ECNL Playoffs

ginga said:
No need to live stream, college coaches are in Florida. There’s no substitute for live action. They follow the talent when it’s worth the trip.
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Live stream is likely not going away. Coaches who can go will go, coaches who can't go will watch. Parents and extended family members also benefit from livestream. It's a simple tool, one that many like. I have no idea what the cost is. It's somewhat reliable technology, has been around for some time. I'm sure weather would impact it.

No argument that live is best, but live stream is good. To completely disregard it is not taking into account the pros of it. I don't see a con. Live stream is not going to deter a coach from coming.
 
Vista 21 said:
Congrats to Blues and LAFC Slammers making the final 4! Youth Soccer ranking is remarkably accurate in predicting this age group. Great to see 2 of the 4 teams from the So Cal/SW region.
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Mostly really tight quarterfinal games...
Slammers over Surf in Pks.
Jacksonville over Indiana Fire in Pks.
Blues scored the winning goal vs. Michigan Hawks with basically the last kick of the game.
Solar won 7-0 (!) over MVLA.

Kudos to both Socal semifinal teams (and Surf, too) for representing well!

LAFC Slammers also made the semifinals in the U13 division (as did Solar, Eclipse, and San Juan).
 
Calikid said:
And it was a very well run event. Extremely well organized and all of the staff were available and willing to help!
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They rolled the dice. GA needs a few home runs (grand slams) to catch up to ECNL, and even that will not be enough. But I like their fight.
 
Swoosh said:
They rolled the dice. GA needs a few home runs (grand slams) to catch up to ECNL, and even that will not be enough. But I like their fight.
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Do you think they need to catch up? Why not just be a really good and viable alternative? Looks like parents are making this about competition. Both leagues will get their share. The winners are the players and coaches. Players get another platform that has street cred due to the people running it. Coaches get access to more players. It was obvious that coaches showed up in large numbers to both showcases. Win win for girls soccer.

The GA doesn't need to hit grand slams. They need to be consistent with their product. It's early for them but they've been consistent. I'm sure there are others but I have players in both leagues. There is a different feel about the GA VS ECNL. ECNL certainly knows how to put on an event, they've been doing it for a long time. Their model is efficient. The GA is seeing what works for them and is trying to avoid being seen as a business monster. As they grow that may become more difficult. The talent gap in certain regions may shrink, maybe they won't, time will tell. Who knows. I hope the GA survives. There are many who don't. Another league that platform our DDs and supports their desire to play at the next level is not a bad thing.
 
what-happened said:
Do you think they need to catch up? Why not just be a really good and viable alternative? Looks like parents are making this about competition. Both leagues will get their share. The winners are the players and coaches. Players get another platform that has street cred due to the people running it. Coaches get access to more players. It was obvious that coaches showed up in large numbers to both showcases. Win win for girls soccer.

The GA doesn't need to hit grand slams. They need to be consistent with their product. It's early for them but they've been consistent. I'm sure there are others but I have players in both leagues. There is a different feel about the GA VS ECNL. ECNL certainly knows how to put on an event, they've been doing it for a long time. Their model is efficient. The GA is seeing what works for them and is trying to avoid being seen as a business monster. As they grow that may become more difficult. The talent gap in certain regions may shrink, maybe they won't, time will tell. Who knows. I hope the GA survives. There are many who don't. Another league that platform our DDs and supports their desire to play at the next level is not a bad thing.
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This all sounds good from a coaches perspective because GA provides more employment opportunities. I get it.

But, as a parent I’m concerned that having both ECNL and GA dilutes the elite youth platform and hinders development essentially turning both leagues into very expensive recreational leagues.

How is having two elite youth leagues in the best interest of the players when there aren’t many truly elite players? A diluted elite league is just a fancy way of saying rec league. Once again, I think parents are getting hoodwinked and bamboozled and paying top dollar for it.

In terms of consistency, it seems both leagues are consistently diluted and have the ability to sway college coaches to watch players who have had their development hindered by dilution.

At this juncture, I think AYSO could compete with ECNL and GA if they had college showcases to help players transition to college; what do you think?
 
MacDre said:
This all sounds good from a coaches perspective because GA provides more employment opportunities. I get it.

But, as a parent I’m concerned that having both ECNL and GA dilutes the elite youth platform and hinders development essentially turning both leagues into very expensive recreational leagues.

How is having two elite youth leagues in the best interest of the players when there aren’t many truly elite players? A diluted elite league is just a fancy way of saying rec league. Once again, I think parents are getting hoodwinked and bamboozled and paying top dollar for it.

In terms of consistency, it seems both leagues are consistently diluted and have the ability to sway college coaches to watch players who have had their development hindered by dilution.

At this juncture, I think AYSO could compete with ECNL and GA if they had college showcases to help players transition to college; what do you think?
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All this would be solved by relegation and a tiered system. ECNL does not allow that. If you are in, it doesn't matter if your team sucks and has sucked for years you were granted your franchise and barring some real bone head move will be there forever. Being as there are non ECNL clubs that have talent that is better than ECNL clubs it gives rise to other leagues. To completely unify the elite programs in the country relegation is needed and we will never have concentration of talent without it.
 
Legends got caught up on a technicality.

Stop being a child.
[/QUOTE]
That’s a stupid rule if they do allow college players to come down and play. The purpose of ECNL should be to give a path to players to get recruited by college scouts. Why would you bring a college player to this event? What does that tell the rest of the players that are trying (last chance) to get into college playing soccer?
This “rule” just validates that this is a scam! Parents invest so much time and money to see the coach bring a college player to take away a chance for the other players to be on the spotlight.
 
SoccerFan4Life said:
That’s a stupid rule if they do allow college players to come down and play. The purpose of ECNL should be to give a path to players to get recruited by college scouts. Why would you bring a college player to this event? What does that tell the rest of the players that are trying (last chance) to get into college playing soccer?
This “rule” just validates that this is a scam! Parents invest so much time and money to see the coach bring a college player to take away a chance for the other players to be on the spotlight.
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I looked. There is no mention of college in ECNL's founding documents.
 
SoccerFan4Life said:
Legends got caught up on a technicality.

Stop being a child.
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Why would you bring a college player to this event? What does that tell the rest of the players that are trying (last chance) to get into college playing soccer?
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I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
 
MacDre said:
This all sounds good from a coaches perspective because GA provides more employment opportunities. I get it.

But, as a parent I’m concerned that having both ECNL and GA dilutes the elite youth platform and hinders development essentially turning both leagues into very expensive recreational leagues.

How is having two elite youth leagues in the best interest of the players when there aren’t many truly elite players? A diluted elite league is just a fancy way of saying rec league. Once again, I think parents are getting hoodwinked and bamboozled and paying top dollar for it.

In terms of consistency, it seems both leagues are consistently diluted and have the ability to sway college coaches to watch players who have had their development hindered by dilution.

At this juncture, I think AYSO could compete with ECNL and GA if they had college showcases to help players transition to college; what do you think?
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What makes you think the top clubs would all be in ECNL if GA didn’t exist?

We ran that experiment. Without a second league, ECNL restricts membership in an effort to gain a competitive advantage in local markets. You end up with top clubs outside ECNL because the other top club in their area doesn’t want them in.
 
MacDre said:
I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
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My son's best opportunity for development was playing three years in an under-20 league (USL Super-20) composed of a mix of high school and college players. His final season there ended the week before Captain's Camp preceding his Freshman year at college. He was fit and ready for that level of play.
 
dad4 said:
What makes you think the top clubs would all be in ECNL if GA didn’t exist?

We ran that experiment. Without a second league, ECNL restricts membership in an effort to gain a competitive advantage in local markets. You end up with top clubs outside ECNL because the other top club in their area doesn’t want them in.
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If USYSA had half a brain, they would have constructed a system with multiple levels above the local club scene. The ODP state/regional/national structure was their best effort, but that was all part-time with most players spending more time with their club coaches, more or less guaranteeing inconsistent training. Development Academy was a half-hearted attempt with the weakness (other than the obvious lack of funding) was to leave the local clubs in charge. ECNL is just another gap-filler.
 
espola said:
My son's best opportunity for development was playing three years in an under-20 league (USL Super-20) composed of a mix of high school and college players. His final season there ended the week before Captain's Camp preceding his Freshman year at college. He was fit and ready for that level of play.
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I’m excited about the upcoming USL W league. I’m encouraged. Thanks for sharing!:)
 
MacDre said:
Why would you bring a college player to this event? What does that tell the rest of the players that are trying (last chance) to get into college playing soccer?
Click to expand...
I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
[/QUOTE]
The benefits that you outline are for the college coach
MacDre said:
Why would you bring a college player to this event? What does that tell the rest of the players that are trying (last chance) to get into college playing soccer?
Click to expand...
I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
[/QUOTE]

If I am a parent paying $2k in travel fees to watch my dd in the bench while some glorified college player is in the field? I have my answers that I don’t belong in that team and that it’s a scam. Thankfully my little girl is focused on school first and soccer second. This ECRL thing is a scam and needs to go away. Keep ECNL but get rid of this scam called ECRL.
 
SoccerFan4Life said:
I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
Click to expand...
The benefits that you outline are for the college coach

I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
[/QUOTE]

If I am a parent paying $2k in travel fees to watch my dd in the bench while some glorified college player is in the field? I have my answers that I don’t belong in that team and that it’s a scam. Thankfully my little girl is focused on school first and soccer second. This ECRL thing is a scam and needs to go away. Keep ECNL but get rid of this scam called ECRL.
[/QUOTE]

Does anyone have more color on the Legends issue? How many players were on their bench all week? How many college players did they have playing?
It would suck to spend a week at a travel tournament to get hosed out of playing time because a former player is home from college for the summer. But I haven't seen any details to indicate that was the issue.

Maybe this player was already planning to be in Tampa for the week and said "hey coach - If you need a player, I'm in town that same week. Let me know if I can play"
 
SoccerFan4Life said:
I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
Click to expand...
The benefits that you outline are for the college coach

I think having college players participate is good because it allows the scouts to compare and contrast the HS player with college players in a real game.

I think it tells the rest of the players that if they can’t compete with a college player in a youth tournament, that they probably aren’t going to compete for a starting position on a college team.
[/QUOTE]

If I am a parent paying $2k in travel fees to watch my dd in the bench while some glorified college player is in the field? I have my answers that I don’t belong in that team and that it’s a scam. Thankfully my little girl is focused on school first and soccer second. This ECRL thing is a scam and needs to go away. Keep ECNL but get rid of this scam called ECRL.
[/QUOTE]
That’s not good. If I were running a youth organization, I’d be scared someone would go “postal” for those type of shenanigans.
 
The GDA proved that you can have two "elite" leagues that college coaches will pay attention to. Is their dilution - sure. At the same time there is also expanded opportunity. ECNL by nature (elite leagues by nature) exclude players. The quest for a truly elite league is an uphill battle as long as money and parents are going to be involved.

Now, if AYSO keeps $$$ low, attracts professional coaches, and can organize a national league with playoffs, I'd be on board. We have a gazillion leagues now. It's the nature of the beast.
 
Is there a way to see group standings and tiebreaker info for the Carolina Nationals? All I can find is schedule and results.
 
dad4 said:
What makes you think the top clubs would all be in ECNL if GA didn’t exist?

We ran that experiment. Without a second league, ECNL restricts membership in an effort to gain a competitive advantage in local markets. You end up with top clubs outside ECNL because the other top club in their area doesn’t want them in.
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Hopefully this fall in NorCal the "Top" Clubs all play each other since ECNL has placed their teams in the NorCal NPL in previous seasons and played other non ECNL clubs. Hopefully the GA does this and ECNL continues to do so.
 
youthsportsugghhh said:
Hopefully this fall in NorCal the "Top" Clubs all play each other since ECNL has placed their teams in the NorCal NPL in previous seasons and played other non ECNL clubs. Hopefully the GA does this and ECNL continues to do so.
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Lamo will be nice and fresh for those GA games!

I agree. Even if ECNL/GA teams don't take NPL as serious or get lower roster kids playing time, it would be fun to see the competition.

I think having a 2nd league overall is good. Makes GA try to improve each year and ECNL do things to stay on top aka don't have nationals in Florida.
 
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