with the new GDA with combined birth years after all of the fuss just barely a year ago about switching to age pure teams? It's too contradicting. 
1) There are still players playing up no matter where you go. There are '03s playing on '02 teams, there are '02s on '01s at the ECNL level, at SCDSL, at CRL, etc. 
2) YNT and WNT isn't "age-pure". There are 15 yr olds on the u17 there was 15 yr old MP on the U20s for ages... etc. 
3) If GDA is supposed to be the "elite" platform/place to play, then why is it that the GDA teams are age combined but the rest of the teams in that club will not be?

There's more but that's the jist. Just a couple thoughts...


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## MakeAPlay

Simisoccerfan said:


> My dd's opinion is exactly the opposite.  Even though our HS is a top team, her and her friends know that the quality of soccer is not good and the chance of serious injury is greater.  The general feeling is that quality of HS is going to be even weaker with DA.  Many of the better girls are thinking about sitting out even if they don't make DA though I do know of a few ECNL girls not going to DA so they can play HS.  The HS season is going to be wide open next year.  Personally, I loved the HS experience for my dd but it is not about what I want.  It is what she wants.


My experience was the opposite.  They know that HS soccer sucks (I hated it personally) but it is means something in that petri dish that our kids call high school.  I tried to make my player sit out high school (and I even succeeded for 7 games her junior year).  It didn't last long and one of her high school teammates is one of her closest friends in college and plenty of her old teammates go to see her play.  She even went to a high school game this season and her old teammates absolutely love it.

I know right now the parents of the "top" players might think that soccer is everything.  Coming from a parent with a player in college and in the ynt pool, the journey is everything.  Make sure they enjoy it because I have seen plenty of players that had soccer as their entire focus and they get to college and all of a sudden they don't have the balance and they either flame out, quit or run into somebody that is simply better and then just like that their identity is gone and they are lost.  Just look at the D1 transfer numbers.

Play good soccer, get good grades, enjoy the journey, help push them to the finish line.  Good luck to you and your player.


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## MakeAPlay

Sandypk said:


> 03's and 04's don't really have to worry about HS soccer yet b/c the 04's are in 7th/8th grade and some 03's are in 8th grade.
> The 03's that are going to HS will only miss their Freshman year of soccer to see what the GDA is like.  Missing Freshman year of HS soccer is not that big of a deal....


Except that the top players are on varsity as freshman and many become the key player on their team.  That leads to many social rewards.  

If you don't have a high schooler yet you are in for a surprise.  Lots of things change once the estrogen kicks in....


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## Sheriff Joe

Simisoccerfan said:


> My dd's opinion is exactly the opposite.  Even though our HS is a top team, her and her friends know that the quality of soccer is not good and the chance of serious injury is greater.  The general feeling is that quality of HS is going to be even weaker with DA.  Many of the better girls are thinking about sitting out even if they don't make DA though I do know of a few ECNL girls not going to DA so they can play HS.  The HS season is going to be wide open next year.  Personally, I loved the HS experience for my dd but it is not about what I want.  It is what she wants.


My daughter is in 8th grade, she knows the soccer quality will not be good, still can't be talked out of it.
So you daughter played HS or is playing HS?


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## MakeAPlay

PLSAP said:


> Great point! Also, here is something I was thinking about:
> 
> Why is US Soccer going to come forward with the new GDA with combined birth years after all of the fuss just barely a year ago about switching to age pure teams? It's too contradicting.
> 1) There are still players playing up no matter where you go. There are '03s playing on '02 teams, there are '02s on '01s at the ECNL level, at SCDSL, at CRL, etc.
> 2) YNT and WNT isn't "age-pure". There are 15 yr olds on the u17 there was 15 yr old MP on the U20s for ages... etc.
> 3) If GDA is supposed to be the "elite" platform/place to play, then why is it that the GDA teams are age combined but the rest of the teams in that club will not be?
> 
> There's more but that's the jist. Just a couple thoughts...



Exactly!!  The thing that US soccer has going for them is that every 8-10 years they get a completely new group of customers to hustle....  It's like a guy hustling the shell game in Time Square.  Tomorrow there will be a whole new batch of rubes.


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## The Driver

@MakeAPlay is dropping Bars today.


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## chargerfan

MakeAPlay said:


> Except that the top players are on varsity as freshman and many become the key player on their team.  That leads to many social rewards.
> 
> If you don't have a high schooler yet you are in for a surprise.  Lots of things change once the estrogen kicks in....


Social acceptance and popularity are top priority at this age. A lot of girls are going to be bummed to miss out on high school soccer.


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## Striker17

chargerfan said:


> Social acceptance and popularity are top priority at this age. A lot of girls are going to be bummed to miss out on high school soccer.


And a lot of girls who don't belong on elite teams but have been on them will leave for the high school smiles and giggles.
Remember US soccer doesn't care. They care about the elite athlete- the one who homeschools so she can train and make videos.  Maybe you have the unicorn but most of us don't.


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## MarkM

Has anyone read updates about the HS rule?  Last I read, you can roster on a DA team, but you cannot play HS and DA concurrently.  You rejoin the DA team at the end of the HS season.  Is this wrong?


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## soccer4us

Also, don't forget, if you play HS soccer it's impossible to play on the national team, play professional soccer, or be elite. Oh wait..... I'm all for kids choosing to do what they feel but way too many mandated things going on here to find the next Mia Hamm or whatever. I agree the social aspect of HS sports is big to girls and can significantly change their overall HS experience.


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## soccer4us

MarkM said:


> Has anyone read updates about the HS rule?  Last I read, you can roster on a DA team, but you cannot play HS and DA concurrently.  You rejoin the DA team at the end of the HS season.  Is this wrong?


I think that's right. You can't do both at the same time. How many DA coaches are going to let talented players miss their league games December through February though? Hard to find many...


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## MarkM

soccer4us said:


> I think that's right. You can't do both at the same time. How many DA coaches are going to let talented players miss their league games December through February though? Hard to find many...


I get you.  But ECNL coaches allow the same thing with discovery players.  If a player is talented, is the DA coach really going to say go away for the year?  Go play ECNL?  There seems like way too many DA teams, meaning way too much dilution, for DA coaches to be overly rigid.  We'll see.  It will be interesting.


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## MakeAPlay

Striker17 said:


> And a lot of girls who don't belong on elite teams but have been on them will leave for the high school smiles and giggles.
> Remember US soccer doesn't care. They care about the elite athlete- the one who homeschools so she can train and make videos.  Maybe you have the unicorn but most of us don't.


I agree that they absolutely don't care.  It is crazy if you asked me.  At what point did they start dictating the direction of soccer development in the US (about when the world started catching up) and what other sport does this happen in and why in a country that absolutely abhors top down mandates do we allow it?

Smiles and giggles aren't that bad.  When they get older those are called memories.  It's about the journey as much as the destination.  Injuries can happen at any time.  At the end of the day unless a player is a purple unicorn among unicorns there is no real money in the sport for women yet.  No reason to ask them to sacrifice their childhood.  It was a tough decision for Pugh and she was already a lock.  

Good luck to you and your player.


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## Striker17

I agree with everything you said. Everything. I start this by saying I am appreciative of soccer for what it has taught my daughter! I am also a realist though and there have been some frank discussions. Right now my daughter can handle the pace and expectations but this is a fluid situation. I watch her physically as well as emotionally to assess if I am doing the right thing. 
I would go a step further in your post and mention that I fully expect them to dictate everything because the clubs dictate my family not having any family time anymore, try to tell me my daughter can't play multiple sports, put silly extra activities on Sunday etc the list goes on.
I put my foot down. I don't sacrifice travel or two sports or a grandmothers' birthday for COCONUT EXPLOSION SHOOTOIT trophies for example...but I am the MINORITY. In this world of fast paced highly competitive soccer we have all been told we are expendable I believe. We choose to not care because my daughters grades will get her into any school she wants to go to I am sure but a lot of families don't have the same opinion. 
I guess when US soccer did this it made sense because the clubs already pushed the envelope so why would you expect their governing body to?


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## jose

Sandypk said:


> 03's and 04's don't really have to worry about HS soccer yet b/c the 04's are in 7th/8th grade and some 03's are in 8th grade.
> The 03's that are going to HS will only miss their Freshman year of soccer to see what the GDA is like.  Missing Freshman year of HS soccer is not that big of a deal....


some 03 and 04 are still in 6th grade....red shirt kindergarteners


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## Striker17

jose said:


> some 03 and 04 are still in 6th grade....red shirt kindergarteners


Yep tons of 04 sixth graders which is yet another reason why I am not concerned. She will be going up against 05 for recruiting..


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## Kicker4Life

Striker17 said:


> Yep tons of 04 sixth graders which is yet another reason why I am not concerned. She will be going up against 05 for recruiting..


My DD's in the same boat, December baby!


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## Sheriff Joe

MarkM said:


> Has anyone read updates about the HS rule?  Last I read, you can roster on a DA team, but you cannot play HS and DA concurrently.  You rejoin the DA team at the end of the HS season.  Is this wrong?


I am not sure, but I imagine if a coach lets a player get away with that, other players parents will not be very happy. I could see a coach letting the "elite" players do it and that would really start some trouble.


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## Lambchop

PLSAP said:


> Great point! Also, here is something I was thinking about:
> 
> Why is US Soccer going to come forward with the new GDA with combined birth years after all of the fuss just barely a year ago about switching to age pure teams? It's too contradicting.
> 1) There are still players playing up no matter where you go. There are '03s playing on '02 teams, there are '02s on '01s at the ECNL level, at SCDSL, at CRL, etc.
> 2) YNT and WNT isn't "age-pure". There are 15 yr olds on the u17 there was 15 yr old MP on the U20s for ages... etc.
> 3) If GDA is supposed to be the "elite" platform/place to play, then why is it that the GDA teams are age combined but the rest of the teams in that club will not be?
> 
> There's more but that's the jist. Just a couple thoughts...


$$$$$$


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## Sons of Pitches

Sandypk said:


> Where will Eagles get more 03 players from?  Just wondering who will make that drive to Camarillo when there are more options for girls GDA in LA and South Bay?   The 02/03 Eagles team was very good from U8-U11 and then they had a coaching change as well as the age change.  Those two factors hit the Eagles 03 team hard.  They lost a few 02's and replaced them with a few new 03's.  For some reason, Eagles 02/03 went from fast/skilled players to  03's bigger more aggressive players.  The new coach seemed to change the style of play and the type of girls who were being recruited. JMO


For the geographically challenged, Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Newberry Park, Agoura, Calabassas, Malibu, and Simi Valley to name a few.


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## MakeAPlay

Sons of Pitches said:


> For the geographically challenged, Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Newberry Park, Agoura, Calabassas, Malibu, and Simi Valley to name a few.


Not to mention that I have seen players come from the Santa Barbara area to play for them too.


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## jose

MarkM said:


> Has anyone read updates about the HS rule?  Last I read, you can roster on a DA team, but you cannot play HS and DA concurrently.  You rejoin the DA team at the end of the HS season.  Is this wrong?


If you are in CIF southern section high school player you cannot play a sport (i.e. soccer, basketball) and play in an outside completive event with umpire, refs etc. during that season while it is in progress.  So just by that standard you cannot play both at the same time.  US Soccer has said they will allow players to play HS as the first year transitions but that they will evaluate after that. So you may be able to be rostered but no competitive games. I hope thats not confusing


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## The Driver

jose said:


> If you are in CIF southern section high school player you cannot play a sport (i.e. soccer, basketball) and play in an outside completive event with umpire, refs etc. during that season while it is in progress.  So just by that standard you cannot play both at the same time.  US Soccer has said they will allow players to play HS as the first year transitions but that they will evaluate after that. So you may be able to be rostered but no competitive games. I hope thats not confusing


 Dang you hit them with the Blue Book Bars


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## The Driver

jose said:


> If you are in CIF southern section high school player you cannot play a sport (i.e. soccer, basketball) and play in an outside completive event with umpire, refs etc. during that season while it is in progress.  So just by that standard you cannot play both at the same time.  US Soccer has said they will allow players to play HS as the first year transitions but that they will evaluate after that. So you may be able to be rostered but no competitive games. I hope thats not confusing


I believe that's why US Soccer said track and cross country is cool but not soccer at the same time.


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## Sheriff Joe

MakeAPlay said:


> We will not know who moved until August/September.  Not to mention that on the mixed age group teams many of the top players from the lower age group may not make a team.  Even if they do they may not play much due to substitution rules.  I am one that believe that there are 30 elite players give or take per age group in all of SoCal.  Adding more teams to spread those players around isn't going to concentrate the talent is will be the opposite.  I would not be surprised if instead of having 3-6 elite players per team you are going to have 1-3.  I just don't see this going off as cleanly as most believe it will.  Split age groups is going to have a HUGE affect on the girls side I can guarantee that.
> 
> I am definitely going to watch a GDA game this year to see what I see.


One more thing I am not sure has been discussed here, there might be a better chance to make an Academy team going in as the older age group, that works out for my daughter in waiting a year to see how it plays out.


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## Sandypk

Sons of Pitches said:


> For the geographically challenged, Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Newberry Park, Agoura, Calabassas, Malibu, and Simi Valley to name a few.


Yes, I know.  And, most of the elite players from around there already play for Eagles...so, where else will they find talented players to round out their DA team?


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## Sandypk

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to mention that I have seen players come from the Santa Barbara area to play for them too.


I also knew a few girls who drove in from the SLO area, but they were typically discovery players.


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## MakeAPlay

Sheriff Joe said:


> One more thing I am not sure has been discussed here, there might be a better chance to make an Academy team going in as the older age group, that works out for my daughter in waiting a year to see how it plays out.


Makes sense.  I like that you have a plan.  Almost any plan is better than no plan.


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## jose

The Driver said:


> Dang you hit them with the Blue Book Bars


just trying to help. you don't know what you don't know. It is a rule for both CIF and DA so it shouldn't be confusing. I don't know if DA plays matches during HS soccer season or not. If they do then the player has to make a choice


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## PLSAP

jose said:


> just trying to help. you don't know what you don't know. It is a rule for both CIF and DA so it shouldn't be confusing. I don't know if DA plays matches during HS soccer season or not. If they do then the player has to make a choice


Also, I'm starting to think it's kind of a "read between the lines" situation where you're allowed to but should you sort of thing. Especially knowing that they will "review" the subject after this season, and it was mainly done for the seniors in HS. Anyone else feel the same way?


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## GoWest

PLSAP said:


> Also, I'm starting to think it's kind of a "read between the lines" situation where you're allowed to but should you sort of thing. Especially knowing that they will "review" the subject after this season, and it was mainly done for the seniors in HS. Anyone else feel the same way?


I agree with your thoughts here. Especially given the "upstart" transition to the new league GDA. I wonder if US Soccer will ever firm up the girls rules? Seems like the girls side of soccer has a lot of gray area or give and take? More of a question for me at this point. Maybe boys side is the same I just dont know.


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## PLSAP

GoWest said:


> I agree with your thoughts here. Especially given the "upstart" transition to the new league GDA. I wonder if US Soccer will ever firm up the girls rules? Seems like the girls side of soccer has a lot of gray area or give and take? More of a question for me at this point. Maybe boys side is the same I just dont know.


I was thinking the same thing! The way I saw it was - 
It seems like all US Soccer is trying to pull in the players. It started off as "We're going to start the GDA" which would be like the BDA, and in the same fashion that the ECNL is starting the BECNL, which is in the SAME format and the Girls ECNL. But then US Soccer decided to allow DP's or whatever they are called. Kind of like a Discovery Player, no? THEN they said, "But you know what, you girls can play HS Soccer this year, too." Then the "DA2" came out and I stopped paying real close attention because ECNL teams has EGSL as its second team and I really don't care for that kind of nonsense in the first place. ALL just to get players in the league. Maybe that was the plan. Allow leeway and all that good stuff to bring people in, THEN get serious.
Maybe they settle things down in the year or two to come. Emphasis on maybe.


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## Dos Equis

PLSAP said:


> I was thinking the same thing! The way I saw it was -
> It seems like all US Soccer is trying to pull in the players. It started off as "We're going to start the GDA" which would be like the BDA, and in the same fashion that the ECNL is starting the BECNL, which is in the SAME format and the Girls ECNL. But then US Soccer decided to allow DP's or whatever they are called. Kind of like a Discovery Player, no? THEN they said, "But you know what, you girls can play HS Soccer this year, too." Then the "DA2" came out and I stopped paying real close attention because ECNL teams has EGSL as its second team and I really don't care for that kind of nonsense in the first place. ALL just to get players in the league. Maybe that was the plan. Allow leeway and all that good stuff to bring people in, THEN get serious.
> Maybe they settle things down in the year or two to come. Emphasis on maybe.


The Girls DA Developmental Player and high school rules have not changed since they came out with the DA, the only significant change has been the addition of a new age group.  The application laid it out pretty clearly as well.  Too many people follow the discussion on these forums as if they are a useful source for facts, instead of reading the FAQ's and linked rules for information.

Some DA clubs are saying different creative things to get players confortabl with joining the DA or their DPL teams but, to US Soccer's credit, their position, while a bit arrogant, has been pretty consistent.


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## PLSAP

Dos Equis said:


> The Girls DA Developmental Player and high school rules have not changed since they came out with the DA, the only significant change has been the addition of a new age group.  The application laid it out pretty clearly as well.  Too many people follow the discussion on these forums as if they are a useful source for facts, instead of reading the FAQ's and linked rules for information.
> 
> Some DA clubs are saying different creative things to get players confortabl with joining the DA or their DPL teams but, to US Soccer's credit, their position, while a bit arrogant, has been pretty consistent.


You're right. However, having done my own research previously, I think I mixed up what I learned about GDA with what I read on this website. In the end, I simply meant to point out the similarities b/t ECNL and GDA and how the beginning of this year and next year will probably be much more consistent and hypothesis that some of the rules with GDA were specifically made with the intent to make the league seem much more of an actual opportunity to players as they start their inaugural 2017-2018 season.


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## ShootnScore

What happened to Scott Murray?


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## IntheknowSoccer

ShootnScore said:


> What happened to Scott Murray?


Eagles fired Scott M. Rumor is he will be coaching Slammers ECNL.


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## IntheknowSoccer

Sandypk said:


> Where will Eagles get more 03 players from?  Just wondering who will make that drive to Camarillo when there are more options for girls GDA in LA and South Bay?   The 02/03 Eagles team was very good from U8-U11 and then they had a coaching change as well as the age change.  Those two factors hit the Eagles 03 team hard.  They lost a few 02's and replaced them with a few new 03's.  For some reason, Eagles 02/03 went from fast/skilled players to  03's bigger more aggressive players.  The new coach seemed to change the style of play and the type of girls who were being recruited. JMO





Soccer123 said:


> I think Eagles 03 changed in many ways due to the age change and they lost many of the 03's to Real SoCal ECNL. Rebuilding season for the Team in my opinion.


When the age changed...Eagles u13 (02/03) team lost only two '03 girls to '03 RSC ECNL, however, one player eventually left for Slammers '03 ECNL.  That same Eagles u13 (02/03) team also lost four '02 players to '02 RSC ECNL because Scott Murray did not roster any of them for his Eagles 02 ECNL teams. RSC '03 ECNL was much stronger than Eagles '03s but Eagles '02s ECNL was much stronger than RSC '02 ECNL (Eagles 4th place ECNL standings vs RSC 8th place ECNL standings). 

There were also many more Eagles  '02 ECNL players who made Eagles 01/02 DA team vs RSC ECNL 02's where only two players made the 01/02 DA.


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## Simisoccerfan

I heard only two Eagles 02 ECNL players will be on the Eagles 01/02 DA Team.


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## Soccer43

That's the challenge with the forum - sometimes posts sound like they are all accurate with the inside scoop and maybe InTheKnow isn't 100% in the know.


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## IntheknowSoccer

Soccer43 said:


> That's the challenge with the forum - sometimes posts sound like they are all accurate with the inside scoop and maybe InTheKnow isn't 100% in the know.


I'd say with so many changes to rosters even before any of us see them in print, no one can 100% accurate. But when you do see those rosters,  count the 2016/'17 Eagles '02 ECNL players on the 2017/'18 01/02 DA roster, then count the 2016/'17 RSC '02 ECNL players on their 2017/'18 01/02 DA roster


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## Soccer43

if you have an '02 team that finishes in 8th place I wouldn't think many of those players would be pulled up to play on the DA team?  If the Eagles coaches were smart they would add many of those '02 players.  The  '01/ '02 team (before the age split) at Eagles was one of the top in the country.  Weren't they in the final four last year in the U14 ECNL championship?


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## MakeAPlay

Soccer43 said:


> if you have an '02 team that finishes in 8th place I wouldn't think many of those players would be pulled up to play on the DA team?  If the Eagles coaches were smart they would add many of those '02 players.  The  '01/ '02 team (before the age split) at Eagles was one of the top in the country.  Weren't they in the final four last year in the U14 ECNL championship?


Just because a team finishes in 8th place it doesn't mean that there aren't some elite players on the team.  That is the big fallacy that is out there.  The belief that all the players on a great team are elite and inversely that all the players on a okay team are average.


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## Soccer43

I didn't say any or all.  I said many -. There can be some great and elite players on a team that overall isn't as successful as other teams and there can be mediocre to poor players on a championship team.  If you have a championship team though it would be safe to assume to me that there would be more strong players to choose from to play up with the older players in terms of quantity - unless of course it is an Arsenal team


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## MakeAPlay

Soccer43 said:


> I didn't say any or all.  I said many -. There can be some great and elite players on a team that overall isn't as successful as other teams and there can be mediocre to poor players on a championship team.  If you have a championship team though it would be safe to assume to me that there would be more strong players to choose from to play up with the older players in terms of quantity - unless of course it is an Arsenal team


Fair enough.

I know that the top team in my players age group only had 2 of the top 30-40 players on it prior to the U18 season.  The overall talent level and the team chemistry are what set them apart.  3 of the top 8 players didn't even play on an ECNL team they played for Beach.  That is the reason I say to focus on your player.  Coaches recruit players not teams and sometimes elite teammates disguise an individual's shortcomings.  I honestly think one of the reasons that my player developed such a varied skill set and killer mentality was that she often had to carry a really good team playing against so many great teams.


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## Soccer43

Definitely agree about the chemistry - having chemistry makes the team!


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## Sons of Pitches

SFV818-SoccerDad said:


> The Eagles have been a good club over the years however last year their ECNL record for the 2003 team wasn't that great.  What is the forum's thoughts on how their DA will be??


Well last night's news certainly has to be a blow to the Eagles DA.  Indefinitely suspending their Girls DOC, also the coach for a couple of their DA teams has to hurt.  For the sake of the players and the families I hope the allegations are false.  It is a terrible situation.


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## Soccer43

I guess this new situation changes the original question....


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## smellycleats

http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/conejo-valley/2017/07/13/soccer-coach-pleads-not-guilty-molestation/474292001/


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## Maldo22

If you're thinking about Eagles, read through this thread...

http://www.socalsoccer.com/threads/mid-season-eagles-dpl-contract.4421/unread


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## Jack Doe

Maldo,  the question remains unanswered.  Did you sign or walk away?


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## smellycleats

Jack Doe said:


> Maldo,  the question remains unanswered.  Did you sign or walk away?


JD, post this question to the midsession Eagles contract thread. Maybe we will hear from some other families as well.


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## Jack Doe

I did a few days ago but it went unanswered.


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## Soccer43

Uhh, betting they all signed.


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## fotos4u2

Soccer43 said:


> Uhh, betting they all signed.


According to the other thread, at least one family refused to sign and their kid was cut from the team (I'm still interested in hearing if they got any of their team fees back since they didn't even get to finish the league season).  I'm betting everyone else signed.  There are too many families on the DPL teams that will do anything Eagles tells them to do because they think it will lead to their kid making the Academy team.


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## Maldo22

Jack Doe said:


> Maldo,  the question remains unanswered.  Did you sign or walk away?


Did not sign.  Daughter was kicked out of club.


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## Fact

Maldo22 said:


> Did not sign.  Daughter was kicked out of club.


Sorry to hear that you were by yourself standing up to the jackass.

I would contact Calsouth's PAD committee with and complaint and also go to small claims court.

At least high school season is starting soon so you will have time to regroup and find your daughter a real club team.  Best of luck to you and your daughter.


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## Jack Doe

Yes sorry to hear that Maldo.  Good luck to you and your dd.


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## Soccer43

I agree with the other posters - I would complain to Cal South and would send a complaint to US Soccer as a DA  club and pursue them to get your registration fees returned.  I would guess that you signed a "contract" at the beginning of the season that they are violating by demanding a new contract mid year


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## smellycleats

Soccer43 said:


> I agree with the other posters - I would complain to Cal South and would send a complaint to US Soccer as a DA  club and pursue them to get your registration fees returned.  I would guess that you signed a "contract" at the beginning of the season that they are violating by demanding a new contract mid year


Probably standard, I don’t know but all eagles families sign a contract in the beginning of the season that states that fees will NEVER be returned for ANY reason. What eagles did is breach of contract and they should be taken to small claims court.


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## smellycleats

Th


Maldo22 said:


> Did not sign.  Daughter was kicked out of club.


That’s horrible I’m so sorry. Like other posters said you have some time nowto regroup. hopefully she can play soccer for her school and then you can find a healthier situation for next season.  It’s so dysfunctional over there.  I wonder how many families sat and watched you go at it with Kathleen, waiting to see if you were going to make any progress before they considered backing you.  I’m glad you stuck to your guns Maldo. I think you and your daughter are going to be better off in the long run because of it


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## SBFDad

smellycleats said:


> Probably standard, I don’t know but all eagles families sign a contract in the beginning of the season that states that fees will NEVER be returned for ANY reason. What eagles did is breach of contract and they should be taken to small claims court.


Would be interested to see the contract from the start of the year. In this case, the kid was cut, albeit for a ridiculous reason. She didn’t leave, which would likely mean forfeiting club fees. The leg to stand on here has to be “You cut my kid a couple of months into the season. I want my money back.” The fact that it was due to her family’s refusal to sign a sencondary contract after-the-fact just strengthens the position.


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## smellycleats

SBFDad said:


> Would be interested to see the contract from the start of the year. In this case, the kid was cut, albeit for a ridiculous reason. She didn’t leave, which would likely mean forfeiting club fees. The leg to stand on here has to be “You cut my kid a couple of months into the season. I want my money back.” The fact that it was due to her family’s refusal to sign a sencondary contract after-the-fact just strengthens the position.


That could be arranged


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## SBFDad

smellycleats said:


> That could be arranged


Post it here for all to see.


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## Chalklines

updates?


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