# 2018 DA Winter Showcase GU15



## BFrank (Nov 21, 2018)

Schedule is out for Southwest U15:
http://www.ussoccerda.com/sam/standings/regevent/index.php?containerId=NzQzODA1Ng==&partialGames=1


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 21, 2018)

For those interested, if you follow the link above you need to enter the date range between 12/4 and 12/9 and hit apply.  You May want to enter the age group as well to narrow it down. 

Nevertheless, there are some really good matchups I’m looking forward to watching!


----------



## timbuck (Nov 22, 2018)

So kids take a week off from school 2 weeks prior to Christmas break and a week after the Thanksgiving break?


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 22, 2018)

Yes. So what.


----------



## timbuck (Nov 22, 2018)

Nothing I guess.  Seems they could have tried to plan it a little better to not disrupt 8th graders and freshman.  Finals are the following week.  
How many of these players will do something other than soccer in college and beyond.  
I suppose there will be plenty of time between games to study in their hotel room.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 22, 2018)

timbuck said:


> Nothing I guess.  Seems they could have tried to plan it a little better to not disrupt 8th graders and freshman.  Finals are the following week.
> How many of these players will do something other than soccer in college and beyond.
> I suppose there will be plenty of time between games to study in their hotel room.


These girls have figured out how to commmunicate with their teachers, plan and prepare.  Actually a solid life lesson especially for those player will do something other than soccer in college and beyond.  Some real life stuff!


----------



## timbuck (Nov 22, 2018)

They don’t even ask NCAA D1 players in football, basketball or soccer to take an entire week away from classes.  Even during the end of season tournaments.


----------



## Josep (Nov 23, 2018)

Everyone understands the obligations when you sign up ri play DA. Kids get an independent study contract.  No big deal.


----------



## Soccer43 (Nov 23, 2018)

sounds like a lot of rationalizing about a bad and unnecessary schedule.  Why do youth players need to learn to juggle academics in high school, missing a week of school right before taking finals?


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 24, 2018)

My kid is only missing 3 days of school.   She is a senior.  No big deal.  Last year she also missed 3 days and still got a 4.8 gpa in the fall. If your kid can’t handle the few days they miss they certainly can’t handle playing college soccer.  How many of you take your kids out of school to vacation?


----------



## Soccer43 (Nov 25, 2018)

Any player at the elite level can handle lots of demands and have been since 8 or 9 years old a that is when a truly elite player starts to stand out and have those higher level opportunities.  They didn't just start juggling academic and other demands last year .  It isn't a matter of IF they can handle it - it is an issue of why?  It is an unnecessary schedule and reflects a lack of concern to the players, their families, and their schedules.


----------



## Josep (Nov 25, 2018)

Soccer43 said:


> Any player at the elite level can handle lots of demands and have been since 8 or 9 years old a that is when a truly elite player starts to stand out and have those higher level opportunities.  They didn't just start juggling academic and other demands last year .  It isn't a matter of IF they can handle it - it is an issue of why?  It is an unnecessary schedule and reflects a lack of concern to the players, their families, and their schedules.



Good thing your kid isn’t being held at gunpoint to play DA.  And I’ve got news for you, the kids love it. And they are looking forward to it again.  When they look back at bonding and fun experiences in their lives, especially as most wont have a stellar college career, this is a memorable time for them.  

If you play Pats or Blues, and you’re a parent, you don’t travel.   They go as a team.   

If you’re not a fan of it, don’t play DA.  It’s that easy.  ECNL is a top option to play your kid without missing a week of school in December.


----------



## Soccer43 (Nov 25, 2018)

Yes, I am aware of all that, been in the system for awhile .   Everything good that you said can apply to all showcases anytime of the year.  My only point is the scheduling/timing of this specific one.


----------



## timbuck (Nov 25, 2018)

That was my point above also. 
Have the showcase over the thanksgiving break.  Have it over Christmas break. 
Have it over Martin Luther King weekend.  Have it over Presidents’ Day weekend. 

It’s played near Orlando right?  Guessing that early December is a little slower than holiday weekends there.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 25, 2018)

timbuck said:


> That was my point above also.
> Have the showcase over the thanksgiving break.  Have it over Christmas break.
> Have it over Martin Luther King weekend.  Have it over Presidents’ Day weekend.
> 
> It’s played near Orlando right?  Guessing that early December is a little slower than holiday weekends there.


South of Tampa actually.  Also NCAA tourney still going on over Thanksgiving.  Can’t do it over Christmas since there is a NCAA recruiting dead period from 12/15 through January 5th.


----------



## timbuck (Nov 25, 2018)

Well that make sense then!!!   (But there seem to be plenty of coaches attending showcases over Thanksgiving weekend in So Cal).


----------



## End of the Line (Nov 27, 2018)

Josep said:


> Good thing your kid isn’t being held at gunpoint to play DA.  And I’ve got news for you, the kids love it. And they are looking forward to it again.  When they look back at bonding and fun experiences in their lives, especially as most wont have a stellar college career, this is a memorable time for them.
> 
> If you play Pats or Blues, and you’re a parent, you don’t travel.   They go as a team.
> 
> If you’re not a fan of it, don’t play DA.  It’s that easy.  ECNL is a top option to play your kid without missing a week of school in December.


And therein lies the problem with GDA.  USSF imposes many unnecessary and stupid requirements that do not serve the interests of the consumers, so many top players follow your advice and play in other leagues such as ECNL.  Rather than take steps to improve the platform, USSF and the GDA mafia delude themselves into believing "the kids love it" and that GDA is a smashing success, while the brutal reality is 12 or so clubs quit GDA after a single season (including some of the best in the nation) and they're shaping up to lose another 10 or so this season.  By my count that's about 720 girls (12 clubs x 20 kids x 3 age levels) who didn't love it last year, and probably 600 more by the end of this season.

GDA will never be a successful platform nationally so long as it imposes requirements like requiring that kids miss at least 3 days of school before finals, another 3 to potentially play in the snow in the spring, and more flying to play league games.  As long as it bars kids from playing HS soccer (or any other HS sport as a practical matter).  So long as kids are required to practice four times a week only to sit entire games on the bench and then get chump time minutes against the likes of Albion and Pateadores. As long as it continues to burn kids out by forcing them to train 4x a week, every week.  Etc.  GDA will always lose most of the qualified players who have other decent options, because decent options are better than what GDA has to offer.  USSF just isn't selling what most paying customers want, and it is doomed to fail unless it figures that out soon.

I am also sure that missing three days of school right before finals is no big deal when your kid does not attend a rigorous HS and is committed to a college that isn't an elite academic institution.  Seriously, how hard is it to have a 4.8 gpa at a school where only 10% of the students test advanced at math and 35% test either below or far below basic?  But smart people with high expectations understand it's stupid to risk or sacrifice even the least amount of academic achievement to play in FL right before finals when USSF easily could have scheduled it at a better time.  For many, it's just one of many unnecessary headaches of playing in GDA regardless how much the GDA mafia claims their platform is perfect and should never be questioned.

In the end, there is one and only one good thing about GDA, which is that it provides access for some kids who, for whatever reason, don't have access to other clubs and platforms that already have similar access.  For them, I'm sure they love it and they should because it is an improvement on their otherwise long odds of "getting found" by a college they actually want to attend.  But you're blind if you can't see that USSF's rules are likely to make even this a fleeting benefit as more elite clubs and players leave for better options, giving colleges less incentive to fly across the country to watch mostly lesser players and teams.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 27, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> And therein lies the problem with GDA.  USSF imposes many unnecessary and stupid requirements that do not serve the interests of the consumers, so many top players follow your advice and play in other leagues such as ECNL.  Rather than take steps to improve the platform, USSF and the GDA mafia delude themselves into believing "the kids love it" and that GDA is a smashing success, while the brutal reality is 12 or so clubs quit GDA after a single season (including some of the best in the nation) and they're shaping up to lose another 10 or so this season.  By my count that's about 720 girls (12 clubs x 20 kids x 3 age levels) who didn't love it last year, and probably 600 more by the end of this season.
> 
> GDA will never be a successful platform nationally so long as it imposes requirements like requiring that kids miss at least 3 days of school before finals, another 3 to potentially play in the snow in the spring, and more flying to play league games.  As long as it bars kids from playing HS soccer (or any other HS sport as a practical matter).  So long as kids are required to practice four times a week only to sit entire games on the bench and then get chump time minutes against the likes of Albion and Pateadores. As long as it continues to burn kids out by forcing them to train 4x a week, every week.  Etc.  GDA will always lose most of the qualified players who have other decent options, because decent options are better than what GDA has to offer.  USSF just isn't selling what most paying customers want, and it is doomed to fail unless it figures that out soon.
> 
> ...


 Man....I hope you got it all off your chest.


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 27, 2018)

Kicker4Life said:


> Man....I hope you got it all off your chest.


No they are just repeating themselves. It’s the old broken record method. It’s funny parents on the old forum (before my kids were eligible for any other program like ECNL or DA) use to complain about ECNL and some of these same arguments sound the same about DA.


----------



## JCM (Nov 27, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> And therein lies the problem with GDA.  USSF imposes many unnecessary and stupid requirements that do not serve the interests of the consumers, so many top players follow your advice and play in other leagues such as ECNL.  Rather than take steps to improve the platform, USSF and the GDA mafia delude themselves into believing "the kids love it" and that GDA is a smashing success, while the brutal reality is 12 or so clubs quit GDA after a single season (including some of the best in the nation) and they're shaping up to lose another 10 or so this season.  By my count that's about 720 girls (12 clubs x 20 kids x 3 age levels) who didn't love it last year, and probably 600 more by the end of this season.
> 
> GDA will never be a successful platform nationally so long as it imposes requirements like requiring that kids miss at least 3 days of school before finals, another 3 to potentially play in the snow in the spring, and more flying to play league games.  As long as it bars kids from playing HS soccer (or any other HS sport as a practical matter).  So long as kids are required to practice four times a week only to sit entire games on the bench and then get chump time minutes against the likes of Albion and Pateadores. As long as it continues to burn kids out by forcing them to train 4x a week, every week.  Etc.  GDA will always lose most of the qualified players who have other decent options, because decent options are better than what GDA has to offer.  USSF just isn't selling what most paying customers want, and it is doomed to fail unless it figures that out soon.
> 
> ...


You sound like a great parent.  I agree with everything you are saying.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 27, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> And therein lies the problem with GDA.  USSF imposes many unnecessary and stupid requirements that do not serve the interests of the consumers, so many top players follow your advice and play in other leagues such as ECNL.  Rather than take steps to improve the platform, USSF and the GDA mafia delude themselves into believing "the kids love it" and that GDA is a smashing success, while the brutal reality is 12 or so clubs quit GDA after a single season (including some of the best in the nation) and they're shaping up to lose another 10 or so this season.  By my count that's about 720 girls (12 clubs x 20 kids x 3 age levels) who didn't love it last year, and probably 600 more by the end of this season.
> 
> GDA will never be a successful platform nationally so long as it imposes requirements like requiring that kids miss at least 3 days of school before finals, another 3 to potentially play in the snow in the spring, and more flying to play league games.  As long as it bars kids from playing HS soccer (or any other HS sport as a practical matter).  So long as kids are required to practice four times a week only to sit entire games on the bench and then get chump time minutes against the likes of Albion and Pateadores. As long as it continues to burn kids out by forcing them to train 4x a week, every week.  Etc.  GDA will always lose most of the qualified players who have other decent options, because decent options are better than what GDA has to offer.  USSF just isn't selling what most paying customers want, and it is doomed to fail unless it figures that out soon.
> 
> ...


I think we can all agree that your an asshole.  Do you think my kid goes to school at some crap school that is easy?  She is a full IB diploma student with 6 IB classes last year and this year. It is damn hard and those stats you list don’t reflect her school.  I am damn proud and amazed she can do so well and still play DA.  I know your a hater but leave my kid and her accomplishments off your list.  You must have a some sort of personal reason to hate DA so much but frankly I don’t care.


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 27, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> I think we can all agree that your an asshole.  Do you think my kid goes to school at some crap school that is easy?  She is a full IB diploma student with 6 IB classes last year and this year. It is damn hard and those stats you list don’t reflect her school.  I am damn proud and amazed she can do so well and still play DA.  I know your a hater but leave my kid and her accomplishments off your list.  You must a some sort of personal reason to hate DA so much but frankly I don’t care.


Their kid plays DA. Weird hate.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 27, 2018)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Their kid plays DA. Weird hate.


Cost + Sacrifice = resentment 

But we all still do it for our child’s love of the game


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 27, 2018)

Kicker4Life said:


> Cost + Sacrifice = resentment
> 
> But we all still do it for our child’s love of the game


And that’s why they play the game. End of story or line.


----------



## Soccerfan2 (Nov 27, 2018)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Their kid plays DA. Weird hate.


Guessing their kid doesn’t get playing time? Usually the root of it.


----------



## End of the Line (Nov 28, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> I think we can all agree that your an asshole.  Do you think my kid goes to school at some crap school that is easy?  She is a full IB diploma student with 6 IB classes last year and this year. It is damn hard and those stats you list don’t reflect her school.  I am damn proud and amazed she can do so well and still play DA.  I know your a hater but leave my kid and her accomplishments off your list.  You must have a some sort of personal reason to hate DA so much but frankly I don’t care.


Let me get this straight.  You tell someone their kid isn't cut out to play college soccer if she can't handle missing three days of school before finals, you use your own kid as the standard for theirs, and then proclaim your kid to be off limits?  If you want the rule to be that no one talks about someone else's kid, perhaps you should start with yourself.

Your posts are yet another example of the problem with GDA.  Just because you are doing what you and USSF believe is best for your daughter doesn't mean it's the best thing for anyone else's.  The downfall of GDA is largely the result of the GDA mafia's complete inability to grasp that a certain amount of flexibility is necessary for the platform to succeed because every kid has their own circumstances, and most people aren't lemmings who will continue tossing money off a cliff for a product that has many imperfections.  In the end, GDA will fail for the same reason BMW makes great cars but you've probably never heard of a Moskvitch.  ECNL (and all other competitive leagues really) are essentially operated by those who have the financial stake in the operation, namely the clubs.  Accordingly, they implement rules and requirements that are intended to best serve the needs and interests of their customers overall because the clubs will bear the financial brunt when they don't.  With GDA, however, USSF makes the rules without regard to the financial consequences to the clubs, which bear the brunt of USSF decisions that drive revenue out of the clubs.  As it turns out, April Heinrichs and friends are about as good at centralized control of youth soccer clubs as Stalin was at centralized control of the auto industry.

One more thing.  When you asked "How many of you take your kids out of school to vacation?" to justify USSF's decision, the question should have been "How many of you take your kids out of school to vacation *right before finals*?"  The answer is none, because nobody is that stupid (besides you and USSF).  There are 52 weeks in a year, and probably 45 of them are better options unless you're dead set on playing in regions where it snows, like CO in April. You probably should move that showcase to finals week just to be safe, eh?

BTW, where's my medical study?


----------



## El Clasico (Nov 28, 2018)

LASTMAN14 said:


> No they are just repeating themselves. It’s the old broken record method. It’s funny parents on the old forum (before my kids were eligible for any other program like ECNL or DA) use to complain about ECNL and some of these same arguments sound the same about DA.


I don't recall ECNL parents complaining that their kids could not play H.S. In fact, I remember wondering why my son would NOT be able to play high school ball in DA while my daughter could in ECNL. Only 1 out of 4 left in this racket we call Club Soccer and there is only one thing that I am absolutely certain of.  Both DA and ECNL were unnecessary pathways for my kids. Both can help some (particularly if your child struggles academically) but parents should know that they are their child's best advocate. However, if choosing between the two, there is little question as to which offers more options and flexibility. ECNL hands down.  If your child's only goal is to play on the USWNT (notice, I said child and not vain parent's goal), then DA is the path forward.


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 28, 2018)

El Clasico said:


> I don't recall ECNL parents complaining that their kids could not play H.S. In fact, I remember wondering why my son would NOT be able to play high school ball in DA while my daughter could in ECNL. Only 1 out of 4 left in this racket we call Club Soccer and there is only one thing that I am absolutely certain of.  Both DA and ECNL were unnecessary pathways for my kids. Both can help some (particularly if your child struggles academically) but parents should know that they are their child's best advocate. However, if choosing between the two, there is little question as to which offers more options and flexibility. ECNL hands down.  If your child's only goal is to play on the USWNT (notice, I said child and not vain parent's goal), then DA is the path forward.


I was referencing the comments made by the previous poster (EOL) which do not include the HS argument because it was not an issue then.


----------



## Dos Equis (Nov 28, 2018)

El Clasico said:


> I don't recall ECNL parents complaining that their kids could not play H.S. In fact, I remember wondering why my son would NOT be able to play high school ball in DA while my daughter could in ECNL. Only 1 out of 4 left in this racket we call Club Soccer and there is only one thing that I am absolutely certain of.  Both DA and ECNL were unnecessary pathways for my kids. Both can help some (particularly if your child struggles academically) but parents should know that they are their child's best advocate. However, if choosing between the two, there is little question as to which offers more options and flexibility. ECNL hands down.  If your child's only goal is to play on the USWNT (notice, I said child and not vain parent's goal), then DA is the path forward.


I believe the primary complaints about ECNL where always the cost (mostly travel) and the closed nature of the system. The DA structure tried to address the former, with varying levels of success and failure, and doubled down on the later by adding restrictions on outside competition. The policies US Soccer implemented to further their goal of developing the best players in the USSDA (versus the ECNL mission of assisting and/or addressing the needs of all their players), has generated even more complaints than those heard in the ECNL-only days.

We have choices.  The best news is that the creation of the DA did not cause the death of ECNL, so those choices continue to exist.  No doubt the DA system is not for everyone, and the timing of the December showcase is a good example of why that is the case. For some it is no big deal to manage -- while others may not have the same flexibility nor ability.


----------



## Sheriff Joe (Nov 28, 2018)

Everyone's kid's, situations and parent's bank accounts are different, people have choices and that is all we can ask for.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 28, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> Let me get this straight.  You tell someone their kid isn't cut out to play college soccer if she can't handle missing three days of school before finals, you use your own kid as the standard for theirs, and then proclaim your kid to be off limits?  If you want the rule to be that no one talks about someone else's kid, perhaps you should start with yourself.
> 
> Your posts are yet another example of the problem with GDA.  Just because you are doing what you and USSF believe is best for your daughter doesn't mean it's the best thing for anyone else's.  The downfall of GDA is largely the result of the GDA mafia's complete inability to grasp that a certain amount of flexibility is necessary for the platform to succeed because every kid has their own circumstances, and most people aren't lemmings who will continue tossing money off a cliff for a product that has many imperfections.  In the end, GDA will fail for the same reason BMW makes great cars but you've probably never heard of a Moskvitch.  ECNL (and all other competitive leagues really) are essentially operated by those who have the financial stake in the operation, namely the clubs.  Accordingly, they implement rules and requirements that are intended to best serve the needs and interests of their customers overall because the clubs will bear the financial brunt when they don't.  With GDA, however, USSF makes the rules without regard to the financial consequences to the clubs, which bear the brunt of USSF decisions that drive revenue out of the clubs.  As it turns out, April Heinrichs and friends are about as good at centralized control of youth soccer clubs as Stalin was at centralized control of the auto industry.
> 
> ...


Have a nice life.  I hope someday your heart is no longer filled with so much anger and hate.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 28, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> Let me get this straight.  You tell someone their kid isn't cut out to play college soccer if she can't handle missing three days of school before finals, you use your own kid as the standard for theirs, and then proclaim your kid to be off limits?  If you want the rule to be that no one talks about someone else's kid, perhaps you should start with yourself.
> 
> Your posts are yet another example of the problem with GDA.  Just because you are doing what you and USSF believe is best for your daughter doesn't mean it's the best thing for anyone else's.  The downfall of GDA is largely the result of the GDA mafia's complete inability to grasp that a certain amount of flexibility is necessary for the platform to succeed because every kid has their own circumstances, and most people aren't lemmings who will continue tossing money off a cliff for a product that has many imperfections.  In the end, GDA will fail for the same reason BMW makes great cars but you've probably never heard of a Moskvitch.  ECNL (and all other competitive leagues really) are essentially operated by those who have the financial stake in the operation, namely the clubs.  Accordingly, they implement rules and requirements that are intended to best serve the needs and interests of their customers overall because the clubs will bear the financial brunt when they don't.  With GDA, however, USSF makes the rules without regard to the financial consequences to the clubs, which bear the brunt of USSF decisions that drive revenue out of the clubs.  As it turns out, April Heinrichs and friends are about as good at centralized control of youth soccer clubs as Stalin was at centralized control of the auto industry.
> 
> ...


Does your DD (who plays DA) share the same view as you about the league she chooses to play in?


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Nov 28, 2018)

Kicker4Life said:


> Does your DD (who plays DA) share the same view as you about the league she chooses to play in?


Yes. She moved after the formation of DA so never had a chance to play ECNL.  No ECNL teams currently close to us anyway.  This was her choice and she loves her team and seems to look forward to practices and games.  She is also glad she gets a break from playing HS. She also would not have had the same future opportunities without moving teams.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 28, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> Yes. She moved after the formation of DA so never had a chance to play ECNL.  No ECNL teams currently close to us anyway.  This was her choice and she loves her team and seems to look forward to practices and games.  She is also glad she gets a break from playing HS. She also would not have had the same future opportunities without moving teams.


I was asking EOL....I am familiar with your daughter story.


----------



## End of the Line (Nov 28, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> Have a nice life.  I hope someday your heart is no longer filled with so much anger and hate.


That's an interesting angle from the guy who keeps calling people a**holes at a youth soccer website.  You might want to consider the possibility that there's a difference between disagreeing with a position and hate.  Disagreeing just means I'm telling you why I think you're wrong.  Hate is calling someone an a**hole just because you can't handle criticism, or a joke even, and have nothing cogent to say in response.  You're just a bully who still has a hard time emotionally whenever you try to stick someone's head in the toilet only to learn the hard way that yours gets to be the plunger.


----------



## Dubs (Nov 28, 2018)

Sheriff Joe said:


> Everyone's kid's, situations and parent's bank accounts are different, people have choices and that is all we can ask for.


Completely agree here.  The fact that we can say there is a choice (at least for some), is a good thing.  However, we all now there are issues with dilution, etc... The saga will continue for some time.  Honestly, if GDA changed their policy on HS soccer, most would flock to the league.  I really don't understand why they have such a hard stance on this one.  Dumb IMO.


----------



## Sheriff Joe (Nov 28, 2018)

Dubs said:


> Completely agree here.  The fact that we can say there is a choice (at least for some), is a good thing.  However, we all now there are issues with dilution, etc... The saga will continue for some time.  Honestly, if GDA changed their policy on HS soccer, most would flock to the league.  I really don't understand why they have such a hard stance on this one.  Dumb IMO.


The dilution has been all to obvious, my kid is in Premier and it painful to see some of these other teams, silver caliber a couple of years ago.
For my kid HS was a big deal last year, but not this year, the 4 day schedule would be a hard one for her, being pretty and 16, hell, she even started liking pink again.
If I had my wish she would be playing ECNL, but there are no teams near us. She is on a solid team that's been together for 4 years, has a really good coach and gets quite a bit of attention for not being ECNL or DA.


----------



## MarkM (Nov 28, 2018)

Dubs said:


> Completely agree here.  The fact that we can say there is a choice (at least for some), is a good thing.  However, we all now there are issues with dilution, etc... The saga will continue for some time.  Honestly, if GDA changed their policy on HS soccer, most would flock to the league.  I really don't understand why they have such a hard stance on this one.  Dumb IMO.


The boys side use to allow HS soccer.  At some point they decided that the boys were coming back with too many bad habits after playing HS soccer.  I don't know how accurate that is or whether or not that justifies the rules DA has been put in place, but the rule originates from some experience.    

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.  If DA survives, the HS scene may change.  I get the impression that the girls already in HS were reluctant to give it up - although I do know some who didn't want to play HS even though they play ECNL.  For the girls that entered high school last year and the younger girls, I'm not sure that the buzz about HS soccer is the same.  If that's the case, the landscape could completely change in 2 or 3 years.  Time will tell.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Nov 28, 2018)

My kid will have to make that decision next year when she gets into HS. After 2 seasons in DA, it isn’t the league she is committed to, it is her Coach. If the team changes Coaches, it could be HS for her, as it was eloquently put, only time will tell.  Currently her plan is to volunteer to be the Team Manager so she gets to be with her friends whom don’t play DA and still reap some of the social benefits.  

But we all know what happens to the best laid plans.....


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 28, 2018)

MarkM said:


> The boys side use to allow HS soccer.  At some point they decided that the boys were coming back with too many bad habits after playing HS soccer.  I don't know how accurate that is or whether or not that justifies the rules DA has been put in place, but the rule originates from some experience.
> 
> It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.  If DA survives, the HS scene may change.  I get the impression that the girls already in HS were reluctant to give it up - although I do know some who didn't want to play HS even though they play ECNL.  For the girls that entered high school last year and the younger girls, I'm not sure that the buzz about HS soccer is the same.  If that's the case, the landscape could completely change in 2 or 3 years.  Time will tell.


Granted this is a girls thread I thought this comment by a high school boys coach was mind numbing. A friend just shared with me that his sons high school coach told him to stop playing club “style” soccer. And that he now had to play high school style. The son asked what that was. His response,”None of this passing or fancy stuff”


----------



## End of the Line (Nov 28, 2018)

Dubs said:


> Completely agree here.  The fact that we can say there is a choice (at least for some), is a good thing.  However, we all now there are issues with dilution, etc... The saga will continue for some time.  Honestly, if GDA changed their policy on HS soccer, most would flock to the league.  I really don't understand why they have such a hard stance on this one.  Dumb IMO.


You raise an interesting point.  What is fascinating is that USSF was ever so close to killing ECNL in one stroke right at the beginning but didn't understand how to make it happen and therefore failed to capitalize.  Do you remember when GDA was first announced and all the best ECNL clubs were tripping over themselves to join GDA out of fear that they'd get left behind and leapfrogged by lesser clubs - right up until USSF started telling them they needed to do things that would hurt revenue by causing many of their kids to leave, thereby opening the door to their competitors?  At that point, many good ECNL clubs backed out before it even started, some dual clubs relegated it to second tier status, and it took 12 others a couple months into it that the platform was a financial catastrophe for them.   If USSF had simply stolen ECNL's model exactly as it was and also exploited ECNL's lukewarm feelings about HS by encouraging it, pretty much every ECNL club would have bought in and ECNL would have been toast.  USSF then could have imposed all the dumb rules it wanted because, at least for a while, people would have had no other options for a platform that would get their kid significant college exposure on a national level and, for a few crazy insecure parents, a path to a YNT.  Once that happened, USSF could have ruined women's soccer just like it's been doing to the men's side for 10 years already.

Instead, USSF miscalculated that muscling in on ECNL would be harder, so it set out to "differentiate" itself with a bunch of dumb ideas that sound good to dumb soccer people who love soccer so much that they can't understand why a teenager girl and her family might think that giving up everything in their lives beside soccer is a bad idea.  USSF also didn't pay attention to the fact that ECNL was built over many years into a successful platform in large part based on years of trial and error, and that ignoring the lessons learned by ECNL was a very bad idea.  Clubs already knew that most of them can't prohibit HS soccer without risking their financial future, and even those few that can are so few and far between that they can't create a sustainable league without the others.  It isn't like clubs haven't tried to keep their kids playing club during the HS season so they can get 2-3 more months of fees. Clubs also already knew their price points and that they can't charge families more than they already do, regardless of whether the increase is necessary to pay coaches and landlords for 1-2 more practices a week and 3 more months a year, or to fly more places.  If families had wanted to pay more money for more training and more travel, and were ok foregoing HS, ECNL would have been doing it years ago.

If USSF really wanted to improve women's soccer, it would negotiate terms of surrender with ECNL.  The dilution caused by the two platforms is really hurting the quality of play and training as a whole, and GDA simply can't win the war for the reasons already discussed ad naseum.  It would be better served by "partnering" with ECNL, such as by sponsoring ECNL showcases and providing financial assistance.  That way, USSF could save some of the money it loses on GDA and would also benefit from goodwill that it lacks but desperately needs.  Seriously, USSF is one of the most reviled brands of any kind in the U.S.  If you haven't already, spend some time reading responses to their Facebook posts about the men.  Yikes.


----------



## timbuck (Nov 28, 2018)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Granted this is a girls thread I thought this comment by a high school boys coach was mind numbing. A friend just shared with me that his sons high school coach told him to stop playing club “style” soccer. And that he now had to play high school style. The son asked what that was. His response,”None of this passing or fancy stuff”


I've heard this is pretty common.  Even with high school coaches that coach at the club level.  The J Serra girls varsity team in particular.


----------



## MyDaughtersAKeeper (Nov 28, 2018)

LASTMAN14 said:


> Granted this is a girls thread I thought this comment by a high school boys coach was mind numbing. A friend just shared with me that his sons high school coach told him to stop playing club “style” soccer. And that he now had to play high school style. The son asked what that was. His response,”None of this passing or fancy stuff”


There need to be more emojis and the ability to use more than one.  That is funny, sad, interesting, intriguing, and stupefying - all at the same time.


----------



## Sheriff Joe (Nov 28, 2018)

End of the Line said:


> You raise an interesting point.  What is fascinating is that USSF was ever so close to killing ECNL in one stroke right at the beginning but didn't understand how to make it happen and therefore failed to capitalize.  Do you remember when GDA was first announced and all the best ECNL clubs were tripping over themselves to join GDA out of fear that they'd get left behind and leapfrogged by lesser clubs - right up until USSF started telling them they needed to do things that would hurt revenue by causing many of their kids to leave, thereby opening the door to their competitors?  At that point, many good ECNL clubs backed out before it even started, some dual clubs relegated it to second tier status, and it took 12 others a couple months into it that the platform was a financial catastrophe for them.   If USSF had simply stolen ECNL's model exactly as it was and also exploited ECNL's lukewarm feelings about HS by encouraging it, pretty much every ECNL club would have bought in and ECNL would have been toast.  USSF then could have imposed all the dumb rules it wanted because, at least for a while, people would have had no other options for a platform that would get their kid significant college exposure on a national level and, for a few crazy insecure parents, a path to a YNT.  Once that happened, USSF could have ruined women's soccer just like it's been doing to the men's side for 10 years already.
> 
> Instead, USSF miscalculated that muscling in on ECNL would be harder, so it set out to "differentiate" itself with a bunch of dumb ideas that sound good to dumb soccer people who love soccer so much that they can't understand why a teenager girl and her family might think that giving up everything in their lives beside soccer is a bad idea.  USSF also didn't pay attention to the fact that ECNL was built over many years into a successful platform in large part based on years of trial and error, and that ignoring the lessons learned by ECNL was a very bad idea.  Clubs already knew that most of them can't prohibit HS soccer without risking their financial future, and even those few that can are so few and far between that they can't create a sustainable league without the others.  It isn't like clubs haven't tried to keep their kids playing club during the HS season so they can get 2-3 more months of fees. Clubs also already knew their price points and that they can't charge families more than they already do, regardless of whether the increase is necessary to pay coaches and landlords for 1-2 more practices a week and 3 more months a year, or to fly more places.  If families had wanted to pay more money for more training and more travel, and were ok foregoing HS, ECNL would have been doing it years ago.
> 
> If USSF really wanted to improve women's soccer, it would negotiate terms of surrender with ECNL.  The dilution caused by the two platforms is really hurting the quality of play and training as a whole, and GDA simply can't win the war for the reasons already discussed ad naseum.  It would be better served by "partnering" with ECNL, such as by sponsoring ECNL showcases and providing financial assistance.  That way, USSF could save some of the money it loses on GDA and would also benefit from goodwill that it lacks but desperately needs.  Seriously, USSF is one of the most reviled brands of any kind in the U.S.  If you haven't already, spend some time reading responses to their Facebook posts about the men.  Yikes.


Everyone likes an underdog.


----------



## LASTMAN14 (Nov 28, 2018)

MyDaughtersAKeeper said:


> There need to be more emojis and the ability to use more than one.  That is funny, sad, interesting, intriguing, and stupefying - all at the same time.


Dude, I know! I asked Dominic that a few months ago! Maybe a FUBAR emoji!


----------



## Chris Knight (Nov 28, 2018)

timbuck said:


> Well that make sense then!!!   (*But there seem to be plenty of coaches attending showcases over Thanksgiving weekend* in So Cal).


Yeah ... 

Loser schools


----------



## Sheriff Joe (Nov 29, 2018)

Chris Knight said:


> Yeah ...
> 
> Loser schools


Which one did you attend?


----------

