ECNL vs. DA turf war has created a 'toxic environment'

Surf was in CSL for a while, but then had an argument with GS about team placements in Premier Division. After they helped form SCDSL, they abandoned Presidio League with enough nasty words on their way out that PL wouldn't let their teams back in for a while.

I remember. I live in San Diego county and my daughter played for Surf.
 
But you're paying more for less AND paying for anything extra on top of it.

What is so long term focus about 1/3 of the season spent away from the club coach and the higher level club players and training for HS?

Prove that you are paying more. Traveling soccer of any kind is expensive! It never hurt my player and she only had two other players that played in the top league.
 
How does a 4 month season develop any player into a killer senior?

And how does being a killer senior in the spring season help with recruiting?

If a player doesn't come in ready to play in college, then they might never get on the field. My player played high school and has started every game of her career since she stepped on her college campus and has played 6000 minutes her first three seasons.

It definitely helped her.
 
We used to have that when my player first started playing club. It was call Coast Soccer Premier League. Too bad they didn't allow Surf in. Gary Sparks (God rest his soul) is the reason that the landscape is so fractured in SoCal.

We used to have it in Texas, too (Lake Highlands Classic League). I don't know a single person who thinks the current league framework is better now than it was a decade ago.

Fwiw, I do think some things are better, though. Generally speaking, the training my youngest gets is better than the training my oldest got at the same age. Best practices for effective training sessions seem to have spread and a strong trend toward attempting to build possession-based systems are much more prevalent.
 
We used to have it in Texas, too (Lake Highlands Classic League). I don't know a single person who thinks the current league framework is better now than it was a decade ago.

Fwiw, I do think some things are better, though. Generally speaking, the training my youngest gets is better than the training my oldest got at the same age a decade ago. Best practices for effective training sessions seem to have spread and a strong trend toward attempting to build possession-based systems has flourished in the past 5 years.

I remember. The Dallas Texans, Sting, FC Dallas, D'Feeters. They used to come to Surf Cup and I would chat up the parents and yes the only League that was equivalent to the old CSL was the LHCL.
 
The top colleges also recruit top international talent so you have to remember that. On my player's college team (a top 5 program) there are several Canadians, a couple of Aussies, a Japanese player and an English player not to mention that almost everyone else has various years of YNT experience. My point is that the top coaches aren't recruiting teams or leagues. They are picking players that will make an impact for their program and to be quite honest they trust their eyes more than anything else.

I agree with everything you said. I counted the internationals (in this case there’s only one so far because it’s early) in the neither/other category. Your daughter’s school has 7 2022’s committed and all 7 are coming from DA
 
I agree with everything you said. I counted the internationals (in this case there’s only one so far because it’s early) in the neither/other category. Your daughter’s school has 7 2022’s committed and all 7 are coming from DA

I hear you, however, most of those players play for Andres Deza who used to coach the DeAnza Force ECNL team (his daughter Luca who starts for Cal and Tierna Davidson played for him). They are possession players which is what my daughter's team recruits. Coaches recruit players not teams. My kid's team never finished higher than 4th place and her last two years they didn't qualify for the ECNL Champions League yet she has started every game in college and played about 6000 minutes the last 3 years.
 
I hear you, however, most of those players play for Andres Deza who used to coach the DeAnza Force ECNL team (his daughter Luca who starts for Cal and Tierna Davidson played for him). They are possession players which is what my daughter's team recruits. Coaches recruit players not teams. My kid's team never finished higher than 4th place and her last two years they didn't qualify for the ECNL Champions League yet she has started every game in college and played about 6000 minutes the last 3 years.

I agree with all that too. I never argued differently on any of your points, except as I’ve said before I believe the landscape has changed somewhat over the past 2 years. They and Deza “used to” being part of the evidence. Anyway, like everyone else I’d like all the top kids to play each other. We’ve had a few local ECNL v DA friendlies recently in our area which has been nice.
 
I hear you, however, most of those players play for Andres Deza who used to coach the DeAnza Force ECNL team (his daughter Luca who starts for Cal and Tierna Davidson played for him). They are possession players which is what my daughter's team recruits. Coaches recruit players not teams. My kid's team never finished higher than 4th place and her last two years they didn't qualify for the ECNL Champions League yet she has started every game in college and played about 6000 minutes the last 3 years.

Interestingly it was his 01 quakes team that I was mentioning before (who had kids give up their spring DA so they could play HS). I think highly of him as a coach - my player has trained with him and has played against his teams many times since she was quite small. There is no coach up our way who commits to teaching possession without regard to results like he does. And even as his current players know that from a soccer standpoint, sticking with him would make them the most “ready” for their next chapters, they opted to play HS and forgo DA for spring.

(As a related aside: I’d have never seen @SpeedK1llz player, or met him, if it hadn’t been for HS soccer and the fact that neither of our kids was prohibited from playing. It was through the NorCal version of this board that we connected and then we met at a non-league game in my player’s freshman and his player’s senior year. Of course I’ve been a fan of his girl ever since.)
 
So Cal Blues just won the U16 ECNL playoffs.

Blues with two championships (U19 and U16). Slammers - PDA U17 final and U14 final.

ECNL is Northwest and SoCal.
DA is Texas and SoCal.

If SoCal would just realize that they can be their own federation, we would never have to go anywhere.
 
PDA won U13 and has teams playing in U14, U15 & U17 finals today. Incredible run.

MY DD's team crosses paths with PDA's 2007 team every year and they are always one of the toughest teams we see.
 
PDA won U13 and has teams playing in U14, U15 & U17 finals today. Incredible run.

MY DD's team crosses paths with PDA's 2007 team every year and they are always one of the toughest teams we see.

My daughter’s team played both U17 finalists. Should be a good game. I will hold off on my prediction of the result.
 
PDA 4-1 LAFC u17

I had not checked ECNL when I commented (obviously). PDA was the best team my kid’s team played this year (our girls eeked out a 1-0 win) but I thought LAFC would win based on the ability of a couple of players to carve things up. Pda’s discipline - esp in the back - was impressive and my guess is that that must have carried the day.
 
Blues with two championships (U19 and U16). Slammers

If SoCal would just realize that they can be their own federation, we would never have to go anywhere.


And under that socal federation those kids would not get US YNT looks because it isn't DA. And now we are all in the same page with the arrogance of US Soccer.
 
Soccerfan2 and Soccerminion you disagree and I am not sure if you disagree with my statement that socal girls would not get ynt looks if socal had it's own federation but the statement is out there that if you are not DA you dont get ynt looks. Do you think US Soccer would change if Socal had it's own league outside of DA? The answer is no. US soccer believes in their program and if socal pulled out of DA and ECNL they would look outside of socal for YNT only
 
Interestingly it was his 01 quakes team that I was mentioning before (who had kids give up their spring DA so they could play HS). I think highly of him as a coach - my player has trained with him and has played against his teams many times since she was quite small. There is no coach up our way who commits to teaching possession without regard to results like he does. And even as his current players know that from a soccer standpoint, sticking with him would make them the most “ready” for their next chapters, they opted to play HS and forgo DA for spring.
Mohammed (Lamorinda) is pretty much identical. Deza is a better recruiter and has significantly more resources at his disposal.
 
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