Next best league to get visibility with college coaches

[Carlsbad7]

Thanks everyone for all this great feedback. Clearly there’s a few options out there and it’s a matter of deciding on the commitment needed to make the drive and pay those $$$$. I am it doing it for an investment because clearly the ROI doesn’t come out positive. I’m doing more to give my dd a chance to make it to any college where I don’t need to pay more than $25k a year. My niece made it to ucla and it definitely was not the dream move that her family expected. I do think that unfortunately there’s so many talented kids that cannot make the jump to these top leagues and will be overlooked by coaches.

I've heard of several that had buyers remorse after going to UCLA. That's the problem with playing for college super teams. Either you're a superstar yourself + will likely play pro soccer or you ride the bench + if you ride the bench you'll likely get replaced.

Is it a coincidence that both Mallory "Pugh" Swanson and Trinity Rodman both left UCLA asap to do other things? Could it be because the coaches at the time were treating players like cattle? I doubt much has changed but at least top talent now has outs transfer portal, going pro + colleges no longer hold all the cards.

 

[crush]

I've heard of several that had buyers remorse after going to UCLA. That's the problem with playing for college super teams. Either you're a superstar yourself + will likely play pro soccer or you ride the bench + if you ride the bench you'll likely get replaced.

Is it a coincidence that both Mallory "Pugh" Swanson and Trinity Rodman both left UCLA asap to do other things? Could it be because the coaches at the time were treating players like cattle? I doubt much has changed but at least top talent now has outs transfer portal, going pro + colleges no longer hold all the cards.

So true. Plus you have all that homework, mid terms, finals are not for the faint of heart and really only play about 3 months of "games." Lot's of girls just want to play soccer only after HS. Spring games seem to be getting better. My dd played with & against some very, very good players, excellent students, excellent people and like Maps once said, true Unicorns of the sport and I was not a dumb dumb with my eyes and what it takes to play at Big U. She balled against Olivia, Alyssa, Trinity, Reilyn, Simone, Sofia, Ella, Ally, America, Maggie, Elisa, Ryan and one of the best of the best Jasmine. If it was only about soccer, soccer and just soccer & more soccer and no school, then I think my kid would have a chance to play some meaningful minutes at "some" of these college academies. The grind to squeeze out the best cream is very intense from what my pals have said. I know one kid that got a 10% offer at Big U. 35+ players and she knew no way she would play so she took a better deal and got to play some minutes as a FR. Good luck to your player

 

[socalkdg]

I've heard of several that had buyers remorse after going to UCLA. That's the problem with playing for college super teams. Either you're a superstar yourself + will likely play pro soccer or you ride the bench + if you ride the bench you'll likely get replaced.

Is it a coincidence that both Mallory "Pugh" Swanson and Trinity Rodman both left UCLA asap to do other things? Could it be because the coaches at the time were treating players like cattle? I doubt much has changed but at least top talent now has outs transfer portal, going pro + colleges no longer hold all the cards.

Trinity was Washington State. Alyssa Thompson left Stanford. Pugh left UCLA. I think it had more to do with being top picks in NWSL and playing with the USWNT, along with money, then it did with any specific school.

I've watched the goalkeepers at UCLA. Last 5 years they have been screwed with zero playing time as Lauren Brzykcy and Teagan Micah have been the only starters while all the other keepers only get to practice. Probably with only 25% scholarships since studs and starters are getting 50-100%. Just as playing time is important at any level club soccer, so is playing time at college soccer.

 

[crush]

Trinity was Washington State. Alyssa Thompson left Stanford. Pugh left UCLA. I think it had more to do with being top picks in NWSL and playing with the USWNT, along with money, then it did with any specific school.

I've watched the goalkeepers at UCLA. Last 5 years they have been screwed with zero playing time as Lauren Brzykcy and Teagan Micah have been the only starters while all the other keepers only get to practice. Probably with only 25% scholarships since studs and starters are getting 50-100%. Just as playing time is important at any level club soccer, so is playing time at college soccer.

100% about the pro deal for these greats and $$$ and I think it's great for these top players. Rodman was originally a verbal to UCLA but folks mocked her on here for bad grades and said that's why she chose WSU. Who really knows or cares, she is pro. I told everyone pro is the way and so many made fun of me. Thompson is VERY good and might just be the best out of these top goats. Very Fast, quick, super skilled & a great kid and I mean that, and works hard at her craft. I watched her ball since she was 8. No stop in that kid. So many other YNT players never play at UCLA. For me as a young player, I had to play and that's why I played hoops at Pacific Christian College (Hope International). I played pick up ball with & against Leon Wood & Cedric Ceballos at CSF, Scott Brooks & Kevin Magee from UCI and one of the besties, Cheryl and Reggie Miller at Main Beach in Laguna. I got to ball against them and that's all I cared about. Ced was so cool to me because I worked my ass off on defense and always made sure he got the rock to shoot. I challenged Kevin Magee to 1 on 1 and he destroyed me but I did score on him. I just love to compete and try my best against the best. The summers in LB in the 80s were freaking amazing. I had some D2 looks from Cal Poly Pomona but knew I would ride the pine. No bueno to sit but many of these great females at Big U want to be lawyers, doctors and nurses and getting a degree from Big U is huge for one's career. No offense to CSUN but come on man

 

[WatchthemPlay]

They're pretty much the same thing. (From a league perspective)

What makes them different is the Clubs that participate.

In SoCal ECNL has several good clubs with proven track records. In places like the Southeast GA has good clubs with proven track records.

Right now theres more top level clubs in ECNL. But, generally college coaches recruit from both ECNL and GA. In the end you want your kid to look good at a showcase in front of scouts.

ECNL or GA you want a good coach + a club that supports your team.

I agree…BUT the top kids are going to flock to the top ECNL teams. Practice and games are more competitive in these teams and for most, it is going to make players better to train with and play against better competition. GA in SoCal just isn’t as competitive. Even a lower ECNL team has to compete against top ECNL teams in league games (not just showcases) so they are frequently exposed to a more competitive environment. GA players in SoCal, unless they seek out additional challenges, may experience a bigger jump when they go to college or compete at ID camps.

 

[LouSag]

My dd is going into high school (turning 14 in May) and she informed me that she wants to play in college. I doubt that she is good enough to make ECNL teams ( withv aluable playing minutes) but she did well a few years back guest playing for an ECRL team. She has played well against E64 and NPL teams so I am now looking for the best way to get her exposure in front of college scouts. Question for all, do non ECNL leagues have a change to get scouted by college coaches? Does the Girls Academy league still get alot of attention with college scouts? There's also E64, NPL, and for that matter just trying out through those College ID camps. Looking for guidance from you all.

Lots of opinions on this board, so here’s one from a dad who has a kid at a top ECNL team and another at a GA team.
For starters, ECNL is far and away the best league in the southwest. Any GA club in SoCal would jump at the chance to go ECNL (I.e Pats). GA has some decent teams, mostly in the east (Top Hat in Georgia comes to mind), but ECNL rules the roost in SoCal. Power 5 coaches from all across the U.S. routinely even scout practices at top level ECNL clubs. That doesn’t happen at the GA. You mentioned that your 14 yr old is not good enough to make an ECNL team. Good on you. Most parents think that their kid walks on water. Getting her at the end of the bench at a mid-level ECNL club is not what you want. Players have to play to improve. At top level ECNL, they get to train with better players, and generally better coaches, but exposure for recruiting is gained via game time. Top ECNL clubs have the vast majority of their roster set by the u15 age. Unless your daughter has YNT on her resume, she will find it very difficult to make a TOP level ECNL roster as a starter. However, mid to low ECNL and GA rosters change all the time. My advice, get her at a club at the highest level possible where she can actually get solid minutes. That’s not an easy thing to do. Lower level ECNL clubs in the SW league—Pats, Rebels, Sharks, and all the AZ teams, are comparable to the higher end GA teams like Albion. Do college coaches attend GA showcases, yes they do. But they would much rather spend their limited recruiting dollars at the ECNL showcases. But the GA will provide exposure, and that is what most players need. Non power 5 D1, D2 and D3 coaches do quite a bit of recruiting at GA showcases. For the level that you realistically think your daughter can play at, get her on a GA team with a coach that is the right fit. Heck, if she is a defender or GK, get her on a lower ECNL club so she can play against the top attacking talent in SoCal. The top GA players will filter and get invited to the stronger ECNL clubs in SoCal…happens all the time. As other have said, get her set with a good coach who fits well with your her goals. Finally, ECRL at the big clubs like Surf, Koge, Blues and Legends can get exposure too, but that route will rely more on the ECRL coaches connections to colleges and the player showing well at ID camps.
Other than that, get out your checkbook, and get a fresh set of tires on the car, you are gonna need them.

 

[roundballsoccer]

Lots of opinions on this board, so here’s one from a dad who has a kid at a top ECNL team and another at a GA team.
For starters, ECNL is far and away the best league in the southwest. Any GA club in SoCal would jump at the chance to go ECNL (I.e Pats). GA has some decent teams, mostly in the east (Top Hat in Georgia comes to mind), but ECNL rules the roost in SoCal. Power 5 coaches from all across the U.S. routinely even scout practices at top level ECNL clubs. That doesn’t happen at the GA. You mentioned that your 14 yr old is not good enough to make an ECNL team. Good on you. Most parents think that their kid walks on water. Getting her at the end of the bench at a mid-level ECNL club is not what you want. Players have to play to improve. At top level ECNL, they get to train with better players, and generally better coaches, but exposure for recruiting is gained via game time. Top ECNL clubs have the vast majority of their roster set by the u15 age. Unless your daughter has YNT on her resume, she will find it very difficult to make a TOP level ECNL roster as a starter. However, mid to low ECNL and GA rosters change all the time. My advice, get her at a club at the highest level possible where she can actually get solid minutes. That’s not an easy thing to do. Lower level ECNL clubs in the SW league—Pats, Rebels, Sharks, and all the AZ teams, are comparable to the higher end GA teams like Albion. Do college coaches attend GA showcases, yes they do. But they would much rather spend their limited recruiting dollars at the ECNL showcases. But the GA will provide exposure, and that is what most players need. Non power 5 D1, D2 and D3 coaches do quite a bit of recruiting at GA showcases. For the level that you realistically think your daughter can play at, get her on a GA team with a coach that is the right fit. Heck, if she is a defender or GK, get her on a lower ECNL club so she can play against the top attacking talent in SoCal. The top GA players will filter and get invited to the stronger ECNL clubs in SoCal…happens all the time. As other have said, get her set with a good coach who fits well with your her goals. Finally, ECRL at the big clubs like Surf, Koge, Blues and Legends can get exposure too, but that route will rely more on the ECRL coaches connections to colleges and the player showing well at ID camps.
Other than that, get out your checkbook, and get a fresh set of tires on the car, you are gonna need them.

This is a great summary of what I have seen in the Southwest as well. I recently relocated from the Midwest and it's a different animal there with ECNL and GA very close. In the Midwest conference you have great teams like Gallager and Eclipse, in the GA conference you have powerhouses like Nationals and Cup. College coaches come to Nationals and Cup practices on the regular. Both conferences have poor teams and strong teams but overall the thought is the GA conference is slightly deeper. It just depends on region. At the showcases you get almost the same schools but ECNL still holds a perception of the superior league nationally and it's hard to argue with that.

 

[Carlsbad7]

I just dont understand the perennial SoCal ECNL bottom feeders in league. What are you doing + why are you participating in a league where you'll never be highlighted.

The same goes for ECNL bench players. Why are you just praying for minutes. Top colleges arent going to recruit the benchwarmers.

Sometimes it's nice to be a big fish in a small bowl. Do you really need to potentially get hurt every weekend from U13 on just to play on a super team in college? Is a superteam in college even worth it? Why not just go pro if playing at the highest level is your only goal?

 

[WatchthemPlay]

Lots of opinions on this board, so here’s one from a dad who has a kid at a top ECNL team and another at a GA team.
For starters, ECNL is far and away the best league in the southwest. Any GA club in SoCal would jump at the chance to go ECNL (I.e Pats). GA has some decent teams, mostly in the east (Top Hat in Georgia comes to mind), but ECNL rules the roost in SoCal. Power 5 coaches from all across the U.S. routinely even scout practices at top level ECNL clubs. That doesn’t happen at the GA. You mentioned that your 14 yr old is not good enough to make an ECNL team. Good on you. Most parents think that their kid walks on water. Getting her at the end of the bench at a mid-level ECNL club is not what you want. Players have to play to improve. At top level ECNL, they get to train with better players, and generally better coaches, but exposure for recruiting is gained via game time. Top ECNL clubs have the vast majority of their roster set by the u15 age. Unless your daughter has YNT on her resume, she will find it very difficult to make a TOP level ECNL roster as a starter. However, mid to low ECNL and GA rosters change all the time. My advice, get her at a club at the highest level possible where she can actually get solid minutes. That’s not an easy thing to do. Lower level ECNL clubs in the SW league—Pats, Rebels, Sharks, and all the AZ teams, are comparable to the higher end GA teams like Albion. Do college coaches attend GA showcases, yes they do. But they would much rather spend their limited recruiting dollars at the ECNL showcases. But the GA will provide exposure, and that is what most players need. Non power 5 D1, D2 and D3 coaches do quite a bit of recruiting at GA showcases. For the level that you realistically think your daughter can play at, get her on a GA team with a coach that is the right fit. Heck, if she is a defender or GK, get her on a lower ECNL club so she can play against the top attacking talent in SoCal. The top GA players will filter and get invited to the stronger ECNL clubs in SoCal…happens all the time. As other have said, get her set with a good coach who fits well with your her goals. Finally, ECRL at the big clubs like Surf, Koge, Blues and Legends can get exposure too, but that route will rely more on the ECRL coaches connections to colleges and the player showing well at ID camps.
Other than that, get out your checkbook, and get a fresh set of tires on the car, you are gonna need them.

100% spot on. GA over ECRL for ease of recruitment because there will be better exposure at showcases (more and larger variety of coaches). Pick lower ECNL team or GA depending on where she will get decent play time. ECRL would be 3rd option.

Also, this level/team decision depends on how motivated she is to train on her own outside team practice and really compete for play time. If she is highly motivated and trains on her own at her own request, pushing for a team that might be a stretch but she can develop into may be worth it. If she isn’t realistically going to train on her own without your urging, pick a team that is comfortably at her current level and she gets play time. The reality is that the vast majority of the girls on the top teams train CONSTANTLY whether they admit it or not. Practices are treated like a competition at this level and nothing is guaranteed. I know it sounds harsh, but that is our experience and it’s important to know a player’s and family’s comfort level in that kind of an environment.

 

[socalkdg]

Heck, if she is a defender or GK, get her on a lower ECNL club so she can play against the top attacking talent in SoCal. The top GA players will filter and get invited to the stronger ECNL clubs in SoCal…happens all the time.

This right here. You can be a good player on a lower team and shine much more easily shutting down a top attacking team.

 

[LouSag]

This right here. You can be a good player on a lower team and shine much more easily shutting down a top attacking team.

Shut down not needed. I’ve seen and know GK’s that conceded 10 goals in a game against top ECNL clubs, but that GK had some great saves on another 10+ scoring opportunities. College coaches on the sideline just watching it all…just waiting to chat right after.

 

[LouSag]

I just dont understand the perennial SoCal ECNL bottom feeders in league. What are you doing + why are you participating in a league where you'll never be highlighted.

The same goes for ECNL bench players. Why are you just praying for minutes. Top colleges arent going to recruit the benchwarmers.

Sometimes it's nice to be a big fish in a small bowl. Do you really need to potentially get hurt every weekend from U13 on just to play on a super team in college? Is a superteam in college even worth it? Why not just go pro if playing at the highest level is your only goal?

I agree with you. Many parents need to think “my daughter plays in ECNL”. Many clubs think they need to be in ECNL, when they would be better served in the GA or less. Proud of you Tudela!
Is a super team in college even worth it? The statistics say no. YNT players on big clubs in SoCal often get recruited to attend (and may not necessarily play) at Power5 schools. The 95 page College thread has some outstanding discussions on the grind at the big time college level, particularly on the mental side of things. These top club ECNL players get recruited in the “dating” phase and then roll into a situation at a school like UCLA (just an example, not picking on the Bruins) where they sit the bench for 2+ years and nearly 50% end up in the transfer portal. That’s the “breakup” phase. 2,100+ female players in the transfer portal last year speaks volumes! Many on the college thread offer sound advice—better want to attend and graduate from your school even if there was no soccer. There are some outlier frosh who will play right away at a power 5, and their phone rings off the hook on 15 June of their sophmore HS year. I don’t have any numbers to back it up, but most legit ECNL/GA players generally find happiness playing at schools where the coach is the right fit, and they get some playing time.
As for going Pro, that is a whole different discussion. The “NEW“ NWSL contract pays $53k + housing for a regular old rostered player. Straight to pro without a college degree works well for the Rodman, Moultrie, the Thompson twins and the few outliers. For the rest, as the approx 5 year NWSL career ends, you’re either a 25 year old freshman at XYZ university or coaching 3-4 club teams working on coaching licenses in the club soccer circuit. Standby for Crush coming in to tell you Pro is the way to go. He’s in the minority, but I enjoy his comments.

 

[Slobodan]

Trinity was Washington State. Alyssa Thompson left Stanford. Pugh left UCLA. I think it had more to do with being top picks in NWSL and playing with the USWNT, along with money, then it did with any specific school.

I've watched the goalkeepers at UCLA. Last 5 years they have been screwed with zero playing time as Lauren Brzykcy and Teagan Micah have been the only starters while all the other keepers only get to practice. Probably with only 25% scholarships since studs and starters are getting 50-100%. Just as playing time is important at any level club soccer, so is playing time at college soccer.

I have to believe 75% of incoming recruits to that program know they could sit the bench. The downside is you're on an amazing campus, getting an amazing education for an amazing price. Not a bad downside... but Cromwell always struck me as abrasive and nasty.

 

[TopesWin]

Sounds like the parents would all like a GA vs ECNL southwest challenge. Yeah, ECNL would win the vast majority of the games, but it would settle a lot of debates on this forum!

 

[Carlsbad7]

Sounds like the parents would all like a GA vs ECNL southwest challenge. Yeah, ECNL would win the vast majority of the games, but it would settle a lot of debates on this forum!

Win or lose it doesnt really matter. Most of the parents on this forum with players in GA or ECNL know each other in some way or another.

What started all the back and forth was someone saying that GA is regressing which simply isnt the case. These kids + coaches practice 6+ hours a week or more to be the best. It's just not possible that more practice =s getting worse.

As far as GA vs ECNL you have 2-3 high level GA clubs in SoCal. With ECNL theres 5-6 top teams and some are the best in the nation. The odds that a GA team will steamroll all the Socal ECNL teams is a triple longshot. But that's ok. An unexpected win here and there are enough to open some minds.

 

[crush]

Win or lose it doesnt really matter. Most of the parents on this forum with players in GA or ECNL know each other in some way or another.

What started all the back and forth was someone saying that GA is regressing which simply isnt the case. These kids + coaches practice 6+ hours a week or more to be the best. It's just not possible that more practice =s getting worse.

As far as GA vs ECNL you have 2-3 high level GA clubs in SoCal. With ECNL theres 5-6 top teams and some are the best in the nation. The odds that a GA team will steamroll all the Socal ECNL teams is a triple longshot. But that's ok. An unexpected win here and there are enough to open some minds.

ECNL was regressing big time when the GDA took all their teams & players. Nothing new today, they just switched the sign back to ECNL because GDA bailed when the Rona hit. GA is the old ECNL, minus the a few clubs that went MLS+.

 

[SoccerFan4Life]

Trinity was Washington State. Alyssa Thompson left Stanford. Pugh left UCLA. I think it had more to do with being top picks in NWSL and playing with the USWNT, along with money, then it did with any specific school.

I've watched the goalkeepers at UCLA. Last 5 years they have been screwed with zero playing time as Lauren Brzykcy and Teagan Micah have been the only starters while all the other keepers only get to practice. Probably with only 25% scholarships since studs and starters are getting 50-100%. Just as playing time is important at any level club soccer, so is playing time at college soccer.

My niece got 50% scholarship and played no more than 60 minutes the entire season combined. Coaches had her as a forward when she had played midfield the entire ECNL and USYNT career. Clearly the coaches had wrong player profiles. SMH

 

[SoccerFan4Life]

Pretty sure Pats was ecstatic when ECNL dropped Strikers and gave Pats a spot. Pretty sure if Sporting and Rebels told their families that they are moving from ECNL to GA that they would be up in arms and would look to move to other ECNL clubs. This isn't a knock on GA...rather its the reality of parents wanting their kids to play at the most competitive level.

Yes. My dd was playing as guest player for strikers when that happened. Strikers girls got screwed when the boys moved to mls next. Honestly ECNL leadership was just upset that one of the top boys club shunned them for mls next. Strikers girls made it easy with most teams not performing well. I always kept telling them to move the ECNL team to north Orange County. Why try to be 5th best option in Irvine when they can be the only ECNL option in north Orange County. Tons of great players making the drive from north oc to the great park every day.

 

[michael91208]

It’s complicated. Our poor old 2005 NPL team has two girls at TCU, another at Princeton and another at Notre Dame. Three turned down D1 offers to go to UCLA and the rest playing in smaller schools. One may be playing in the Women’s World Cup for the Philippines. ECNL or the GA would have definitely been easier, you just have to work harder to break through the old boys network.

 

[youthsportsugh]

Can you name one of those GA showcases? We're not in either but have friends in both leagues. Thus far I've not heard GA has the same level or quantity of horses.

Oldest daughter played ECNL and was seen by many "higher" quality college coaches, but also by several other D1 and D2 and D3 coaches at those showcases. Youngest is in a smaller club playing GA. The GA showcases seem to have fewer of the "higher" quality coaches, but still have those (Stanford, Santa Clara, Duke) and plenty of other P5 conference teams and several high academic institutions such as several IVY schools.