Sokrplayer75
SILVER ELITE
When you say next year, is that 22-23 season or 23-34 season?
ECNL Expansion In Socal SW Division
- Thread starter Royal26
- Start date
Great question. I was told the same thing last year that Strikers were out of ECNL and this ((last season)) year was it and no more ECNL and connections. But here we are, still playing. I'm so confused. I feel bad for coaches, players and parents who are trying to play in ECNL and stuck in the middle. I was told back in 2016 that Blues played Kickball, had only kickball coaches and will not get invited to the GDA and will be ECNL only. I will see what I can find out and get back to you.
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Sokrplayer75
SILVER ELITE
I
Guess a rumor, is just that....a rumor. I assume they would of already announced it if it was for 22/23 season. Especially since ECNL already announced clubs that were added for the 22/23 season.
It sucks if you follow a coach who is also chasing the ECNL or the highest letter league at the time, just like the parents and the player. Do they have a "clubs that have been dropped for the 2022/2023 season?
Sokrplayer75
SILVER ELITE
I dont think so, but not 100% sure.
We all know what May means around here. It's nice not to worry about next season as a customer. Rumor mill and poaching all go together will hit the waiver wire soon and the rumors will be flying all over about next season. Having the right bait on the hook is super important during Spring time as well.
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
I wouldn’t be surprised if they kick out strikers girls from ECNL. To my understanding, people in power are still mad when strikers boys went to mls next.
Bottom line there’s too many ECNL teams already in south oc. I told some of the strikers coaches to find a new market and not be the 4th option in south oc. I would bet 20% of the ECNL players come from north oc, Long Beach, and other cities far from the great park region.
Bottom line there’s too many ECNL teams already in south oc. I told some of the strikers coaches to find a new market and not be the 4th option in south oc. I would bet 20% of the ECNL players come from north oc, Long Beach, and other cities far from the great park region.
Ahh... Lovin the drama + welcome to the world of regulation. (If the rumor is true )
The problem for ECNL is if Strikers feel like they're going to get booted from the club, they'll go to GA before ECNL has a chance to make the announcement. Sounds like they're 1/2 way there with MLS Next on thr boys side.
Booting the sucky teams might seem like a good idea but good teams need bad teams to look good. If theres no bad teams it will become an arms race for all the top teams.
What makes you think good teams need to play weak teams at all? 99% of the time, it works out just like you expect.
It’s a waste of time for all kids involved, and demoralizing for kid on the down side.
The biggest problem with ECNL is the flying all over the place to play second rate teams. At some point, you have to ask why the league wants parents to spend a thousand dollars per kid on travel, just to prove that a top team can wipe the walls with the 378th best team in the nation.
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
We will get to a point where there will be a league to develop girls to play pro. The women’s game is growing fast especially in Europe. 92,000 fans watched Barca play Real Madrid last month. Trinity Rodman played 1 year in college and now singed a massive contract. We still have ways to go but eventually it can happen.
NWSL will start developing their academies or linking up with some of the local youth clubs.
The whole college-scholarship value proposition from ECNL is a joke. Dad4 is correct, the amount of money spent traveling over the years plus fees doesn’t really make sense unless you get 75% to 100% scholarship.
TR went pro out of high school, no? I was sold pro when my dd was 12, 100%. Meaning, she was asked if she too would like to go full time home school and full time soccer. I even came on here to ask some questions about girls going pro and I got hammered and laughed at for saying my dd was sold pro. She was sold fully funded by all the top clubs in socal and so much more. The GDA thought high school soccer was horrible and college soccer was kickball and dangerous and no passing league and not pretty soccer and that the world was watching and something had to be done. That's when the crazy travel ball started. I'm telling you that the rich parents were all over this league. Dad's bought clubs and dads got BOD positions. 25% of the games your kid is guaranteed to start and a chance to make the YNT Lsit so they can go to Big U and you as parent can brag on Insta and FB. These were starts btw, not just a few minutes of play time. Oh what money can buy....lol! Elon just bought a seat at the table so we know how this sport is played. The great OM went Pro before TR too so look at the future and the best will go pro and skip the brutal life of a top college soccer player. Like the great Maps said, only the true Unicorns can handle the college girls soccer life at Big U. You need to have the best GPA, best SAT, volunteers 10 hours week helping others, do all your homework, train 5 days a week to be the best of the best player, eat super perfect and don't gain weight, no real parties and no boyfriend. BTW, I blushed when the Doc and top new coaches told me about the future for my 12 year old if she would go full time and move to great Northwest and live with the Pros and train with them.
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this short little video is applicable jumping from youth to college , college to pro
Keepermom2
GOLD
In the club soccer world where nothing is consistent, the opinion of DS & CS has been consistent as long as we have been in the club soccer world (5 years).
Letsplaysoccer
BRONZE
From my understanding it was already announced that Pat’s would gain an ECNL spot for next season. Both ECNL and Pat’s posted about it not too long ago. Question is with them coming in... and the rumors roaming about Strikers being out...when will that announcement take place? ECNL has done a bad job demographically with balancing teams throughout SoCal... they’ve got Slammers, HB Koge (only program who continues to have 2 teams at the ECNL level) Blues, Strikers, (if they even keep they’re spot...rumor is the are now out) and now Pat’s all out of OC Great Park. I have to imagine Pat’s gained a spot in ECNL because of the strength on the boys side..not the girls.. They had a decent group but moved them to Arsenal when David Baille left and took players with him... lots of movement AGAIN with ECNL- should be interesting to see how all this plays out.
It's hard to keep up. The Strikers were the Laguna Hills Eclipse on the girls side back in the day and had a top girls program, just like West Coast. Strikers and Pats were big time on the boys side and had a few ok teams on the girls side. Eclipse did a deal with Strikers and AR killed it. I can go on and on. This is way to big for me to understand. I will say this and this is just some moo from me. I believe the PRO game will be what it;s all about and not college. ECNL is all in for college and that won;t work in the future. ECNL was for girls only but because of what the GDA did to them, they had to change like all companies have to who are about to be squashed like a little bug. Good luck to all the girls right now and their parents. The back and forth is insane.
I tend to agree with you. The reason MLS Next is competing with ECNL on the boys side is because it's specifically focused on developing pro players.
The problem with developing players for college is that unless you get a full ride scholarship (most don't) players have spent 10+ years getting better at soccer for 30k or so per year. (if you cost out the scholarship value) For true top level talent you might as well go for being pro just to see if you can make it vs 30k in scholarship $$$. If you have good grades you'll be able to get into colleges when you're 20-22.
For boys the decision is much more clear.
This was the GDA plan, moo. I was sold this but I think at the end of the day it was always going to be a college sell. I know people make fun of me and I'm ok with that. The truth is the truth. Girls don;t need to make millions of dollars to be happy. They just want to be treated fair and with honesty. The men saw a way to make a few bucks and that sucks. We need a very clear path for all the top players who are the tops on the field, not the classroom. For men, it's how good of a soccer player you are and for the girls its how smart you are ((GPA+SAT))+ super great kid and does what she is told and does not ask any questions or have any opinions and also plays really good soccer. It's like the girls have to score high in three categories. This has been my #1 complaint on the girls side. The objection I get is always, "Their is no money in pro girls soccer and a college education is worth way more in the long run." Something like that and most fathers do not want their kid playing over seas in front of 90,000 fans. No, daddy wants to watch on the SEC Network....lol. That is satire and just for laughs. Honestly, in other parts of Euro the top players at around 14 or 15 are told, "Yes, you have Pro written all over you, Go Pro
Please join our academy and we will train you and then sell you or just help you because. They also have a good respect about loaning and selling players to each other because they have 4 top levels to reach. The top level is very difficult to make and only those who got it will be able to hang.Letsplaysoccer
BRONZE
There have been a ton of changes since the Strikers were Laguna Hills Eclipse. That seems like decades ago. And clubs and programs have certainly evolved. Additionally, Pro vs college doesn’t seem to be a question. ECNL has done a great job of getting girls into colleges playing at an NCAA level and I don’t see that going away. Most who go pro come from playing at the college level- very few go from playing pro out of high school. So that seems to be a null and void... I don’t see girls not going to college and opting to play Pro. Just not feasible nor realistic. Besides there are plenty of players wanting to play at the college level... most need something to fall back on and that’s why the platform of ECNL and collegiate play will stick around. ECNL also saw the opportunity to add in boys and expand the program when DA was ended.. MLS jumped in along with Academy seems to be some decent options on the boys side unlike the girls. What’s interesting is why the elimination of Strikers when currently the Southwest Region has an unbalanced number of teams? If ECNL is eliminating them because there’s too many clubs out of OC why add in another OC club? If the talent is in Orange County... than that’s where the teams should be. Appears these clubs don’t have a problem filling a roster or competing at that level. Just seems weird to eliminate an OC team to only add another OC team in. And now the disruption and movement of teams begin... if in fact Strikers is no longer ECNL. All these girls and boys at that level will need to find a home!
That was the past and old school, moo
I also think the girls should get most of the credit for getting into college. Mark my words and I said it here first. The Pro game will be the holy grail for all the top top players and not go to college for four years and then go Pro at 22. To each his own is my motto.Letsplaysoccer
BRONZE
I don’t know, I can see this on the boys side but not necessarily the girls.. who knows though.. I don’t follow boys soccer as much as I do girls, but that’s just because I have girls at this level.That was the past and old school, moo