Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
I am still waiting on that convincing argument on why SCDSL was necessary for the purposes of development or competition!
DA...ECNL...where?
- Thread starter Desert Hound
- Start date
I am still waiting on that convincing argument on why SCDSL was necessary for the purposes of development or competition!
I agree Champions has some weak teams this season. My point is that the best Champions teams and best DPL teams (the ones that would be "particularly competitive" in Champions) should be playing each other and not separated/forced to play weaker league opponents for half their games.
As for that San Diego team, I've commented on them before. They are a uniquely talented '03 team playing up. They won the Super Black division of Surf Cup this summer without conceding a single goal, beating several ECNL teams along the way. They really should be in ECNL or DA but their club isn't strong enough overall to participate in either.
You may find this Goal Nation article from when SCDSL was founded to be of interest. http://goalnation.com/southern-california-developmental-soccer-league-update/ The focus was indeed development and technical training, particularly at the U8-U12 level. The main issue with Coast Soccer League was that it required teams to win to advance to higher competitive levels, but the SCDSL structure allows clubs to focus on player development and simply place players/teams at the appropriate competitive level irrespective of their team's results the prior season. The founders also emphasize in the article how SCDSL is an open league. DPL, as a closed league with only older-aged teams (that have immediately tried to claim a competitive superiority), is a pretty different animal.
Which is a shame really. It takes a bit of luck, some work and a special team/coach to keep a core like that together I'd have to think, when you have two (as of this year) ECNL clubs in town and now two DA clubs. I can't help but wonder how any club that aspires to participate in the higher level leagues can manage to break the cycle. I have u-Littles though so I really don't know anything about this stuff, but I like to follow along and try to learn what I can.
Anyhoo, that team's answer to find competition beyond playing up in SCDSL was the US Youth Soccer National League. https://www.soccernation.com/san-diego-soccer-clubs-g2003/
Mystery Train
GOLD
I think it's a great example of how chemistry can elevate a team's performance. Not that they aren't amazing individual athletes as well I'm sure, but I guarantee that the years of playing together is paying off big time. I wish more teams were able to do that. I see a lot of disjointed play in the older levels due to all the shake-ups and changes over the past few years like DA shuffle this season and the age-group change last year. @SocalPapa : Do you know if that team is all '03 top to bottom, or are they mostly 03's with some 02's sprinkled in for league play?
All '03 top to bottom. I haven't seen them play yet, but their stats do seem to confirm excellent team chemistry. 20 goals in 6 games scored by at least 6 different players. And at least 6 different players with assists.
SCDSL was not necessary. It was created as means for clubs to line their pockets because CSL limited the number of teams a club could have in each age group and gave the clubs control. Hum sounds familiar to DPL.
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
I finally agree with you on something! Please don't buy into the multi year propaganda that SCDSL's formation was all about development as Socal Papa references above. I find it hypocritical here when SCDSL parents are so critical of DPL when SCDSL was founded on similar motivations.
MakeAPlay
DA
SCDSL's foundation was made necessary by Gary Sparks (God rest his soul) not wanting to allow the ECNL teams to count their ECNL games as Premier games. In addition, the ECNL teams wanted their top teams to have guaranteed placement in the Premier bracket (an invitation only bracket). Sparks refused that and an ECNL compromise that was offered that would not have the ECNL clubs' top teams play in Premier. This was unacceptable to Mr. Sparks (because how could you say CSL Premier is the top league in the country if the top teams in SoCal didn't play in it) and he told the ECNL teams that all of the clubs' teams would be barred from competing if the top teams did not play. That was his major miscalculation. The ECNL clubs formed a league for their other teams and most of the top clubs came along for two reasons. #1 they wanted to have the ability to play against the clubs that were consistently the strongest in the region. #2 (a happy side effect) they no longer had the CSL restriction of 3 teams per age group. Reason #2 (the side effect) had the unfortunate consequence that anyone that could afford to write a check could get their kid on a brand named club (thus watering down said brand and the overall competition level in SoCal).
This all was a series of unfortunate events that unfolded over the course of my player's club career. Prior to the breakdown all the best teams in SoCal (on the girls side) other than Surf and Carlsbad Lightning (and to a lesser extent PQ Premier) played in CSL. Surf would have played their too but they were banned for some political reason.
Those are the facts....
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
I agree with you MAP. SCDSL was not formed to create a better developmental environment for players. It was over a turf war. I also understand (not sure if this is an urban legend or not) that around that time a bunch of European clubs wanted to set up academies that would have been free for players in SoCal but the big clubs squeezed them out of the market by preventing them from participating in the local leagues.
MakeAPlay
DA
I don't know about the European academy thing but it certainly would not surprise me. I wish that it was formed for development but I can't honestly say that. My kid was developed by her coaches, her parents and playing in the ECNL, ODP, YNT and not the SCDSL. I think that she only played in 3 or 4 SCDSL games. All were critical parts of her development but the biggest part was her desire to improve and play at the highest level. Without the kid's own desire being the driving force, nothing will develop a player.
Based on @MakeAPlay's description, it sounds like CSL wouldn't accommodate clubs who chose to have teams participate in ECNL. That's not so much a turf war (a two-way battle) as it was CSL forcing these clubs to leave CSL if they wanted to give their players the opportunity to participate in this new, unique national league. The new local league they formed was an open league, so the league's top teams (whether from ECNL clubs or not) were able to play each other.
That's not quite parallel with DPL. The SW DA-only clubs could have had all their non-DA teams continue to play in SCDSL (or CSL) if they wanted. Instead those ten clubs unilaterally chose to form a local league closed to all but their own teams. The consequence is weakened top brackets in both CSL and SCDSL as well as weakened league competition for the players on the better DPL teams. Whereas the ECNL clubs seem to have formed SCDSL in order to allow their top players to gain access to a unique level of competition, DPL seems to have been formed irrespective of the competitive impact.
My daughter is not YNT level like @MakeAPlay's. If your objective is similar to mine, we both want our players to get high quality training and to have consistent competition against well-trained like-quality opponents. Whether our daughters choose to play in DPL, SCDSL or CSL, it seems we are farther away from that objective than we were a year ago. That's a big part of why I'm so critical of DPL.
shortBUTslow
BRONZE
And just to color some further background and irony...
RSC led the SCDSL charge (look at who was the original president and current VP).. As the card carrying club of the 'we love ECNL' society.. were more than happy to extend a middle finger to CSL in how they recruited the smaller clubs to join in those first 2 years. It is true that Sparks blew it, but he deserves credit for the original structure that gave us CSL Premier - which, given the current landscape, should be remembered with great nostalgia, and maybe a bit of reverence.
In any case, fast forward to last year when the girls DA clubs were being announced. Lo and behold RSC was left out of the initial announcements. I can only image the panic behind the scene, as RSC lobbied its way into the girls DA, only to be dropped 5 mins later by the ECNL like a bad habit. Business is business, and no one will care in the long run - but the idea that the big clubs are loyal to anything other than the bottom line is hopelessly misplaced.
What exists now is a mess.... (and considerably less fun). The good news is the SoCal soccer landscape is a lot like the weather in Dallas. It is ok if you don't like it, because it is guaranteed to change.