120497235901835
BRONZE
middle and lower MLS next clubs are worse than the ECNL middle and lower
MLS Next Expanding in SoCal?
- Thread starter sascbreakaway83
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120497235901835
BRONZE
surf would have the same goal differences in mls next and only the mls academies would beat/tie them
whatithink
GOLD
I don't know if that's true, e.g. the AZ MLS teams (not academies per se) are levels above the AZ ECNL teams. Those AZ teams would be a way better matchup, and if I were a Surf parent I'd much prefer to play those 4 AZ teams than the existing AZ ECNL teams.
That's not to say that some MLS Next teams are not poor, I don't doubt that they are.
120497235901835
BRONZE
sorry about that. I was meaning only the Socal teams. Arizona ecnl teams aren't good across the board.
Most AZ if not all ECNL teams will no longer be ECNL next season. There may be a move out of southwest ECNL but staying in ECNL.
Surf cup and surf college cup is one of the few places we see these teams meet. ECNL teams had a near 80 percent winning percent over MLS next teams.
Cal South and Cal North had better results over ECNL teams than MLS next. At like 40 percent win rate.
These tournaments are the only places we can get a true sample. College coaches I know we’re much more impressed with the play of ECNL teams BUT more importantly the academics of those teams as a whole. MANY mls next teams has ballers but they didn’t have grades to get into even the least selective colleges. A CSU coach was lamenting to me that one team didn’t have a single player he could recruit despite wanting a couple of those players. Not a single player was carrying a 3.0 or above and over 1/2 had below a 1.5.
Surf cup and surf college cup is one of the few places we see these teams meet. ECNL teams had a near 80 percent winning percent over MLS next teams.
Cal South and Cal North had better results over ECNL teams than MLS next. At like 40 percent win rate.
These tournaments are the only places we can get a true sample. College coaches I know we’re much more impressed with the play of ECNL teams BUT more importantly the academics of those teams as a whole. MANY mls next teams has ballers but they didn’t have grades to get into even the least selective colleges. A CSU coach was lamenting to me that one team didn’t have a single player he could recruit despite wanting a couple of those players. Not a single player was carrying a 3.0 or above and over 1/2 had below a 1.5.
Why would Surf move out of ECNL in either gender? Over the last two or three years their U18/19 teams in both genders have sent many players to top academic colleges that play D1 like Stanford, Cal, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCD, UCSB, Northwestern, Notre Dame, UPenn, Princeton and more.
These kids have better luck playing college D1 and getting drafted by the MLS than kids playing for non-MLS academies.
These kids have better luck playing college D1 and getting drafted by the MLS than kids playing for non-MLS academies.
Nope, when you're 14-16 players start to get funneled into the College Track or the Professional Track. It might not sound like much but it's really hard for a 22 year old to compete after college with 18 year olds that dont care about education.
Theres always exceptions but for the most part once you start down a certain path that's where you end up.
If a player is not in the top 3-4 of his year at an MLS academy by 16 then it is very unlikely that he will make a real living playing soccer. For most, attending college is the better life option.
San Diego getting an MLS team, which sets up its own MLS Academy, would fundamentally disrupt the Boys youth soccer market for Surf ECNL and other San Diego and Temecula-area teams, both MLS Next and ECNL. It's probably only a matter of time for both San Diego and Phoenix.
It already has as you have SD kids playing at LAFC, Galaxy, Austin, Philly and RSL. But agree it would be even more disrupted with a local academy. The expansion of fully funded MLS youth academies has been a game changer for the boys soccer market and will continue to be.
LA has had three MLS teams (including a failure) while SD gets none. Someone at MLS/USSF seems to have had their eyes closed for the past few decades. They have missed the box-office success of the SD Spirit in the former women's league and multiple sellouts of the big stadium (70,000+) for meaningful games involving USMNT or Mexico MNT.
Snapdragon Stadium is designed to seat 35,000+ as is, with drawings in place to expand to 55,000.
Imagine what would happen to the SD local boys club landscape. Instantly everyone would become B teams. So much arrogance that would get laughed at with a pro acadamy program in town.
I do agree that Surf may have some connections.
But in the end a true MLS Academy will pull from all clubs.
Surf has always pulled from all local clubs.
Soccermom18
SILVER
How are SoCal Reds going to build a quality team when their Liverpool EA team struggled? Are they promoting the team to struggle even more or will they recruit all new players?
Attachments
funkedrumma
BRONZE
Surf has made it clear to parents they are NOT moving to MLS Next.