# USSDA Score Card for GDA



## SOCCERMINION (Jun 7, 2018)

Just wanted to get a general consensus from the soccer community. Everyone seems to have a very polarized opinion on this and much of it seems driven to promote whatever league their DD is playing in. Please take a very pragmatic look at you soccer landscape from your point of view and vote.


----------



## Soccer (Jun 8, 2018)

SOCCERMINION said:


> much of it seems driven to promote whatever league their DD is playing in.


Exactly.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Jun 8, 2018)

1 season in, too early to tell, but thank you for adding yet another thread for this debate.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 8, 2018)

Soccer said:


> Exactly.


may be true for some but not all.  I am still a fan of the CSL Premier League where you had to earn your spot every year and prove you were the best or else you got relegated.


----------



## espola (Jun 8, 2018)

Soccer43 said:


> may be true for some but not all.  I am still a fan of the CSL Premier League where you had to earn your spot every year and prove you were the best or else you got relegated.


Sure - no politics there.


----------



## sdb (Jun 8, 2018)




----------



## outside! (Jun 8, 2018)

Bad horsey.


----------



## MWN (Jun 8, 2018)

Kicker4Life said:


> 1 season in, too early to tell, but thank you for adding yet another thread for this debate.


My reaction was the same.  How on earth can anybody have a mildly educated opinion on a the subject when the league has been around less than 1 year?  Repost the survey in 7 years.


----------



## mbeach (Jun 8, 2018)

*Has USSDA Improved Girls Soccer in the USA with lauch of GDA*?
Well, the number of girls playing DA is very small compared to the total number of girls playing club soccer, so the creation of DA has very little effect on most players. The formation of the DPL league is a club issue, it has nothing to do with DA, so I will leave it at that. Regarding the girls that do play DA, I can only talk about what has happened to my girls, and compare with what used to happen last year:
1] Number of training hours: doubled (good).  
2] Practice field: significantly better because the assigned playing area is much larger. Also the training facility is great. 
3] The coaches assigned to these teams are, in my opinion, the most qualified coaches in the club. So that is an improvement too.
4] Level of competition: significantly better, there is no comparison with respect to previous year. They have played against many great DA teams. It has been a pleasure to watch the level of play in many games this year. Definitely many more high level games than before.
5] Playing only one game per weekend: great.
6] Exposure to college coaches: simply ridiculous. Just an example: my older daughter played in a very good U14 team last year, one of the best in SoCal. I do not remember seeing a college coach in the sidelines of her games last year (National Cup, Surf Cup, Blues Cup, etc, the only external coach on the sidelines used to be Tad Bobak). During last weekend  at least 10 college coaches were in the sidelines in the last game of the season for my younger daughter team (also U14 but DA). Granted, a bit abnormal, because it was a "college showcase" at silverlakes, but it was really just one more season game, and never saw anything like that last year in any showcase for the U14 team. Back to my older daughter team, U15 DA, the amount of attention from college coaches this year has been something I did not expect in my wildest dream.   

So yes, life has been good in DA for us. We are not going back.


----------



## futboldad1 (Jun 8, 2018)

mbeach said:


> *Has USSDA Improved Girls Soccer in the USA with lauch of GDA*?
> 
> 
> So yes, life has been good in DA for us. We are not going back.


Glad you're happy but, to be clear, you are speaking from a perspective of never having had ECNL, correct?


----------



## Fact (Jun 8, 2018)

mbeach said:


> *Has USSDA Improved Girls Soccer in the USA with lauch of GDA*?
> Well, the number of girls playing DA is very small compared to the total number of girls playing club soccer, so the creation of DA has very little effect on most players. The formation of the DPL league is a club issue, it has nothing to do with DA, so I will leave it at that. Regarding the girls that do play DA, I can only talk about what has happened to my girls, and compare with what used to happen last year:
> 1] Number of training hours: doubled (good).
> 2] Practice field: significantly better because the assigned playing area is much larger. Also the training facility is great.
> ...





futboldad1 said:


> Glad you're happy but, to be clear, you are speaking from a perspective of never having had ECNL, correct?


I was about to make that point. All of his comments are valid.  My only question is for parents that had dds playing ECNL last year, has the level of competition gone up or down? I would imagine down due to the larger number of teams. Or a better way of saying it is less unicorns per team.


----------



## futboldad1 (Jun 8, 2018)

Fact said:


> I was about to make that point. All of his comments are valid.  My only question is for parents that had dds playing ECNL last year, has the level of competition gone up or down? I would imagine down due to the larger number of teams. Or a better way of saying it is less unicorns per team.


Exactly. Plus college coach exposure when compared to ECNL vs "regular" changes perspectives a lot and is the most pertinent question/answer.


Regarding your point of the larger number of teams, it seems to me that this dilution is indeed very real and is not good for any DDs (especially the higher level ones) despite the optics that are being put out by the powers that be.


----------



## mbeach (Jun 8, 2018)

futboldad1 said:


> Glad you're happy but, to be clear, you are speaking from a perspective of never having had ECNL, correct?


That is correct. In fact, ECNL was never an option for us, because I refuse to drive 3 hours each day to practice. Not good for my girls, not good for myself either.
But, if you want to debate  whether DA is good for US Soccer (meaning the level of play of the national teams), this  was already argued a long time ago in this forum, and the debate became polarized because of the personal interest of posters. To me, it is difficult to argue against the fact that the level of play of our national teams at all ages has been eroding constantly compared to other countries over the last few years, and that the US Soccer federation must take a leading role in correcting this. Their response was the creation of DA, in my opinion a step in the right direction. We will have to wait to see if it is sufficient.


----------



## mbeach (Jun 8, 2018)

futboldad1 said:


> Exactly. Plus college coach exposure when compared to ECNL vs "regular" changes perspectives a lot and is the most pertinent question/answer.
> 
> 
> Regarding your point of the larger number of teams, it seems to me that this dilution is indeed very real and is not good for any DDs (especially the higher level ones) despite the optics that are being put out by the powers that be.


DA is the creation of US Soccer. Their job is not to support/help a particular league (say ECNL), but to make sure that the national teams remain relevant. They have other goals too, I guess. It is pretty obvious that the previous model (several leagues with a top one called ECNL) was not helping  maintaining the gap between US women soccer and the rest of the world, and one of the responses of US Soccer was the creation of DA. You may think that you know better than US Soccer, and are definitely entitled to your opinion. Furthermore, your daughter does not need to participate in DA; your club does not need to participate either. She can continue playing in ECNL, and she will most likely be recruited by a college. And I am happy with DA, because my girls are being recruited as well, and because of the other points I listed.


----------



## futboldad1 (Jun 8, 2018)

mbeach said:


> DA is the creation of US Soccer. Their job is not to support/help a particular league (say ECNL), but to make sure that the national teams remain relevant. They have other goals too, I guess. It is pretty obvious that the previous model (several leagues with a top one called ECNL) was not helping  maintaining the gap between US women soccer and the rest of the world, and one of the responses of US Soccer was the creation of DA. You may think that you know better than US Soccer, and are definitely entitled to your opinion. Furthermore, your daughter does not need to participate in DA; your club does not need to participate either. She can continue playing in ECNL, and she will most likely be recruited by a college. And I am happy with DA, because my girls are being recruited as well, and because of the other points I listed.


If making sure the national teams remained relevant were the goal, why would US Soccer give so many clubs DA-status? Surely one or two per region would be the way to do it as each team as it stands only has 0-2 max players capable of playing for the USWNT.

Again, do not take this the wrong way, my 06 has recently joined a pre-DA team. I am also pleased that your DDs are enjoying their soccer and getting recruiting looks.

I just don't think the Boys DA has led to any improvements in it's 11 years and, with the girls game clearly more skewed towards college scholarships rather than turning professional, I just don't see how it's going to improve matters.

What would improve matters is better coaching from the USSF and college coaches alike, not the same dinosaurs who smash the ball forwards from opening kickoff like the U17 USWNT just did earlier this very week. It's horrifying and is the reason why the rest of the world is catching up (plus other nations are finally taking the woman's game seriously, the US had a big head start). Nothing will change until the coaches do, and DA does not appear to have changed the individuals involved.


----------



## outside! (Jun 8, 2018)

futboldad1 said:


> What would improve matters is better coaching from the USSF and college coaches alike, not the same dinosaurs who smash the ball forwards from opening kickoff like the U17 USWNT just did earlier this very week. It's horrifying and is the reason why the rest of the world is catching up (plus other nations are finally taking the woman's game seriously, the US had a big head start). Nothing will change until the coaches do, and DA does not appear to have changed the individuals involved.


This!


----------



## mbeach (Jun 8, 2018)

futboldad1 said:


> If making sure the national teams remained relevant were the goal, why would US Soccer give so many clubs DA-status? Surely one or two per region would be the way to do it as each team as it stands only has 0-2 max players capable of playing for the USWNT.


Surely? Having one or two teams per region would be a horrible idea: a) who would they be playing against? b) it would necessarily require the players to train in residence, but who is willing to do that at a young age when the only real incentive is to go to college? c) the majority of the players making senior national teams (at least in the case of men), are identify at older ages (like older than 20), you would be wasting your money in a residence program for U12-U-18; d) I could go on, but a residency program would  works for small countries (Iceland, or maybe Japan where the population is very concentrated), or for boutique sports like archery, chess, etc.   
The level of the pyramid just below the national teams needs to be as broad as possible, so that you have a chance to capture the talent. As broad as possible, as long as certain standards are maintained (number of practice hours, facilities, qualified coaching ...)  so that talent can be nurtured.       
The argument that DA this past year was diluted in SoCal, or comments like Blues and Galaxy SD 03 playing kick ball, are ridiculous. Pure mantra, they do not become true just by art of repetition. 99 % of the posters here would wish their girls to play at the level the girls in those two teams play. Heck, I wish I had played at the level that my girls play, when I was their age.   



futboldad1 said:


> I just don't think the Boys DA has led to any improvements in it's 11 years and, with the girls game clearly more skewed towards college scholarships rather than turning professional, I just don't see how it's going to improve matters.


The men side is a battle (meaning success at a World Cup) that US Soccer cannot win. You may get lucky and one day advance far in this tournament, but it would be just luck. Changing this situation requires a change in culture, which cannot be mandated by a soccer federation.    



futboldad1 said:


> What would improve matters is better coaching from the USSF and college coaches alike, not the same dinosaurs who smash the ball forwards from opening kickoff like the U17 USWNT just did earlier this very week ...


Better coaching is key. Thus, it makes no sense that you use this point against DA because US Soccer mandates a pretty high minimum accreditation for DA coaches, while other leagues don't. Now, if your expectation is that every team should be coached by a Mauricio Pochettino overnight, let me just break the news that it won't happen. US Soccer can set a policy in that direction, but cannot do miracles.


----------



## Soccermom1721 (Jun 8, 2018)

My DD thinks that DA has helped her improve. I agree with every point that MBeach has made. 
At U13 she played for a non ECNL club. While at her old club, her team had won a State Cup, Surf Cup, and numerous Blues and Slammers tournaments. At U13 they won CRL and made it to the semis for Regionals in Idaho. Unfortunately, after the season ended, her team split up due to heavy recruiting by a number of ECNL clubs.

At U14, she made an ECNL team who didn’t make it to the playoffs but was very competitive. The level of play was better than at her old non ECNL club. 

Now at U15, her entire ECNL team became the U15 DA team. Mostly every game is competitive. We have scrimmaged our ECNL team and you see the differences in style and speed of play. Playing against some of the best teams and practicing with equally talented players have been a great benefit to my DD. 

A huge plus has been the amount of D1 coaches at our practices and games. We have averaged at least one college coach at our practices every couple of weeks. We also have at least one college coach at our games. In Arizona we had 5 D1 coaches. 

Overall a good experience.


----------



## mbeach (Jun 8, 2018)

Fact said:


> I was about to make that point. All of his comments are valid.  My only question is for parents that had dds playing ECNL last year, has the level of competition gone up or down? I would imagine down due to the larger number of teams. Or a better way of saying it is less unicorns per team.


Dilution in SoCal's DA is a fairy tale. I will prove it with a few Fact (using the U-15 division that I am familiar with):

1] The top 8 teams at the end of a 35 game campaign were: 1) Beach (78 points); 2) Blues (70); 3) Legends (70); 4) SD Surf (68); 5) del Sol (59); 6) Slammers (57); 7) Albion (57); 8) Galaxy SD (56). Four of these teams were not ECNL last year. Thus the competition among the top 8 teams has been stronger than if only ECNL teams had played among themselves. The argument that these former ECNL teams have lost a significant number of players to non ECNL clubs or other teams would be silly, no need to make it.

2] The (SoCal) West conference is sending 7 teams to the playoffs, out of 32. The second most successful conference is sending 5 teams.

3] The team ranked #1 overall is  Sky-Blue PDA  (East Atlantic conference). They have played 31 games and only had 3 losses. Do you want to guess two of the teams they lost to? Beach and Legends.

DA dilution in SoCal? Just the opposite, but go ahead and make up things.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 9, 2018)

That’s because he is more Fiction than Fact.


----------



## Lightning Red (Jun 9, 2018)

The 3 teams from So Cal (Southwest) at the 04 age group in the ECNL playoffs are all “B” teams. It is what it is.


----------



## shales1002 (Jun 9, 2018)

Lightning Red said:


> The 3 teams from So Cal (Southwest) at the 04 age group in the ECNL playoffs are all “B” teams. It is what it is.


There aren’t 3 SoCal teams in ECNL playoffs @ 04. Slammers and Surf only. Nevada’s top teams are ECNL.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Jun 9, 2018)

shales1002 said:


> There aren’t 3 SoCal teams in ECNL playoffs @ 04. Slammers and Surf only. Nevada’s top teams are ECNL.


So no pure ECNL Club made the ‘04 playoffs for SoCal?  Surprised to hear Blues Kale ECNL didn’t make it.  They are a tough group of young ladies to play against.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 10, 2018)

mbeach said:


> *Has USSDA Improved Girls Soccer in the USA with lauch of GDA*?
> Well, the number of girls playing DA is very small compared to the total number of girls playing club soccer, so the creation of DA has very little effect on most players. The formation of the DPL league is a club issue, it has nothing to do with DA, so I will leave it at that. Regarding the girls that do play DA, I can only talk about what has happened to my girls, and compare with what used to happen last year:
> 1] Number of training hours: doubled (good).
> 2] Practice field: significantly better because the assigned playing area is much larger. Also the training facility is great.
> ...


1]  doubled training hours can and has led to increased injuries  (bad)
2] no change in practice field in three clubs with DA that I am familiar with (no difference)
3] coaches assigned were the same coaches that were used in year before for the club's top teams (no difference)
4] level of competition was lower than ECNL as bottom half of the conference was not strong and many blow out games with AYSO scores (bad)
5] paying one game per weekend - same as with ECNL (no difference)
6] exposure to college coaches - all depends on which team/club and coach you have (no difference or could be worse)

Most of everyone's comments all seem to boil down to whether you were on an ECNL team (at a good club) before DA.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 10, 2018)

mbeach said:


> Dilution in SoCal's DA is a fairy tale. I will prove it with a few Fact (using the U-15 division that I am familiar with):
> 
> DA dilution in SoCal? Just the opposite, but go ahead and make up things.


8 elite teams before (ECNL)  x 18 girls (minimum on roster) = 144 players
20 elite teams (7 ECNL and 13 DA) x 18 girls = 360 players

is it possible that there were that many top elite players floating around out there (minimum of 216) where there would be no dilution of the competition?

looking at the goal differentials is interesting:  18/19 bottom half negative goal differentials, 16/17 bottom half negative goal differential, 15 bottom 5 have negative goal differential

so maybe the 15's are a stronger group overall in So Cal which would explain your positive experience but when you have that many negative goal differentials you have to wonder if there have been many unbalanced games


----------



## casper (Jun 10, 2018)

I don't weigh in much anymore on the forum and I don't expect to educate or change anyone's perspective as I have learned in today's society two people can be exposed two the exact same facts and come away with two opposing perspectives.  However having 2 years experience in ECNL and now a year experience in the DA I am willing to share my 2 cents on the leagues.  I can see there is a vocal minority of ECNL supporters who have taken shots at the DA in a number of threads throughout this forum. Some have offered good info, others have offered inaccurate or purely subjective info, and most of the info good or bad starts with "What I heard from a DA parent".  I have no kool-aid to sell and am not interested in settling the debate which is better Ecnl or DA.  I will simply add my own experience with the two competing leagues and you can draw your own conclusions.  Prior to this season Ecnl was the top league in So Cal though there were some very good non ECNL team's across different age groups. Each age group with exception of the oldest age group was singular in competition.  The league offered elite competition and great college showcase events.  There were lots of young ladies  over the years that have benefited greatly by ECNL and what it offered.  DA came along this year just 2 yrs after the big age change shake up and in its first season established itself as the top league in So Cal, though ECNL retained a number of very good team's and players just like there were very good team's and players on non-Ecnl team's in the years prior to DA.  I didn't have a negative experience with ECNL and I found it a highly competitive and enjoyable 2 seasons.  DA this past season was a step up from our ECNL experience on several fronts.  One because it was a combined 01/02 age group you had less delusion as one would expect creating another league. I saw many 01 and 02 ECNL players I saw the years prior competing on DA teams. The coaching was better because it added new coaches to the mix and some of the very successful ECNL coaches from the past.  The training was superior and the data the players recieved was far superior than that of any ECNL experience.  Game days were similar to ECNL with all age groups playing that day at the same fields one after the other. DA incorporating the onsite trainer/medic was a plus as well as the videotaping. The college showcase were similar to ECNL that I experienced but I saw more college coaches at practice and league games in the DA than I did in ECNL but that could be a club thing.  I don't have an issue with HS or the sub rules as many seem to have with the DA.  The training schedule can be very demanding and it's important your player know her body and as well as parents to know when they look tired or run down and take a night off. I believe coaches will keep trying to find the balance between maximum training, but in a way that doesn't risk greater injury.  I would say DA isn t for everyone and ECNL is a great option for those that are looking for a very competitive league which allows HS soccer and less training days.  After experiencing the first year of DA our daughter decided to play DA next year and having a younger player that will eventually have choices to make we will continue to see how the crazy world of club soccer evolves and hope by the time she gets to this age she will find the right path for her.  I don't believe in one approach or one system is best for everyone so find a great coach who believes in your daughter, that offers the appropriate level of competition and hopefully everything works out for her.  The greatest advocate for your daughter or son will be you and make sure always keep that in mind and that will help to navigate the long, yet very rewarding soccer journey your family has been on.  Good luck to everyone and I know most want the end game to be college soccer and that is a whole another beast, that is a very difficult and nerve racking in its own right to navigate.


----------



## younothat (Jun 11, 2018)

Regardless of how parents score the first year all players had the opportunity to express there opinions of the DA program, coaches, teammates, etc via the DA player survey that all players should have completed by 5/26

Your club should have given the players a survey link to : https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/   I didn't include the form part as your club has to give that to you, I think the girls is different vs the boys link.

Our daughter played in ECNL again this season and going into her senior year we've been happy with the program and will likely finish out.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 11, 2018)

younothat said:


> Regardless of how parents score the first year all players had the opportunity to express there opinions of the DA program, coaches, teammates, etc via the DA player survey that all players should have completed by 5/26
> 
> Your club should have given the players a survey link to : https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/   I didn't include the form part as your club has to give that to you, I think the girls is different vs the boys link.
> 
> Our daughter played in ECNL again this season and going into her senior year we've been happy with the program and will likely finish out.


That's a survey for the boys U13 and U14 boys only.


----------



## younothat (Jun 11, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> That's a survey for the boys U13 and U14 boys only.


Nope: players age U-13 through U-18/19 all across the DA.  

"This is the second annual online survey. Last year over 4,200 players participated. The purpose of the survey is to understand the thoughts and experiences of players age U-13 through U-18/19 all across the DA. This survey is especially exciting because it will be one of the largest soccer-specific surveys ever conducted"

Heard they sent it out to every club in the Southwest Division, at least all the boy clubs regardless of  the age groups.  Hopefully they included the girls clubs,  good chance for them to express there opinions.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 11, 2018)

younothat said:


> Nope: players age U-13 through U-18/19 all across the DA.
> 
> "This is the second annual online survey. Last year over 4,200 players participated. The purpose of the survey is to understand the thoughts and experiences of players age U-13 through U-18/19 all across the DA. This survey is especially exciting because it will be one of the largest soccer-specific surveys ever conducted"
> 
> Heard they sent it out to every club in the Southwest Division, at least all the boy clubs regardless of  the age groups.  Hopefully they included the girls clubs,  good chance for them to express there opinions.


The reason I said it was for U13 and U14 boys is because I clicked on the link.  It starts with identifying who you are and those age groups were the only option.


----------



## younothat (Jun 11, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> The reason I said it was for U13 and U14 boys is because I clicked on the link.  It starts with identifying who you are and those age groups were the only option.


There is another part of the URL I didn't include that is targeted at the different divisions or groups but if you select certain clubs you will only see those ages because that's all the had in DA.   For example if your club is LA Galaxy you will see U13-U18/19.


----------



## soccer dude (Jun 20, 2018)

casper said:


> I don't weigh in much anymore on the forum and I don't expect to educate or change anyone's perspective as I have learned in today's society two people can be exposed two the exact same facts and come away with two opposing perspectives.  However having 2 years experience in ECNL and now a year experience in the DA I am willing to share my 2 cents on the leagues.  I can see there is a vocal minority of ECNL supporters who have taken shots at the DA in a number of threads throughout this forum. Some have offered good info, others have offered inaccurate or purely subjective info, and most of the info good or bad starts with "What I heard from a DA parent".  I have no kool-aid to sell and am not interested in settling the debate which is better Ecnl or DA.  I will simply add my own experience with the two competing leagues and you can draw your own conclusions.  Prior to this season Ecnl was the top league in So Cal though there were some very good non ECNL team's across different age groups. Each age group with exception of the oldest age group was singular in competition.  The league offered elite competition and great college showcase events.  There were lots of young ladies  over the years that have benefited greatly by ECNL and what it offered.  DA came along this year just 2 yrs after the big age change shake up and in its first season established itself as the top league in So Cal, though ECNL retained a number of very good team's and players just like there were very good team's and players on non-Ecnl team's in the years prior to DA.  I didn't have a negative experience with ECNL and I found it a highly competitive and enjoyable 2 seasons.  DA this past season was a step up from our ECNL experience on several fronts.  One because it was a combined 01/02 age group you had less delusion as one would expect creating another league. I saw many 01 and 02 ECNL players I saw the years prior competing on DA teams. The coaching was better because it added new coaches to the mix and some of the very successful ECNL coaches from the past.  The training was superior and the data the players recieved was far superior than that of any ECNL experience.  Game days were similar to ECNL with all age groups playing that day at the same fields one after the other. DA incorporating the onsite trainer/medic was a plus as well as the videotaping. The college showcase were similar to ECNL that I experienced but I saw more college coaches at practice and league games in the DA than I did in ECNL but that could be a club thing.  I don't have an issue with HS or the sub rules as many seem to have with the DA.  The training schedule can be very demanding and it's important your player know her body and as well as parents to know when they look tired or run down and take a night off. I believe coaches will keep trying to find the balance between maximum training, but in a way that doesn't risk greater injury.  I would say DA isn t for everyone and ECNL is a great option for those that are looking for a very competitive league which allows HS soccer and less training days.  After experiencing the first year of DA our daughter decided to play DA next year and having a younger player that will eventually have choices to make we will continue to see how the crazy world of club soccer evolves and hope by the time she gets to this age she will find the right path for her.  I don't believe in one approach or one system is best for everyone so find a great coach who believes in your daughter, that offers the appropriate level of competition and hopefully everything works out for her.  The greatest advocate for your daughter or son will be you and make sure always keep that in mind and that will help to navigate the long, yet very rewarding soccer journey your family has been on.  Good luck to everyone and I know most want the end game to be college soccer and that is a whole another beast, that is a very difficult and nerve racking in its own right to navigate.


I like what you say and agree with it all.  As an ECNL parent who has DP'd on a few academy games I would say the level of the DA games is higher.  As I beat a dead horse a bit we should as a country consolidate ECNL and DA with some hybrid type of merge.  It's sad when some of the best teams in the country are still ECNL (mostly east coast and Cal North).  Let's combine both leagues taking away the HS rule and sub rules and you'll find that everyone will be on board and we can truly say we are in the "best" league.  ECNL should have added Beach, Legends and LA Galaxys since they are great clubs.  This probably would have kept ECNL on "top".  Come on ECNL and DA.  Figure this out.  I'm tired of DA trying to squash ECNL with the overlapping showcase dates and playoffs.  This only hurts the girls and the college coaches who are trying to see the best girls out there.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 21, 2018)

wondering if posters want to change their vote with the LAFC Slammers announcement today???  Still think the DA is a dramatic improvement or trending in the right direction?


----------



## Kicker4Life (Jun 22, 2018)

Soccer43 said:


> wondering if posters want to change their vote with the LAFC Slammers announcement today???  Still think the DA is a dramatic improvement or trending in the right direction?


 For those of us who really don’t have another option, it doesn’t really matter does it.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 22, 2018)

There are always other options, just depends on the personal sacrifice you are able to make to make those other options happen.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Jun 22, 2018)

Soccer43 said:


> There are always other options, just depends on the personal sacrifice you are able to make to make those other options happen.


If your not able to make the sacrifice, is it really an option?  With ECNL letting in the newly formed LA Breakers there could be an option, but I haven’t seen enough from their Coaching Staff to think they could be an option should my DD want to make a change.


----------



## Soccer43 (Jun 22, 2018)

being "able" to make the change is all dependent on how badly you want/need other options to be possible.  There are players that drive up to 3 hours to practice and players that have left their friends, even though emotionally tough to better their soccer situation


----------



## espola (Jun 22, 2018)

Soccer43 said:


> being "able" to make the change is all dependent on how badly you want/need other options to be possible.  There are players that drive up to 3 hours to practice and players that have left their friends, even though emotionally tough to better their soccer situation


Someone is willing to drive 3 hours to practice?  In my day 30 minutes each way was too much.


----------



## Dummy (Jun 22, 2018)

soccer dude said:


> I like what you say and agree with it all.  As an ECNL parent who has DP'd on a few academy games I would say the level of the DA games is higher.  As I beat a dead horse a bit we should as a country consolidate ECNL and DA with some hybrid type of merge.  It's sad when some of the best teams in the country are still ECNL (mostly east coast and Cal North).  Let's combine both leagues taking away the HS rule and sub rules and you'll find that everyone will be on board and we can truly say we are in the "best" league.  ECNL should have added Beach, Legends and LA Galaxys since they are great clubs.  This probably would have kept ECNL on "top".  Come on ECNL and DA.  Figure this out.  I'm tired of DA trying to squash ECNL with the overlapping showcase dates and playoffs.  This only hurts the girls and the college coaches who are trying to see the best girls out there.


It seems to me that most everything that needed to be figured out was figured out long ago by US Soccer.  It was hungry, and it wanted to take ECNL’s lunch.  It broke ECNL’s (and everyone other club team’s) lunch box with the age change.  Before everything could be put back in order, it scooped up as much of it as it could in its’ DA lunch box.  Now US Soccer has half of ECNL’s lunch, which means that their lunch box is now half full.

DA clubs figured out how to collect a few more scraps with DPL.  My guess is that DA will gradually change its program over time to become more similar to ECNL to try to take more of what ECNL still has.

This DA-ECNL conflict is not about practice days or substitution rules.  Nor is it about creating a unified program that maximizes on the potential of unicorns (or that encourages the development of local programs that provide a worthwhile, low cost youth soccer experience for non-unicorns).  It is about who gets to collect administration fees and kickbacks from big travel events.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 22, 2018)

One side  benefit of the DA program is that there is no charge for parking at Oceanside for the end of the year event!


----------



## Fact (Jun 22, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> One side  benefit of the DA program is that there is no charge for parking at Oceanside for the end of the year event!


Pansy you try way too hard.


----------



## Dummy (Jun 22, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> One side  benefit of the DA program is that there is no charge for parking at Oceanside for the end of the year event!


That is a nice thought, but it is more likely that families are paying for parking through their DA fees.  It might even be costing them a bit more because some DA administrator is being paid to organize this.  The venue might be saving a bit of money by not having to staff the entrance with attendants collecting parking fees.  Nobody is losing money on DA except for the non-DA families on a DA club that unwittingly overpay to be on a “pathway to the USWNT”  so the club can subsidize its DA team.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 22, 2018)

Dummy said:


> That is a nice thought, but it is more likely that families are paying for parking through their DA fees.  It might even be costing them a bit more because some DA administrator is being paid to organize this.  The venue might be saving a bit of money by not having to staff the entrance with attendants collecting parking fees.  Nobody is losing money on DA except for the non-DA families on a DA club that unwittingly overpay to be on a “pathway to the USWNT”  so the club can subsidize its DA team.


Here is what I know about the cost structure from online:

U.S. Soccer provides:
-- All Academy event fees;
-- Referee fees (U.S. Soccer assigns referees for all Academy games and subsidizes all associated costs, with the exception of U-12 competitions);
-- Product sponsorship of Nike balls and Powerade stations;
-- Scholarships for need-based players.
(The Scholarship Program is supported by U.S. Soccer to help Academy clubs and players move away from the pay-to-play model of soccer.)

There is no fee to join the DA, but just the registration fee for the players and coaches. This is the first structure in our country in which players register directly with U.S. Soccer by passing the State Youth Associations.

I also know the registration fee is $50 per person.   It's possible that US soccer gets a cut of travel from the Travel Company but I have seen no data on this and the costs we pay for travel don't seem to have much room for this profit after you consider that your also paying for coaches.   I would agree that if your on a fully or partially subsidized team that money is coming from somewhere.


----------



## Simisoccerfan (Jun 22, 2018)

Fact said:


> Pansy you try way too hard.


You know where I will be most of next week.  Your always welcome to stop by and share your comments in person.


----------



## Fact (Jun 22, 2018)

Simisoccerfan said:


> You know where I will be most of next week.  Your always welcome to stop by and share your comments in person.


Sure what will you be wearing, a flower pot?


----------

