2018-2019 SW ECNL Conference Discussion

LVSA has the boys side for sure at the 03s. Again at regional finals. Their 02s and 01s are solid and then 00's dominance moves to Downtown (used to be Heat players). Heat is the deepest though on the boys. 04 National Runners up moved to ECNL. State 04s took second I believe. 03s were state runners up 17 NPL runners up to LVSA 03 went to ECNL/NPL Regional Final event this year. 03 State second in state this year and President Cup National Finalists. 02s were state champs last year now ECNL and went to ECNL/NPL Regional Finals. 02 State Team this years runners up and President Cup National Finalist. Girls 05s first and second in State Cup. 02's State team were State Cup winners.

Albion is coming up fast and I am sure they grew in team volume we will see how in translates depth wise. Again a city our size is a shallow pool so we deal with change every year as players move around to be on the perceived #1. But we all don't play each other so it is often a perception.
 
Desert Hound said:
In theory it is 6 "elite" clubs. 2 da, 2 ecnl, and 2 dpl. And no we don't have enough players for those types of teams. Both the ecnl and dpl teams are teams I think will struggle.

For AZ I toss DPL in the "elite" boat. Like ECNL they get to play So Cal teams vs playing AZ competition. So definitely a step up. Further there are some very good So Cal DPL teams.

Long story short that is why I say from an AZ perspective in theory we have 6 "elite" clubs.
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I am sorry but Not one DPL team is elite.
 
We've moved on from club so I'm not too caught up with all of the movement and developments in the Vegas scene, but based off of our experience in the past and what my DD still says, we don't think there is enough of a player pool to have more than one ECNL club in the valley. It is insane how many clubs have popped up in the past two seasons alone. We simply do not have enough kids to field multiple competitive teams, especially for the cost right now.

Now, if club soccer wasn't so expensive, I know for a fact the Vegas talent pool would grow dramatically. I know of a few kids that never would have gotten the opportunities they had because club was so expensive, but luckily local coaches/families recognized their talent and alleviated some fees. Hell, I believe Nevada as a whole is just now starting to jump on the train of making ODP closer to "free-to-play". Nevertheless, I guess that is more of a nationwide issue than just a Vegas issue. But until it is resolved, I cannot see the point of having multiple ECNL clubs in the current soccer climate in Vegas.

Too bad all the clubs can't be buddy-buddy and work together to create a single club with an academy-like system that focuses on the development of all the kids from a young age. Pigs would fly before that ever happens anywhere, though! :D
 
Desert Hound said:
I really don't see elite teams by and large in the SW ECNL. Now certain age groups have some very good teams. Just saying overall and in my DD age group no.
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Honestly most club players are rec players but that is another conversation. When ODP mattered few states could field a decent team of 11 let alone enough for an entire roster. If you want to really go there you can distill the entire Southwest conference in ECNL, GDA and any other league to about 24-40 elite players across the entire age group and maybe 3-4 unicorns that will actually be impact players at the highest levels of college and that may be pro players.

But that is only if we are being honest.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
I agree. Non of the DA or ECNL teams get properly rated in any of the rating sites.
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6 years ago when my player was a U14 player ECNL started a U14 division and most of the best players were no longer playing National Cup and non ECNL tournaments other than Surf Cup and Players Showcase in Vegas. Those teams didn’t get all of the tournament rankings points so they threw off the rankings. It didn’t matter though as it was clear on the field which teams were better. At the end of the day who really cares about the rankings as only 3 things really matter from club past ULittles.

1. Is your player getting better?

2. Is your player getting exposure if it is THEIR goal to play at the next level.

3. Are they having fun? (That’s the only way they will make it through the distractions along the way ).

Good luck to you and your player.
 
MakeAPlay said:
6 years ago when my player was a U14 player ECNL started a U14 division and most of the best players were no longer playing National Cup and non ECNL tournaments other than Surf Cup and Players Showcase in Vegas. Those teams didn’t get all of the tournament rankings points so they threw off the rankings.
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YSR is based on head to head play, not tournament ranking points. Its algorithm is better than an RPI in my view (and as you know I've spent a lot of time studying soccer RPIs). Enough fully-staffed ECNL teams play against non-ECNL competition (at Surf and Players) that the algorithm should be reasonably accurate on the national level. The only issue, as @Simisoccerfan points out, is the DA teams because they haven't (until next week apparently) been playing non-DA teams. Even taking that into account, I would guess that a top 28 team in YSR could be one of the top 40 teams in the US. With millions of kids playing in youth soccer leagues every year I consider that an elite level. But I understand your definition of elite (teams full of players who will make an impact in college and beyond) may be different than mine. In any event, the vast majority of DPL teams wouldn't satisfy even my definition of elite. That Beach team is the stand out.
 
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The 2018-2019 season is almost upon us. The ECNL SW conference season, it seems with the addition of some good to great clubs and roster rebuilds for several teams, that SoCal will be back on track in ALL age groups to seek a national championship trophy.

Blues and Slammers earned ECNL national championships in 3 age groups while others more so ended up "pretenders not contenders" --- Some questions going into the season:

• Will Blues Baker continue their dominant run?
• Will LAFC dominate like they did in GDA?
• Will FC Heat U15 prove to be a legit contender?
• Will LA Breakers make their presence known in a big way if the rumors of GDA defections to their rosters proves true?

IMHO here's my take on the top four teams in each age group listed in order of predicted finish:

U15
Blues
LAFC
Slammers
Heat

U16
Slammers
LAFC
Strikers
Arsenal

U17
LAFC
Blues
Slammers
Strikers

U18
Blues
Slammers
LAFC
Arsenal

Just my take but it's always fun to prognosticate LOL
 
SocalPapa said:
LAFC's U17's above Blues? A bold prediction. Did LAFC get more of Blues' players or something? Their 16/17 DA team was good this season but a lot of those girls will be playing U18 ECNL, right?
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I'd be hard pressed to pick many U18 teams over BluesU17s. They are that good.
 
GoWest said:
The 2018-2019 season is almost upon us. The ECNL SW conference season, it seems with the addition of some good to great clubs and roster rebuilds for several teams, that SoCal will be back on track in ALL age groups to seek a national championship trophy.

Blues and Slammers earned ECNL national championships in 3 age groups while others more so ended up "pretenders not contenders" --- Some questions going into the season:

• Will Blues Baker continue their dominant run?
• Will LAFC dominate like they did in GDA?
• Will FC Heat U15 prove to be a legit contender?
• Will LA Breakers make their presence known in a big way if the rumors of GDA defections to their rosters proves true?

IMHO here's my take on the top four teams in each age group listed in order of predicted finish:

U15
Blues
LAFC
Slammers
Heat

U16
Slammers
LAFC
Strikers
Arsenal

U17
LAFC
Blues
Slammers
Strikers

U18
Blues
Slammers
LAFC
Arsenal

Just my take but it's always fun to prognosticate LOL
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U17 Strikers?
 
SocalPapa said:
LAFC's U17's above Blues? A bold prediction. Did LAFC get more of Blues' players or something? Their 16/17 DA team was good this season but a lot of those girls will be playing U18 ECNL, right?
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Mystery Train said:
I'd be hard pressed to pick many U18 teams over BluesU17s. They are that good.
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Agree with both they are a fantastic team. This is just my guess. I have not seen any rosters but we 'hear things' about potential roster changes, age grouping spits, etc. Maybe LAFC over Blues is a stretch....
 
GoWest said:
...IMHO here's my take on the top four teams in each age group listed in order of predicted finish:

U18
Blues
Slammers
LAFC
Arsenal

Just my take but it's always fun to prognosticate LOL
Click to expand...
My sleeper pick for this group would be Strikers. They looked good at Surf Cup and definitely added some talent. Made it to the finals in Super Black but lost to a very good Davis Legacy team that lost to Blues in the ECNL U17 finals. Arsenal also added a couple new girls to the roster that played well for them. I don't see the winner of this group going undefeated but knocking Blues out of the top spot will be tough. It's going to be a battle to earn the second automatic qualifying spot and fun to watch.
 
Sheriff Joe said:
U17 Strikers?
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Another guess but they had a pretty good U16 season earning Champ League position. Maybe they can replicate last season? My guess is they will. Again, I haven't seen any rosters but with all the roster movement rumors, it's nothing more than a guess.
 
GoWest said:
Another guess but they had a pretty good U16 season earning Champ League position. Maybe they can replicate last season? My guess is they will. Again, I haven't seen any rosters but with all the roster movement rumors, it's nothing more than a guess.
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Teri is the coach?
They had been at the bottom not that long ago if it is the same team.
 
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