LadiesMan217
GOLD
Maybe Fox Sports will air a few of the games.
In SoCal what’s it going to be DA/DPL or ECNL?
- Thread starter JoeZ
- Start date
Maybe Fox Sports will air a few of the games.
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
Though I am supporter of DPL, I don't agree with your assessment. I don't see DPL as being on par with ECNL. I think DPL teams are similar to Flight 1 and Premier teams. The value of being with a DPL is if it creates a pathway for your daughter to be a DP for the DA and possibly move full time to the DA. Regarding college coaches for us both our DPL and our previous CSL teams had similar exposure at events similar to what you mention. Certainly being DPL did not gain us any additional looks above and beyond other teams. With DA (and I suspect ECNL) the number of coaches, the quality of the schools, and frankly the interest from those attending is significantly greater.
Funny, I know you talked about how great the showcase was. So the truth comes out now that his dd is on DA.
Recently played vs a 05 DPL team and it was the equivalent of a Silver Elite or high flight 2 teams. Thought they would be better. The team we played with was better in my opinion.
Many girls jump clubs or teams if they don't make the DA team instead are being put onto the DPL team. I'm sure I'd consider a 45 minute drive for a DA team, but not sure I'd do that for a DPL team. So many good clubs to choose from makes sense to stay close to home if it isn't the top club.
JoeZ
SILVER
So Soccer43 and Fact both think DPL is not on par with ECNL. You may be right.
What is the basis for your thinking?
Respectfully..... you are hearing wrong and probably listening to people with vested interests in DPL. With Slammers going all in ECNL (possibly at least one more big so cal club following soon) and with a solid group of So Cal teams already established in a proven league like ECNL, I don’t think it’s even close. Next year DPL will clearly be a third tier league at best IMHO.
The DPL program is designed to be a B team feeder program to the A team in the DA program (no matter what is being marketed to DPL parents). For a variety of reasons, feeder teams never keep top players. A league made up of feeder teams will never become a top league.
The fact that these DPL teams had so few top players could be hidden during fall season play when they retreated into a closed league. However, matches played in CRL, open college showcases and National Cup demonstrated the true level of DPL teams when many non-ECNL club teams regularly beat DPL teams.
Why would anyone think that ECNL teams would not have done the same this past season? Why does anyone think it will be different next season?
If DPL teams can’t even make the semi-finals in most National Cup age divisions, why would DPL be considered a better league that CSL Premier or SCDSL Flight 1 which both have many teams that do?
Simisoccerfan
PREMIER
Well in our case we moved to DA full time prior to National Cup and several of our players did not return after HS. That hurt the quality of our DPL team. We also had 3 02’s move up to DA and that hit the 02 DPL team hard. It is possibly that since DPL is a feeder league similar things occurred at other clubs and some of the DPL teams had weakened by that time. CSL and Flight 1 teams would not have been effected the same way by losing their best players.
Nobody should EVER have considered DPL better than flight 1 or CSL premiere. I said that from day 1!!!! That’s the problem with posts from people like JoeZ, when you include DPL in a discussion with ecnl and DA, and exclude flight 1 and premiere, people assume DPL is superior than flight 1 and premiere. I have fought that perception ad nauseam with Simi from the get go.
Simi, I agreed with you on your previous post, but now your making excuses!!! No!!!!!
JoeZ
SILVER
All this perspective is interesting and there’s strong opinions.
Hey, we’re new to this DPL thing and enjoyed the last years with ECNL.
Appreciate the factual feedback. There is a lot of good feedback in this thread overall and there is purely emotion in some of the posts.
Like you, we are in the middle of this thing. I say again the top levels DA, ECNL/DPL all have great teams and players. Could there be a couple flight one teams that can compete at the lower DA/ECNL/DPL level, hmm maybe. This is also possible when a team is weakened when players leave DPL teams to play or guest on their DA teams, when teams have injured players and candidly when parents and players don't want to play National Cup. Then there is RB who took his team to the National Cup and crushed every team they played.
In seems in this second year of DA and DPL there is a lot of reshuffling of players and teams again. There will be some great teams in each of the top leagues. DPL players are able to play some games on their club’s DA teams. Not a bad deal if that is what you want and can achieve.
During the player/parent q&a discussion at the college ID camp of a top D1 school this spring I asked the venerable coach what he thought. Does it matter whether our daughters are on DA, ECNL or DPL? The answer was no, it doesn’t. There are other things that matter more.
Mystery Train
GOLD
I don't know anyone, even DPL parents, who would contend that the DPL teams are on par with ECNL. In the 02 age group, DPL had a few teams that were on par with the better F1 and CSL premier teams. But not arguably better than them. There were several DPL teams that were very weak. Overall, it seemed a shame to me for the sake of all the teams that the DPL even existed. It didn't seem to provide any additional benefits and instead watered down the already watered down competition.
JoeZ
SILVER
Dummy, it goes both ways.
A few weeks ago my dd played on her new team that will be a DPL, playing up a year at a college showcase in Norco. They also borrowed a few players from the to be 03 DPL team due to injuries. They humiliated the flight 1 teams they played. I even felt bad for the players. In fact my dd overheard parents on one of the teams consoling their players and telling them it’s not their fault, they were playing a higher level and 2 of them even have ECNL patches!
We are going to give DPL a chance.
Sheriff Joe
DA
It's all about money, control and power.
There should be DA and ECNL clubs with a closed league system (I don’t like closed leagues, but I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon).
Everything else should be scdsl or coast with promotion/relegation above the age of 12 or 13.
DA and ECNL should allow players to move around. But after the 3rd game playing up to DA/ECNL or down from DA/ECNL , a player has to be placed permanently on one of the teams.
Everything else should be scdsl or coast with promotion/relegation above the age of 12 or 13.
DA and ECNL should allow players to move around. But after the 3rd game playing up to DA/ECNL or down from DA/ECNL , a player has to be placed permanently on one of the teams.
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Fine. I have no opinion about where your player should play. Every family has different options available based on what clubs are nearby. It is good that her DPL team could beat a regular club team with two ECNL guest players.
If it is important for you to believe that DPL is a top league at the level of DA and ECNL, that is fine too. There are plenty of other DPL parents that believe the same thing.
You are asked for the opinions of others about DPL. If you already know what your opinion is, then why ask the question on an internet forum?
No answer necessary. Good luck to you and your player.