MAP, I have no "anti-Surf" agenda. I am not in favor of monopolies however. The problem with one club controlling an area with a population as large as San Diego's is that if there are coaching problems with a team, there are no nearby alternatives. In any age group, there are more than one teams worth of elite level players in San Diego county. The club with the monopoly also has less incentive to treat players well. Like ALL clubs, Surf has had issues with coaches and some teams/age groups were more effected than others. While Surf is currently the strongest club overall, at some age groups other clubs have stronger teams. LAGSD is the largest club in San Diego county. Does it really make sense to exclude them from elite level play?. Albion serves south San Diego better than either and with that being a prime growth area for young player, it also does not make sense to ignore. Even though it shares many of the same problems as ECNL, GDA is going to happen. GDA will have its problems, but I think for elite players in SoCal, it will be the best alternative in the near future. With only one more year of club soccer, it doesn't matter much anymore to us. Besides, if I were the ruler ECNL, GDA and DA would all be one big organization where the right group of players with an inspired coach could build a team to take on the world. Oh, and none of that would start until about U15. Youngers don't need to travel that far.
Residential academies are not a bad idea, but I think regional may be better. If SoCal had a regional residential academy, I bet it could turn out teams superior to the current youth "National Teams". Team work matters.