# What does the DA2 mean for ECNL?



## zags77 (Jan 26, 2017)

From a thread that Beach has announced their coaches for the DA. What does this do to ECNL? Which other 9 clubs will have DA2?

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/...EMENT.html?soid=1104906689478&aid=QpfcIg5BZzE

*"What is the Development Academy 2 LEAGUE? (DA2)*
_
US Soccer is supporting the creation of the DA2 league, and while we expect the competition for the DA spots to be fierce with many qualified candidates and therefore our club will also participate in the DA2 league as a founding member club.

The league will consist of up to "Nine" other "Developmental Academy Teams 2" from the Southwest Region. 

The DA 2 teams will follow a similar schedule to that of the DA teams, often-times playing at the same venues, on the same days. 

In order to maximize exposure for our DA 2 players, all announced DA2 coaches will be working hand-in-hand with the corresponding aged DA teams. 

We believe the DA2 will help provide a direct link and pathway to the DA for our DA 2 players. 

The DA2 players will also be able to continue to participate in high school soccer and will have Silverlakes and the Las Vegas Showcase built in to their annual schedule.

DA2 players also have the potential to be reassigned to the DA team on a part-time and full-time basis based upon performance and circumstance. 

The DA2 platform will give Beach Futbol Club players every opportunity to continue to develop as high level performers on and off the field and the continued exposure that players of this level are typically looking for ."_


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## GKDad65 (Jan 26, 2017)

This is a joke, right?

A "DA2" league?  Are we really that gullible?


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## soccerobserver (Jan 26, 2017)

After Beach, who are the other 8??


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## Daniel Miller (Jan 26, 2017)

soccerobserver said:


> After Beach, who are the other 8??


Well, let's see.  There will be Galaxy Gold, Real Socal Blue, Slammers Maroon, Beach Black, Strikers Red, Legends Black, and CVSC Blue.  The DA2 is just a fancy name for a league of "B" teams.


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## Sunil Illuminati (Jan 26, 2017)

It essentially looks like the final "FU" to ECNL. Kids who don't make the DA can now play on the DA2 team and stay within their current clubs. I would guess the current ECNL Clubs in So Cal are those clubs not in the DA2 based on the numbers printed above?


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## timbuck (Jan 26, 2017)

Are they doing DA2 for the boys side too?


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## CaliKlines (Jan 26, 2017)

Daniel Miller said:


> Well, let's see.  There will be Galaxy Gold, Real Socal Blue, Slammers Maroon, Beach Black, Strikers Red, Legends Black, and CVSC Blue.  The DA2 is just a fancy name for a league of "B" teams.


No Strikers teams will be involved.


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## Real Deal (Jan 26, 2017)

Daniel Miller said:


> Well, let's see.  There will be Galaxy Gold, Real Socal Blue, Slammers Maroon, Beach Black, Strikers Red, Legends Black, and CVSC Blue.  The DA2 is just a fancy name for a league of "B" teams.


Well wouldn't ECNL also now be a fancy name for the B teams of the DA clubs that have it?  Blues green, Slammers pink, Real SoCal purple, Eagles mauve?  What's the diff?


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## soccerobserver (Jan 26, 2017)

The press release reads *"up to" *9 teams and for some reason 9 is "nine" in quotations. This implies that the league is not fully fleshed out yet...

From a next chess move standpoint GDA2 could be all 7 of the non-ECNL clubs such as Beach plus o,1 or 2  ECNL clubs...but I have no idea...


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## bababooey (Jan 26, 2017)

The DA II league is serious. It will include 9 of the 14 GDA teams in the Southwest Division. The only team for sure that will not be a part of the DA II league at its inception (but a part of the GDA SW Division) is SC Del Sol. The likely others with ECNL and GDA who will not participate in the DA II league are Surf, Slammers, Blues and Eagles-or-Real So Cal. This is pure conjecture on my part.

The DA II league will be separate from SCDSL, CSL, SDDA, Presidio, etc. One benefit of the DA II league is that high school soccer will be allowed for the DA II players (not allowed for the DA I players).


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## bababooey (Jan 26, 2017)

soccerobserver said:


> SI, you left out EGSL...


 Remember that EGSL is a spring only league that is available only to the ECNL programs. I don't think EGSL really matters in the ECNL versus GDA debate, but it will likely cause the ECNL "B" teams to be called something other than EGSL.


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## soccerobserver (Jan 26, 2017)

BBBy so==> GDA+GDAII=ECNL+EGSL ??? or maybe GDA+GDAII=GDA+ECNL???


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## Justafan (Jan 26, 2017)

bababooey said:


> The likely others with ECNL and GDA who will not participate in the DA II league are Surf, Slammers, Blues and Eagles-or-Real So Cal.


I know it's all conjecture at this point, but in theory, ECNL will be the A team for Arsenal and Strikers; the B team for Surf, Slammers, Blues, & Eagles/Real So Cal; & the C team for WCFC & either Eagles or Real So Cal.


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## Sunil Illuminati (Jan 26, 2017)

Justafan said:


> I know it's all conjecture at this point, but in theory, ECNL will be the A team for Arsenal and Strikers; the B team for Surf, Slammers, Blues, & Eagles/Real So Cal; & the C team for WCFC & either Eagles or Real So Cal.


Does this mean Strikers and Arsenal won't finish bottom now?


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## mahrez (Jan 26, 2017)

Means usclub soccer is trying to get another foothold into the SW youth soccer market and the clubs are selling more rainbow unicorns to parents.

Reffering to this proposed league as da2 is a misnomer and marketing gimmick for the most part. Has nothing to do with ussda other than some of clubs that may participate in both,. LA Galaxy with not be.

ECNL is a usclub soccer program also, right? so there really just trying to take more market share from cal south and usys orgs.

Now we have more dutilion to go with the pre ECNL and reserves of those teams some clubs are having tryouts for.   When will it all end?  Flight 3 is now going to be reffered to as the super duper elite flight or some other gimmicky name


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## HBE (Jan 26, 2017)

GKDad65 said:


> This is a joke, right?
> 
> A "DA2" league?  Are we really that gullible?


YES!!


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## RiverArsenal (Jan 26, 2017)

DA2 = Not a national league/a local league (See CSL or SCDSL)
DA2 = Teams not allowed to continue on with ECNL because ECNL didn't feel program was strong enough to support two elite teams 
and new DA Clubs with no ECNL.
ECNL = National League, still best competition in many regions of the country, best national league that allows High School play, etc.


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## GKDad65 (Jan 27, 2017)

I'm sooo confused, can I just write a check?


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## Real Deal (Jan 27, 2017)

All kidding aside, I don't understand why everyone is so negative.  DA, DA2, ECNL-- all seems good to me.  They all seem to be trying to provide more opportunities for girls to train and play at a higher level so more girls can get exposure for college etc.  Isn't that a good thing?


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## Daniel Miller (Jan 27, 2017)

I don't accept that there are "more" options; just repackaged ones.  Look, the DA1 is no different than "Flight 1," which is no different than "Gold" in the pre-split CSL days.

The DA2 will likely be no different that "Flight 2" and "Silver Elite plus Silver."

In terms of creating more playing "options," I disagree.  The pool of participants in these leagues gets smaller and smaller.  Kids will play against the same other kids week after week.

There is no reason to believe the soccer will be "better" than it is in its current form.  On the boys' side, academy teams are no better than CSL Gold and Premier teams were 8 years ago.


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## MakeAPlay (Jan 27, 2017)

Real Deal said:


> All kidding aside, I don't understand why everyone is so negative.  DA, DA2, ECNL--  all are providing more opportunities for girls to train and play at a higher level as well as get more exposure for college.  Isn't that a good thing?


At the risk of sounding like a villain, the majority of players playing at this "higher" level have their careers end in 10th grade so why the need for so many "higher" level leagues.  I personally prefer a concentration of top talent not a dilution of the overall talent pool.  It used to be much more simple and now it is much more complicated and I would bet $1000 that the overall number of college recruits and YNT players will not increase significantly (more than one standard deviation).

No worries.  Like most things the market will determine the winners.


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## younothat (Jan 27, 2017)

Real Deal said:


> All kidding aside, I don't understand why everyone is so negative.  DA, DA2, ECNL--  all are providing more opportunities for girls to train and play at a higher level as well as get more exposure for college.  Isn't that a good thing?


DA will be and ECNL is providing that, not sure about this proposed DA2 league.

Calling something by name which is fictitious... DA2 is like the "Alternative facts" deal some people see right through it.

There is no direct link ,  DA teams normally have full rosters, look to transfers during the open windows so promising  "potential" movement for 2nd team players based on performance is like the used cars salesman telling you potentially they will cover you if the car is a lemon but we will sell it to you without any warranty.  Might throw you a bone and ask you to play some tournaments when the other team is short during summer or something like that.

I'm in favor of the reserve team system but having another league doesn't help that situation, can't club pass or move players around easily (no direct link) so more dilution happens when another league is added.

DA2 is pay to play, correct? where do you think some of the money will go to?  Help Pay for the DA program, fields, coaches, and the sponsored kids on the other teams.

Selling something under false pretenses is not a good way for people to be positive about buying.


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## MakeAPlay (Jan 27, 2017)

younothat said:


> DA will be and ECNL is providing that, not sure about this proposed DA2 league.
> 
> Calling something by name which is fictitious... DA2 is like the "Alternative facts" deal some people see right through it.
> 
> ...


That is so concise and precise I can't do anything but agree with you 100%.  Great post!


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## Desert Hound (Jan 27, 2017)

bababooey said:


> The DA II league is serious. It will include 9 of the 14 GDA teams in the Southwest Division. The only team for sure that will not be a part of the DA II league at its inception (but a part of the GDA SW Division) is SC Del Sol. The likely others with ECNL and GDA who will not participate in the DA II league are Surf, Slammers, Blues and Eagles-or-Real So Cal. This is pure conjecture on my part.
> 
> The DA II league will be separate from SCDSL, CSL, SDDA, Presidio, etc. One benefit of the DA II league is that high school soccer will be allowed for the DA II players (not allowed for the DA I players).


The part about SC del Sol FOR SURE not being in the DA II League is FALSE. If you go to their FAQ page on http://www.scdelsolda.com/ they say the following:

Q. How will you address the combined age groups?
A. With two of the Development Academy age groups being combined, these Academy teams will be made up of a combination of elite players from the two age groups, we will also have Academy II teams


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## smr996 (Jan 27, 2017)

younothat said:


> DA will be and ECNL is providing that, not sure about this proposed DA2 league.
> 
> Calling something by name which is fictitious... DA2 is like the "Alternative facts" deal some people see right through it.
> 
> ...


This post is spot on!...


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## bababooey (Jan 27, 2017)

Desert Hound said:


> The part about SC del Sol FOR SURE not being in the DA II League is FALSE. If you go to their FAQ page on http://www.scdelsolda.com/ they say the following:
> 
> Q. How will you address the combined age groups?
> A. With two of the Development Academy age groups being combined, these Academy teams will be made up of a combination of elite players from the two age groups, we will also have Academy II teams


My friend, I did not say that SC Del Sol would not have DA II teams, I said that their DA II teams would not participate in the DA II league. I am sure they can become part of the DA II league in the future, but as of now they have stated they don't have the player pool to compete at a high level now (per NP from Pats).


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## pitchplease (Jan 27, 2017)

Del Sol DA website:
Q. Is there a specific number of players you need to have from each birth year to make up the team?
A. No specific number from each birth year so long as the required roster size is met.


Q. How will you address the combined age groups?
A. With two of the Development Academy age groups being combined, these Academy teams will be made up of a combination of elite players from the two age groups, *we will also have Academy II teams - these teams will be made up of younger players who are preparing for the next season's Academy team and older players who we feel may have the ability to make the current Academy team*. If not rostered full time, Academy II players may also be called up to play a limited number of games as “Developmental Players” with the current Academy team. *League play structure for Academy II teams is still TBD - we are working with all our fellow Academy Clubs in the Division.*


Academy II team age groups:


TBD


TBD


TBD


TBD


TBD


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## Desert Hound (Feb 1, 2017)

Well now the SC del Sol DA FAQ page as of today makes no reference to DAII. It did just a few days ago....


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## bababooey (Feb 2, 2017)

Desert Hound said:


> Well now the SC del Sol DA FAQ page as of today makes no reference to DAII. It did just a few days ago....


And if you go to the LAPFC announcement about the DA II teams/league, it states that Del Sol will participate in the DA II league. I have nothing against the Del Sol organization, but I don't think it would make much sense for the So Cal DA II teams to travel to Phoenix/Scottsdale to play one game.


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## LadiesMan217 (Feb 2, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> At the risk of sounding like a villain, the majority of players playing at this "higher" level have their careers end in 10th grade so why the need for so many "higher" level leagues.  I personally prefer a concentration of top talent not a dilution of the overall talent pool.  It used to be much more simple and now it is much more complicated and I would bet $1000 that the overall number of college recruits and YNT players will not increase significantly (more than one standard deviation).
> 
> No worries.  Like most things the market will determine the winners.


I agree after 10th grade the GDA does not make a big difference and ECNL might be the right avenue (sometimes we agree on things). I don't think I have seen any posts on this forum where someone thinks college recruiting or YNT players will increase due to GDA other than you and nogoal (using the term ulittle) making the statement they won't.


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## MakeAPlay (Feb 2, 2017)

LadiesMan217 said:


> I agree after 10th grade the GDA does not make a big difference and ECNL might be the right avenue (sometimes we agree on things). I don't think I have seen any posts on this forum where someone thinks college recruiting or YNT players will increase due to GDA other than you and nogoal (using the term ulittle) making the statement they won't.


You have to read between the lines.  I have seen numerous posts by ULittle parents who seem to think that the GDA is going to increase the number of players in the YNT pool.  I disagree with that position as the YNT players come from mostly the same clubs and the average number of players in the pool is about the same as it always has been.  Sort of like the number of college scholarships given out has remained the same.


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## LadiesMan217 (Feb 2, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> You have to read between the lines.  I have seen numerous posts by ULittle parents who seem to think that the GDA is going to increase the number of players in the YNT pool.  I disagree with that position as the YNT players come from mostly the same clubs and the average number of players in the pool is about the same as it always has been.  Sort of like the number of college scholarships given out has remained the same.


Yeah - maybe we interpreted some things differently; but, I agree nothing there is going to change.


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## Desert Hound (Feb 2, 2017)

bababooey said:


> And if you go to the LAPFC announcement about the DA II teams/league, it states that Del Sol will participate in the DA II league. I have nothing against the Del Sol organization, but I don't think it would make much sense for the So Cal DA II teams to travel to Phoenix/Scottsdale to play one game.


What is the link to the announcement? I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance. 

They used to have a page but there is nothing there now. http://www.lapremierfc.com/football/girlsacademy/da2/what-is-the-academy-ii


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## mahrez (Feb 2, 2017)

Desert Hound said:


> What is the link to the announcement? I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance.
> 
> They used to have a page but there is nothing there now. http://www.lapremierfc.com/football/girlsacademy/da2/what-is-the-academy-ii


The information was not accurate, some of the teams listed have not committed for example.


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## soccerobserver (Feb 2, 2017)

I think it is going to be hard enough to build out competitive GDA teams for some and even more difficult to field a DA2 team...unless some clubs combine in some of these markets there doesn't seem to be enough kids around to support 2 reasonably high level teams...there are too many clubs in many of these  markets...IMHO...


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## gkrent (Feb 3, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> You have to read between the lines.  I have seen numerous posts by ULittle parents who seem to think that the GDA is going to increase the number of players in the YNT pool.  I disagree with that position as the YNT players come from mostly the same clubs and the average number of players in the pool is about the same as it always has been.  Sort of like the number of college scholarships given out has remained the same.


Its going to change the face of Girls ODP, though, you have to admit that.   CalSouth may not be so dominant anymore...


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## MakeAPlay (Feb 3, 2017)

gkrent said:


> Its going to change the face of Girls ODP, though, you have to admit that.   CalSouth may not be so dominant anymore...


We will see.  We are speculating at this point.  I can tell you that many predicted the death of ODP when ECNL came into existence and it never happened.  My advice to any that ask is to focus on your player and good things will happen.  ODP and ECNL were the biggest things in terms of competition platform and exposure for my player.  Her performance day in and day out in the ECNL and her performance at the ODP regional and national championships is what got her to where she is today.


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## gkrent (Feb 3, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> We will see.  We are speculating at this point.  I can tell you that many predicted the death of ODP when ECNL came into existence and it never happened.


Agreed with all, the only counter is that ECNL does not mandate non-participation in ODP.  The boys side is a good example...when you look at the rosters there are no academy players (but, to counter my early point, the boys CalSouth team does pretty well)

As you say, though, who knows.  I don't want to detract from those who are participating in the program now...it was the best experience of all youth soccer for my dd in terms of exposure and sheer competition/fun and she has those rings to show for it which is pretty dang cool.


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## MakeAPlay (Feb 3, 2017)

gkrent said:


> Agreed with all, the only counter is that ECNL does not mandate non-participation in ODP.  The boys side is a good example...when you look at the rosters there are no academy players (but, to counter my early point, the boys CalSouth team does pretty well)
> 
> As you say, though, who knows.  I don't want to detract from those who are participating in the program now...it was the best experience of all youth soccer for my dd in terms of exposure and sheer competition/fun and she has those rings to show for it which is pretty dang cool.


I agree.  My player is pretty happy with her two titles too.  I just am not sure what is going to happen.  US soccer has been pivoting.  Clubs have been pulling out of DA.  Some are all in.  I suspect we really won't know the effect until my player is done with college so I haven't put a ton of mental energy into anything other than the most superficial speculation.  I suspect as June approaches and your player starts getting ready for the challenge of winning PT in college, you are going to be less concerned too.  

Good luck to your player and I look forward to seeing you on the sideline in the future.


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## NoGoal (Feb 3, 2017)

MakeAPlay said:


> At the risk of sounding like a villain, the majority of players playing at this "higher" level have their careers end in 10th grade so why the need for so many "higher" level leagues.  I personally prefer a concentration of top talent not a dilution of the overall talent pool.  It used to be much more simple and now it is much more complicated and I would bet $1000 that the overall number of college recruits and YNT players will not increase significantly (more than one standard deviation).
> 
> No worries.  Like most things the market will determine the winners.


FACT: the club soccer player pool contracts after U14, yet more leagues are popping up.  Go figure! 

DA2 was created for only one purpose in mind.  For DA clubs without ECNL affiliation, so those clubs can retain club fees, I mean players who did not make the DA team from leaving for ECNL clubs.


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## Dos Equis (Feb 3, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> FACT: the club soccer player pool contracts after U14, yet more leagues are popping up.  Go figure!
> 
> DA2 was created for only one purpose in mind.  For DA clubs without ECNL affiliation, so those clubs can retain club fees, I mean players who did not make the DA team from leaving for ECNL clubs.


Just experienced some Deja Vu.  DA2 sounds an awful lot like EGSL did.  

My bet is they sell DA2 as the likely pool they will pull from when DA expands to every age group (unlikely), a path to make the current DA team (even less likely), and a chance for exposure to colleges (possible, but anyone who has gone through that process realizes tht level of competition is part of "exposure," and few college coaches recruit by watching mediocre games).


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## NoGoal (Feb 3, 2017)

Dos Equis said:


> Just experienced some Deja Vu.  DA2 sounds an awful lot like EGSL did.
> 
> My bet is they sell DA2 as the likely pool they will pull from when DA expands to every age group (unlikely), a path to make the current DA team (even less likely), and a chance for exposure to colleges (possible, but anyone who has gone through that process realizes that level of competition is part of "exposure," and few college coaches recruit by watching mediocre games).


Ding, Ding, Ding.....we have a winner right here!  Which large stuff animal would you like?

It's all about clubs with 4 or more uolder teams in each age bracket selling the hope and dreams of playing on the 1st team and a chance for their DDs to be recruited for college soccer.


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## soccerobserver (Feb 3, 2017)

I was wondering... how can this all work? There is already a set of empirical data to examine.In the North LA area, there is an axis of elite  soccer that runs from Camarillo through the Valley all the way to Pasadena. The axis is anchored by a big GDA/ECNL club on one end and a new GDA club on the other end and  a huge GDA/ECNL club in the middle.

All three are excellent large clubs and regularly place players in the top soccer powerhouse colleges as well as the elite academic college soccer teams. If you look across the leagues they play in...it's striking...even Stevie Wonder would see that none of the them have a highly competitive second team in a given age band. Therefore, the only way this works is if the three can take market share from the other clubs in the area which is something no club in the area has done with a second team in any age group...hopefully for them the DA carrot can induce people the join the  second squad but history suggests  it will be a wise move but a daunting task.


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## NoGoal (Feb 3, 2017)

soccerobserver said:


> I was wondering... how can this all work? There is already a set of empirical data to examine.In the North LA area, there is an axis of elite  soccer that runs from Camarillo through the Valley all the way to Pasadena. The axis is anchored by a big GDA/ECNL club on one end and a new GDA club on the other end and  a huge GDA/ECNL club in the middle.
> 
> All three are excellent large clubs and regularly place players in the top soccer powerhouse colleges as well as the elite academic college soccer teams. If you look across the leagues they play in...it's striking...even Stevie Wonder would see that none of the them have a highly competitive second team in a given age band. Therefore, the only way this works is if the three can take market share from the other clubs in the area which is something no club in the area has done with a second team in any age group...hopefully for them the DA carrot can induce people the join the  second squad but history suggests  it will be a wise move but a daunting task.


I agree, but I thought Girls DA along with implementating their best practice philosophy is supposed to develop more players.


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## Kicker4Life (Feb 3, 2017)

NoGoal said:


> I agree, but I thought Girls DA along with implementating their best practice philosophy is supposed to develop more players.


Then wouldn't that require more players in the program, thus the need for DA II?  I personally don't think having a DAII league is worth it if there isn't 100% participation.  Why not play SCDSL  Flt 1 with the ECNL "Reserve" and EGSL teams.  Create a DA II League if/when there is enough participation to warrant it. 

It would be interesting had ECNL filled the massive geographical void and awarded Beach or LAGSB with ECNL (somewhat of a geographical homer statement).


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## NoGoal (Feb 3, 2017)

Kicker4Life said:


> Then wouldn't that require more players in the program, thus the need for DA II?  I personally don't think having a DAII league is worth it if there isn't 100% participation.  Why not play SCDSL  Flt 1 with the ECNL "Reserve" and EGSL teams.  Create a DA II League if/when there is enough participation to warrant it.
> 
> It would be interesting had ECNL filled the massive geographical void and awarded Beach or LAGSB with ECNL (somewhat of a geographical homer statement).


I was being sarcastic with my prior post, but I agree is there really a need for Girls DA II.  What prevents a player from failing to make one Girls DA team and making another clubs.


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## dreamz (Feb 3, 2017)

Desert Hound said:


> What is the link to the announcement? I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance.
> 
> They used to have a page but there is nothing there now. http://www.lapremierfc.com/football/girlsacademy/da2/what-is-the-academy-ii


The clubs wanting DA II jumped the gun and posted info on their websites and US Soccer made them take it down. There is no DA II yet. There are clubs that want it but US Soccer will only sanction it if they follow the DA "ideals" which includes no re-entry and no high school (they could give in on this one but it would be highly unlikely if they have to follow the DA model) plus no playoffs, no showcase, no National Cup, no piggybacking with DA showcases, no tournaments and no club passing to other teams in their club when they don't play in their DA II games. I'm not sure B team players want to sign up for that. The club leaders that are leading the DA II rodeo don't have a program, a plan or a league yet. Will it happen? Probably. But they want to pick and choose who is in the DA II and US Soccer will never go for that and they want to set their own rules and US Soccer won't go for that either.
I totally get why these clubs have a beef to pick with the DA clubs that have ECNL because they have been on the outside looking in for so long by not having ECNL that they are scrambling to save their B team players from leaving for the clubs that have ECNL. So they are hoping to offer this to their B teams but US Soccer is going to set the rules, the format, the platform and will be calling all the shots. If your club is preaching DA II, keep your eyes open and ask questions. I would also not believe anything until you see an announcement from US Soccer. The fact that US Soccer made these club take their announcements down should speak volumes to where the DA II stands at this point with US Soccer. 
I do think it will happen but it's not a national league (not enough participation nationally to make it happen - yet) and I don't know what the upside to this league would be if everything gets taken away without any benefits to the players. The DA II benefits the club by helping to keep the players (aka revenue stream) from leaving for other DA or ECNL teams. 
After all is said and done, the ECNL deserves it if DA II happens for keeping out quality clubs for political reasons but ECNL still means something or else the DA/non-ECNL clubs wouldn't be in such a panic to put something together for their B team players.


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## RiverArsenal (Feb 3, 2017)

dreamz said:


> The clubs wanting DA II jumped the gun and posted info on their websites and US Soccer made them take it down. There is no DA II yet. There are clubs that want it but US Soccer will only sanction it if they follow the DA "ideals" which includes no re-entry and no high school (they could give in on this one but it would be highly unlikely if they have to follow the DA model) plus no playoffs, no showcase, no National Cup, no piggybacking with DA showcases, no tournaments and no club passing to other teams in their club when they don't play in their DA II games. I'm not sure B team players want to sign up for that. The club leaders that are leading the DA II rodeo don't have a program, a plan or a league yet. Will it happen? Probably. But they want to pick and choose who is in the DA II and US Soccer will never go for that and they want to set their own rules and US Soccer won't go for that either.
> I totally get why these clubs have a beef to pick with the DA clubs that have ECNL because they have been on the outside looking in for so long by not having ECNL that they are scrambling to save their B team players from leaving for the clubs that have ECNL. So they are hoping to offer this to their B teams but US Soccer is going to set the rules, the format, the platform and will be calling all the shots. If your club is preaching DA II, keep your eyes open and ask questions. I would also not believe anything until you see an announcement from US Soccer. The fact that US Soccer made these club take their announcements down should speak volumes to where the DA II stands at this point with US Soccer.
> I do think it will happen but it's not a national league (not enough participation nationally to make it happen - yet) and I don't know what the upside to this league would be if everything gets taken away without any benefits to the players. The DA II benefits the club by helping to keep the players (aka revenue stream) from leaving for other DA or ECNL teams.
> After all is said and done, the ECNL deserves it if DA II happens for keeping out quality clubs for political reasons but ECNL still means something or else the DA/non-ECNL clubs wouldn't be in such a panic to put something together for their B team players.


100% Accurate.


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## Real Deal (Feb 8, 2017)

Kicker4Life said:


> Then wouldn't that require more players in the program, thus the need for DA II?  I personally don't think having a DAII league is worth it if there isn't 100% participation.  Why not play SCDSL  Flt 1 with the ECNL "Reserve" and EGSL teams.  Create a DA II League if/when there is enough participation to warrant it.
> 
> It would be interesting had ECNL filled the massive geographical void and awarded Beach or LAGSB with ECNL (somewhat of a geographical homer statement).


I still think ECNL should seriously consider filling the void between RSC and Slammers right now.  DA and DAII, if it has the same rules, will not be everyone - and especially not for multi-sport ATHLETES- and some of those are really good soccer players.

But under the new system, I can't see folks driving the long distances for ECNL-- but I can see them opting for a relatively close ECNL option if their kid plays another sport.  I agree that the two clubs Kicker mentions would be the obvious choices due to the sheer numbers in the Westside/Southbay area.  An addition or two, would perhaps help save that league.


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