Accept Surf Cup Sports took control of the Polo Fields in 2012 so they had to exist prior to 2016. Can’t blame that on US Soccer, just Capitalism.
ECNL vs. DA turf war has created a 'toxic environment'
- Thread starter VegasParent
- Start date
I'm not defending DA in any way, but ECNL schedule would be too much too. For my DD's ECNL team, they train almost as much and play more games. The only difference is that they shut down in winter for HS soccer. DD also runs track and XCountry, but if there is a conflict with those HS sports and her ECNL soccer team, it is 100% expected she come to the soccer which she does.Gotcha. It wouldn't matter because she wants to be on the track team, surf team, ASB and volleyball team. DA schedule and requirements is the problem my friend
MakeAPlay
DA
I remember those days. My player qualified for CIF in 4 events every year that she competed but she only got to compete in one event (the relay) one of her years due to soccer conflicts. I knew that she had chosen soccer when her freshman year she ran in the relay of the CIF Prelims and then told me to hurry up so that I could get her to her soccer game against the top team in her division and she absolutely wasn't going to miss it. She loved running track but it was definitely second to her club team.
MakeAPlay
DA
My daughter's club team never finished higher than 4th in the Southwest Division and missed the Champions League Playoffs her last two seasons (they made it in her U15 and U16 seasons). She was never on the best team but she always played against them and in my opinion it helped her development.
Let me rephrase, when $urf Cup $ports really got going, got Oceanside built and signed a 5 year contract with US Soccer. I love capitalism. This was not. Trust me. This was the swamp. Crazy stuff and when your kid is personally affected by it you take it personal. I'm letting some steam out as you know. I know some might think were sore losers. This whole thing is a shit show and you know it. Capitalism my ass
I think my dd and I can speak in this space from being in the middle of the epicenter. I have lots to say on this subject but I better stop. I"ll try and keep it civil. Here are just a few quotes from our great youth director. I will try and interrupt her. "Anson Dorrance has meant a lot for American women’s soccer and I know he is an icon in the USA. I have a lot respect for what he has done for American women’s soccer in the past. He could be seen as one of the pioneers. But I do not always agree with his point of view." Too old and way past your prime old timer
"Our best players are all over the place. They are frequently taught different soccer languages which often contradict each other. It’s club, high school, college, personal trainers, parents, etc. The rules and standards are different in all of these systems." True Dat
"Some clubs have just become good at recruiting the best players but not in developing." Can you say Tad Bobak, Dodge, Bakers
"Eventually the best players have to be training with and playing against the best players. With high quality coaching." They were, WTF happened? I think she might be a spy for Netherlands. Go over to the US and completely change the soccer landscape.
"High School is not really a discussion for us if you understand the concept of talent development from an international perspective. Soccer is a global sport." No comment
" Therefore the Development Academy is not a league, it’s a program to develop world-class players." So you had to put a fork in HS Soccer and tell ECNL to pound sand. Is this capitalism? DA does not exist without Surf. Why does Surf have three DA teams now in SoCal?
Our team pracrices Mon & Wednesday. 7-8:30. 10 minutes from fields. No problemo for my kid
Both are good if you have the right coach and players (friends) around you. Those days are going away sadly
MakeAPlay
DA
Both are good if you have the right coach and players (friends) around you. Those days are going away sadly
I agree. Her last year it was more like a team of mercenaries than a group of friends like it had been for her 6 years with her prior club team. She was lucky that she had two good coaches for all but 3 of her club seasons.
My girl same boat. Each year she's run track and cross country, her times qualify her to make it to CIF, but the finals are always on a date that conflicts with both Phoenix ECNL showcases. She would've gone to state in track this last year, but gives it up for the love of being on the pitch.
Only twice per week? Your DD must be on the young side. When my DD was younger (before U14 ECNL), we only practiced twice per week and had an "optional" clinic which every girl went to. IMO, this is a much better structure so you don't create any burn out and the kids are getting joy out of the training. In addition, the coaches expect that you will be working with the ball on your own when not at structured practice.Our team pracrices Mon & Wednesday. 7-8:30. 10 minutes from fields. No problemo for my kid
Plus most games occur during the week.Our team pracrices Mon & Wednesday. 7-8:30. 10 minutes from fields. No problemo for my kid
U16. Our coach gets it. Its called a balance in life for High School age kids. Super grateful for him.
Can't comment on the girl's side, but on the boy's side my son is going into his sixth year of club (not that long as compared to many of you here). In five years he has played Presidio, SDDA, SCDSL and DA. You know what the difference was between those leagues? Basically no difference. All had good teams and bad teams, good players and not so good players, good fields and barely playable fields, good refs and poor refs etc. Since he has been playing, various other leagues have been added to the SoCal youth landscape including Discovery, Boy's ECNL, NPL West, UPSL Youth and Super Y... it's insanity. Regardless of the league, the coaches and the clubs are still the same. The league effectively has little bearing on the development of your kid, only the draining of your wallet.
My son has chosen to play DA. We believe it generally has the better players on average. To date my son has developed more by playing with better players than he has developed from coaching. (That's partially due to how he learns and partially due to the competency of some of his coaches). I'm cautiously optimistic, but not holding my breath, that his new DA club and coach will have a greater impact on his development. The club has a very defined curriculum allegedly developed with the guidance of Double Pass. Time will tell if this curriculum works for my kid, but regardless there is no perfect situation.
Can’t say my experience has been the same as yours. I was always bitter at ECNL for not filling a LARGE geographical void yet having 4 Clubs that train writhing 10 miles of each other.Let me rephrase, when $urf Cup $ports really got going, got Oceanside built and signed a 5 year contract with US Soccer. I love capitalism. This was not. Trust me. This was the swamp. Crazy stuff and when your kid is personally affected by it you take it personal. I'm letting some steam out as you know. I know some might think were sore losers. This whole thing is a shit show and you know it. Capitalism my ass
"Anson Dorrance has meant a lot for American women’s soccer and I know he is an icon in the USA. I have a lot respect for what he has done for American women’s soccer in the past. He could be seen as one of the pioneers. But I do not always agree with his point of view." Too old and way past your prime old timer
"Our best players are all over the place. They are frequently taught different soccer languages which often contradict each other. It’s club, high school, college, personal trainers, parents, etc. The rules and standards are different in all of these systems." True Dat
"Some clubs have just become good at recruiting the best players but not in developing." Can you say Tad Bobak, Dodge, Bakers
"Eventually the best players have to be training with and playing against the best players. With high quality coaching." They were, WTF happened? I think she might be a spy for Netherlands. Go over to the US and completely change the soccer landscape.
"High School is not really a discussion for us if you understand the concept of talent development from an international perspective. Soccer is a global sport." No comment
" Therefore the Development Academy is not a league, it’s a program to develop world-class players." So you had to put a fork in HS Soccer and tell ECNL to pound sand. Is this capitalism? DA does not exist without Surf. Why does Surf have three DA teams now in SoCal?
We’ve been fortunate. I never bit on the Sales pitch from other Clubs. We were lucky to have a Coach that cared about the kids and followed him from a tiny Club (Sand & Surf) to a bigger organization Beach. When the age change came, her Coach helped guide us in the changes and we were again fortunate to play for Coach Arrache whom she still plays for today.
My DD enjoys her life outside of soccer, plays beach volleyball and makes time to be a kid.
Everyone has their own path and as MAP said earlier, “there are many roads to Rome” so very true!
Did your add enjoy her time as a DP? Would you let her do it again? It was disappointing that the rules don’t allow for DP’s to participate in the Playoffs, but I can see their angle for not allowing it.
Lambchop
GOLD
So many people assume that if you don't wear an "official" high school jersey you aren't playing another sport. My kids played many sports outside of high school - tennis, surfing, golf, karate, swimming, and riding. So interesting that people will quickly criticize a patch (ECNL or DA) but also don't realize the numerous options for our kids. They loved the flexibility of outside sports as did we and the opportunity to make friends outside of their high school and club friends.
MakeAPlay
DA
I never criticize other outside sports (not even cheerleading that stuff is hard!). My younger child is an archer which is about as non-traditional as it gets. It's cool because it is one of the only true all ages Coed sports. It also eats up my early Saturday mornings.
Just let the kids play. Many of my fondest memories were playing sports.
You and I and our dds go way back. Keep in mind we lived in Temecula and were with Legends at the time (non ecnl). We used to see the old wise man (TB) at our games. Then we got the call. To be honest with you, that was the best call I ever received by a coach. No sales pitch with him. He took all his teams from U11-U18. If you kept up, you played another year. No politics. If you didn't measure up after playoffs, you got cut. That was pure competition and many parents whined and complained as did I. When Surf called now that was a different pitch. Her time as DP (not really that) sucked. She was eligible for playoffs but decided to go all in ECNL this year with a coach a few friends and she didn't want to be a "rent a player" for the DA playoffs this year. And let me be clear. I'm not saying if you go all in with the DA you don't have a life. It sucks that both our kids can't battle against each other like before. Plus I see some studs some haven't seen at ECNL. One kid I knew back in the day is 5 10' now. ECNL screwed Legends and Beach, no question. Not fair and frankly one of the reasons were talking about this crap.
A very good player on the Blues DA team just won the CIF State championship in a distance event. I think she is running and playing soccer at Oregon.
I believe my Dd met her at the ID camp few weeks ago, but I could be mistaken.
Curious Q for you. If DA never came would you have stayed at Beach and said no to ECNL clubs recruiting ur stud?
Dos Equis
GOLD
I was not a fan of the closed system of ECNL and the impact it had on top level soccer in Socal. But ECNL started in 2009. Beach and Legends were young clubs, without top teams in every age group, and very short track records. While I think ECNL (more accurately Slammers and Surf protecting their recruiting pipelines) screwed parents in the South Bay/LA Basin and south San Diego by denying them a nearby club, there was no clear clubs to pick, initially. Legends and Beach emerged as the "Best of the Rest", and frankly benefited from the success they achieved in a USYS world without the ECNL clubs.
By the time 2014 came around, ECNL should have dropped Arsenal, Eagles and/or Strikers and added Legends and Beach. Partly because they were the best of the rest, but also because both accountability and opportunity are important components of maintaining competitive leagues.
Did ECNL come before SCDSL? My daughter got into club at u9 right at the time that club was going from a decent sized 1 location CSL club to joining a mega SCDSL club and we were told it was to get into the better league and have better opportunity for it's top players to play in ECNL. Within the next couple years that club swallowed up a whole lot of other clubs and I noticed that in our area there was hardly any more CSL teams. I don't know the history of ECNL and SCDSL but seems like they are partners in some way and both have a large hand in changing the landscape of socal soccers good ol days to what it is now long before DA screwed it up even more.