2018-2019 SW ECNL Conference Discussion

shales1002 said:
You were doing okay until the last line. Bitter much ? Heat is not in control of who gets ECNL. Weren’t the Albion folks claiming they had the pathway to DA because they were affiliated with Albion San Diego. The dust is settling now and the olders are not competitive. That’s not to say they don’t have good players. Too players usually go to Heat or LVSA . Albion is 3 on the list. The 06’ group is awesome. The youngers are pretty strong. @BigSoccer Heat’s former ECNL director started Albion. Nice person in my opinion. But keep it real @VegasParent.
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Heat may not be in complete control but having a coach on the ECNL board helps. We’ve seen plenty of comments on this board about how Socal ECNL clubs kept other clubs (Legends) out of ECNL so let’s not pretend that it doesn’t happen. And no I’m not bitter. I’m friends with many parents and coaches at Heat. I’m keeping it real as you said. I left Heat because I didn’t like the direction the 06 team was going and my kid is in a much better spot now. It’s about the coach not the patch. Heat wasn’t always the big dog in Vegas and like vegasguy said it always changes.
 
VegasParent said:
While there is bad blood between the two clubs my last statement was not about Albion only but any Vegas club. Heat being the only ECNL club in town is their ace in hole and they want to keep it that way.
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Remember LVSA had it and lost it. Truly that’s the the only other club in town who could actually be competitive in ECNL. They have more than a few competitive teams.
 
shales1002 said:
Remember LVSA had it and lost it. Truly that’s the the only other club in town who could actually be competitive in ECNL. They have more than a few competitive teams.
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How did they lose it? They seem to have some pretty good teams. Did they walk away or were they forced out?
 
VegasParent said:
Heat may not be in complete control but having a coach on the ECNL board helps. We’ve seen plenty of comments on this board about how Socal ECNL clubs kept other clubs (Legends) out of ECNL so let’s not pretend that it doesn’t happen. And no I’m not bitter. I’m friends with many parents and coaches at Heat. I’m keeping it real as you said. I left Heat because I didn’t like the direction the 06 team was going and my kid is in a much better spot now. It’s about the coach not the patch. Heat wasn’t always the big dog in Vegas and like vegasguy said it always changes.
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The board position came about only this season. I believe a SoCal club held it until this last season. Glad your kid is in a better spot as the 06 team is NICE. However, the coach on that team has quite the reputation. I’m sure some would say he’s passionate but I’ll go with built up anger. Either you love him or hate him. The other half is very likable.
 
shales1002 said:
Remember LVSA had it and lost it. Truly that’s the the only other club in town who could actually be competitive in ECNL. They have more than a few competitive teams.
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They have 2 competitive teams, the 04 and 03 teams. I’m not advocating that Albion is ready to compete in all ages in ECNL but are heading in the right direction and since a lot of parents (not saying you) are chasing the patch, any club in Vegas getting ECNL could draw some talent.
 
shales1002 said:
The board position came about only this season. I believe a SoCal club held it until this last season. Glad your kid is in a better spot as the 06 team is NICE. However, the coach on that team has quite the reputation. I’m sure some would say he’s passionate but I’ll go with built up anger. Either you love him or hate him. The other half is very likable.
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Yes he does have a rep but the same could be said about your coach. The word I would use is not very nice so I won’t type it. What I will say about the Albion coach is that he is a fantastic trainer and he gets the most out of his players. I agree that he needs to tone it down some on the sidelines but he is passionate about the game. And I’ve said before on here that I believe your kid is an absolute phenom and would be scouted no matter where she played. I hear the Albion 03 team needs a keeper.
 
VegasParent said:
They have 2 competitive teams, the 04 and 03 teams. I’m not advocating that Albion is ready to compete in all ages in ECNL but are heading in the right direction and since a lot of parents (not saying you) are chasing the patch, any club in Vegas getting ECNL could draw some talent.
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I was thinking LVSA boys side too. Parents like to chase the patch regardless. But do you honestly think we have the population to accommodate? Exhibit A ... Arizona. Sorry friends in Arizona but 4 elite clubs... that’s going to be rough.
 
shales1002 said:
I was thinking LVSA boys side too. Parents like to chase the patch regardless. But do you honestly think we have the population to accommodate? Exhibit A ... Arizona. Sorry friends in Arizona but 4 elite clubs... that’s going to be rough.
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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.
 
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.
 
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