MakeAPlay
DA
Interesting opinion by Anson Dorrance.
http://equalizersoccer.com/2018/02/...pment-academy-and-ecnl-need-to-work-together/
http://equalizersoccer.com/2018/02/...pment-academy-and-ecnl-need-to-work-together/
Interesting opinion by Anson Dorrance.
http://equalizersoccer.com/2018/02/...pment-academy-and-ecnl-need-to-work-together/
Good quote --
"Please don’t try and pretend because 70 percent of the players on a youth national team are from the DA, you’re developing them,” he told Soccer America. “You and I both know they ripped these kids off from ECNL teams.”
And who did the ECNL teams rip them off from? ECNL had some good ideas, but being a closed league that gave a monopoly to the guys in track suits was not one of them. Unfortunately, DA followed the same model.
I am not following your analogy. I am pretty certain ECNL was set up to make money as well. ECNL and GDA have more in common than not and should be combined. There should also be a way for good coaches with good teams to earn a spot. Some of the best coaches I know of are not at ECNL or DA clubs. The primary goal of US Soccer should be to increase the popularity of the sport. All the other goals will follow from that.i would think that US Soccer would be above that and actually be trying to improve the state of soccer in America. Clearly US Soccer is a money making organization. What would you think if the US military's primary goal was to make money (sell tech to other countries) other than defending America? They need to stick to the Prime Directive....
I am not following your analogy. I am pretty certain ECNL was set up to make money as well. ECNL and GDA have more in common than not and should be combined. There should also be a way for good coaches with good teams to earn a spot. Some of the best coaches I know of are not at ECNL or DA clubs. The primary goal of US Soccer should be to increase the popularity of the sport. All the other goals will follow from that.
That kind of depends on the geographical locations of the closed league clubs and, of course, the politics involved with choosing which clubs got into the closed league. As it stands, there are either ECNL or DA options for players in more geographic areas. Should they be consolidated? Probably. But who is to do the choosing? The politics of ECNL, and their reluctance to include worthy clubs in order to maintain their ability to poach players from them, created this problem.Does anyone really disagree that if we could go back in time and negotiate the rift between US Soccer and ECNL in that there would only be one league “Closed League” right now that we would collectively be in a better place?
Spot on MAP!!! Look at the difference between the English Football Association mission statement and the closest thing I could find to a mission statement on the US Soccer Federation website -
https://www.ussoccer.com/about/about-us-soccer
http://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/what-we-do/strategy
The "About" US soccer page reads like a press release from a marketing company trying to sell TV rights, with an oh by the way, we are trying to train better coaches. The conflict of interest between MLS/SUM/USSF is so glaring you gotta wear shades!
The Football Assocation page has clearly defined goals, measurable goals, accountability to reach those goals. The English women's team will be better than the US team in 2023. I doubt our US women's team will be top 5 in 2023.
That kind of depends on the geographical locations of the closed league clubs and, of course, the politics involved with choosing which clubs got into the closed league. As it stands, there are either ECNL or DA options for players in more geographic areas. Should they be consolidated? Probably. But who is to do the choosing? The politics of ECNL, and their reluctance to include worthy clubs in order to maintain their ability to poach players from them, created this problem.
That is why it may be a bit ironic to imply that US Soccer GDA poached players from ECNL.
I believe that closed leagues are not good for youth sports.
Not really, that is just your guess. What I know as fact is that Beach teams where my girls have played did win Surf Cup and CRL, competing against the best teams of ECNL clubs. Furthermore one simply needs to see where Legends and Beach teams are in the DA standings now. It is very simple, as recent as a few years ago the ECNL clubs of SoCal did not accept these clubs because they wanted to keep their monopoly, forcing parents like me to drive at least 2 hours every day to go practice. Thank god that is not the case anymore.... If the ECNL clubs had never pulled out those 3 SOCAL clubs would have never won anything. Sorry to share that with you....
Sorry, but that is not entirely true. Carlsbad Elite's 99's beat Surf's 99's every time they played, including at Surf Cup. In the Surf Cup finals, Carlsbad lost to West Coast in PK's. Are you going to try to say those ECNL teams weren't really trying at Surf Cup?The clubs that were neglected by ECNL initially either didn't apply or had no national track record at the time and that is a fact. The Legends, Beaches and Carlsbad Elite's of the world benefited from the ECNL teams no longer competing in USYS events. If the ECNL clubs had never pulled out those 3 SOCAL clubs would have never won anything. Sorry to share that with you....
I believe that profit motives are not good for youth sports.
Not really, that is just your guess. What I know as fact is that Beach teams where my girls have played did win Surf Cup and CRL, competing against the best teams of ECNL clubs. Furthermore one simply needs to see where Legends and Beach teams are in the DA standings now. It is very simple, as recent as a few years ago the ECNL clubs of SoCal did not accept these clubs because they wanted to keep their monopoly, forcing parents like me to drive at least 2 hours every day to go practice. Thank god that is not the case anymore.
Very true.Yes clubs like those and Carlsbad also fought, successfully, to get their girls recruited to top schools, and with some presence on YNTs without the benefit of ECNL, and that is a testament to their coaching and commitment. ECNL should've taken that into account.
They also lost a ton of players, whom they had developed, to those same ECNL clubs. The new crop of players are starting to stay home-- hence the standings.
No knock on anyone here. It's all good. But what's wrong with a little more good competition?