Get ready folks
- Thread starter soccer4us
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The reason for the ECNL pushing to switch back to grade defined groups is because they never wanted to switch to calendar year groups.
DA pushed for calendar year because US Soccer was using the USMNT and USWNT (who use calendar year grouping) + free soccer as incentives to get players to join the league. When DA first came out they were picking up clubs left and right. ECNL was 100% on the ropes + fighting for it's existence. Because of this they went along with DA / US Soccer and aligned to calendar year.
Now that DA has blown up + GA is just a copy of everything ECNL does. ECNL has decided that it's their turn to flex on the other leagues by going back to grouping by school grade.
It really is this simple. ECNLs focus has always been getting players onto college teams, that's it. US Soccer believes in getting players onto the USM/WNT first, then getting players playing professionally, and finally getting players onto college teams. GA is like ECNL and only focused on getting players on college teams. The problem with GA is US Soccer created it so even though it's a copy of ECNL the 100% college only pathway mentality isn't there.
Something that people aren't considering is ECNL pushing to change to grade based groups might force US Soccer to pull out the NWSL Next card. This is because they can't let ECNL dictate how everyone else functions.
Code
GOLD
It's all speculation until the change is made and the date is set. If for example, the date is changed to Aug 1st, your players would have the option to play with their grade year group or play up a year with their birth year group.
pitchplease
SILVER
so spot on!! glad i only have 1 left in the youth system and in a different realm. i despised the girls DA. the divide it caused only made things worse, never better. i will never forget one of the last ynt camps my kid went into. the coach at the time, directly asked the girls during a meeting if they were planning on playing DA. to which was then said...we can't tell you that you have to, but we would prefer you to if there is a DA club in your area. worst decision ever. ecnl was a better pathway at the time, and still is on the girl's side. on the boy's side, it is the direct opposite. people often forget that these are still businesses at the end of the day. there concern is always the $$$$.
Noticer
SILVER
I agree with a lot of what you said here.
However, I do not agree that "GA is just a copy of everything ECNL does.."
Consider, for example, that ECNL keeps their top clubs within ECNL. ECNL isn't mass migrating their top clubs into GAL or any other league. That is, as far as I can tell, a strategy that only GAL is employing.
Code
GOLD
Great explaination of how we find soccer at these crossroads again. I just find it hard to understand why US Soccer would decide to create problems for thousands, actually even tens of thousands of youth players, for the convenence of a couple hundred players who will get a call up. If US Soccer is really concerned with growing the sport, snubbing 1/3 of the population probably isn't the way to go.
The ECNL model of youth soccer has shown to be succesful, which is why the GA shifted from the DA model. Seems to me that one of the biggest problems we've had with Youth Soccer in the US is USSoccer.
Now, the other possibility is NIL kills college sports, in which case, college recruiting rules don't matter anymore. The conflict is driven by the misalignment of NCAA rukes and USSoccer rules.
Then it is just a debate of whats better for the kids; keeping kids with their school social groups in grade year (10,000+ players) vs easier math for the MNT/WNT coaches, calendar year (500+ players). Either way, no big deal in this scenario.
Thanks. That makes sense. For us, it would not be an issue then. Cutoff for school here is 9/1. So their grade year group and birth year group are one in the same. They are both on the younger side for their teams but by no means the youngest. I guess that would change with this change.
That's exactly how I see things as well.
Wouldn't it be funny if NCAA keeps losing court cases + NIL blows up college sports. Then to address US Soccer implemets NWSL Next to fill the void and in 10 years after switching to school grade they switch everything back to calendar year groupings.
US Soccer isnt nessasarily the bad guy in all this. They just have a different perspective than ECNL and US Club Soccer.
Exactly. August 01 works better for the vast majority of players: lower tier kids who want to play with their friends.
Then, if USSF needs all the best kids in the same age group, just have the strongest August-December kids play up a year.
Any kid in serious contention for YNT should have no problem at all playing up by 1-5 months.
Code
GOLD
Lol, you are probably right on with this prediction.
Fieldsofgold
SILVER
Trapped players are not generally better .
100% and who they align themselves with is no bueno. Pockets of cash can buy your kid a spot on the team. So many of us in 2016 complained to the higher ups that this was bad for the 99% of the kids who won't go pro. They told us to STFU because "The World is Watching."
Landon Donovan says youth soccer in the U.S. is a disaster; Pochettino not a guaranteed success
Donovan will manage NWSL's San Diego Wave for the rest of the season.
the18.com
“My kids are in youth soccer and I see the youth soccer environment — it’s a disaster, it’s an absolute disaster.”
100%. The rich elites took over with backroom deals. It's a dumpster fire that needs to be put out, cleaned and all big re-do is in order.Landon Donovan says youth soccer in the U.S. is a disaster; Pochettino not a guaranteed success
Donovan will manage NWSL's San Diego Wave for the rest of the season.
“My kids are in youth soccer and I see the youth soccer environment — it’s a disaster, it’s an absolute disaster.”
And if you come from a lower income hard-working, or maybe even broken family... you'll have a chip on your shoulder, that chip will be held against you even as you work hard to attain your dream of being the best goal scorer or goal stopper (the only 2 ways to push through soccer politics) - and you can be treated like Hope Solo.
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
Wow, that was quite entertaining to hear Landon Donovan's take. I was also cracking up when he was talking about how much easier it is to coach women than men since men have egos and women listenLandon Donovan says youth soccer in the U.S. is a disaster; Pochettino not a guaranteed success
Donovan will manage NWSL's San Diego Wave for the rest of the season.
“My kids are in youth soccer and I see the youth soccer environment — it’s a disaster, it’s an absolute disaster.”
I read that as well. I'm no Landon fan but he's spot on. Men don't listen to bullshit from coaches. Girls have been staying quiet way too long and the one's that do speak up get retaliated against from the men with big fat rich egos.Wow, that was quite entertaining to hear Landon Donovan's take. I was also cracking up when he was talking about how much easier it is to coach women than men since men have egos and women listen
Landon, and many of his USMNT teammates, played high school soccer without playing Club year round. Somehow they managed to be relatively competitive despite HS soccer being a "significantly inferior" product. Which is a self-fulfilling prophecy since leagues like the MLS Next prohibit HS play. I'm a proponent of making HS soccer relevant again. It might stem the tide of losing some of the better players to other high school sports. There is a certain unearned arrogance from coaches that disparage HS soccer.Wow, that was quite entertaining to hear Landon Donovan's take. I was also cracking up when he was talking about how much easier it is to coach women than men since men have egos and women listen