Say bye-bye-bye to Girls and Boys DA

Payback might feel nice, but is a bad idea long term. As long as you have 20+ good clubs on the outside, you’re just asking for them to band together against you. (expanded Super Y, anyone?)

There is also a reputation risk to appearing vindictive. The politics looks stupid enough to parents already. At some point, people pull the plug and choose another sport.
 
dad4 said:
Payback might feel nice, but is a bad idea long term. As long as you have 20+ good clubs on the outside, you’re just asking for them to band together against you. (expanded Super Y, anyone?)

There is also a reputation risk to appearing vindictive. The politics looks stupid enough to parents already. At some point, people pull the plug and choose another sport.
Click to expand...

Completely agree with this, and it’s a legitimate risk if ECNL allows old bad blood to influence decisions and keeps out a handful of power clubs.
 
timmyh said:
ECNL should immediately try and grab all the good DA clubs (like, say, all of the ones on the soccerwire top 100) and do it quickly before some other league/system gets sorted out and throws them a lifeline.
Kill off asap any chance of a competing league starting up. Any sense of retribution or punishment for clubs who would be a good inclusion would be a detriment to what is in the league's best long term interest.
Click to expand...
What league would be so foolish to start a new girls soccer league for soccer wires top 100? No more crazy travel ball like them old days Tim. It will be locals only. SW ECNL will be the place to be for 2020-2021 season. I could see someone from the Great Park, Norco and Oceanside trying something on the boys side. The girls? Nah, no way
 
Surf Zombie said:
Heard from one of the parents at the other ECNL club here in MA that their coach broke the end of DA news to his players on a Zoom call last night and told them that girls from a nearby DA club will come looking for their spots very soon so they better be putting in the work during this Covid 19 break from play.
Click to expand...
Oh boy. Coaches already threatening player’s spots on current ECNL teams! Once again, coaches are out to recruit, not develop. But, that’s the reality of club soccer.
 
Surf Zombie said:
Heard from one of the parents at the other ECNL club here in MA that their coach broke the end of DA news to his players on a Zoom call last night and told them that girls from a nearby DA club will come looking for their spots very soon so they better be putting in the work during this Covid 19 break from play.
Click to expand...
Dang, that is some serious competition. Right before Easter too. I told my dd the same thing yesterday. Big time GDA players will be coming to take your starting spot and with so many now developed into world class players, i told her she might not even make ECNL team next year. Nothing is a given and I need to put the fear of these top top players looking to show their stuff at the great ECNL.
 
As the rumor mill turns......word on the street is ECNL accepts 3 new Clubs in SoCal and likely drops 1 possibly 2 underperforming Clubs.

but who knows....all rumors and here say at this point.
 
Kicker4Life said:
As the rumor mill turns......word on the street is ECNL accepts 3 new Clubs in SoCal and likely drops 1 possibly 2 underperforming Clubs.

but who knows....all rumors and here say at this point.
Click to expand...
That is not no rumor mill bro. Thanks for the heads up. SW ECNL will be the #1 league in the country and we don;t and won;t be allowed to travel past Vegas and Nocal and AZ. This is what dreams are made of.
 
I was just talking to a friend about the 03 age group, the 2021 grads. Most of the top girls have been recruited and can play anywhere and for any club/team next year. These girls can play high school their senior year, they can play near home, have a life outside of soccer, and they will most likely still kill it on any team. Or they can stick with their current team, hope that everyone on their team stays or doesn’t get replaced, and try to win whatever championship there is next year. So many decisions to make right now. Sucks to be a 2003, these girls have been thru so much change during their soccer years. One more year of change and then they can be done, finally!
 
ECNL President is pretty smart from everything I've seen over the last 5 years. He's not going to grab a DA club unless it really helps a regions level and helps with needed numbers in a specific region. Going through the current DA list just now I'd venture to guess 10-12 clubs will be added. My first guess is Solar, FC Dallas, Surf, Beach, Legends, SJ Quakes, CA Thorns, Placer United, Tophat, FC Virgina, Cincinnati DA and maybe 1-2 more. Maybe Seattle Regin assuming pro woman's league aren't doing anything with youth programs. A simple guess without looking at what ECNL regions may be short in talent/numbers. Just going through the list, there are going to be some very solid clubs with a "elite" league to play. Tryouts, if there is actual tryouts will be insane. What if not tryouts? I guess ECNL coaches will be on the horn to parents. Better have watch your DA opposition closely the last year so you know the kids levels exactly! While Lavers will be mis powerful person in youth elite soccer in next few weeks, I don't each his decisions. Some tough calls for sure. Again, assuming this all happens!
 
Sandypk said:
Oh boy. Coaches already threatening player’s spots on current ECNL teams! Once again, coaches are out to recruit, not develop. But, that’s the reality of club soccer.
Click to expand...

That is a really bitter and stupid thing to say. ECNL coaches and clubs direct 99 percent of their effort to developing players. The whole point of ECNL is to take the best players and make them even better, not to continue carrying the anchors who drag everyone else down either because they can’t or won’t develop like their peers. So many people at this site whine that youth soccer isn’t a meritocracy right up until they whine that it is.
 
Ellejustus said:
That is not no rumor mill bro. Thanks for the heads up. SW ECNL will be the #1 league in the country and we don;t and won;t be allowed to travel past Vegas and Nocal and AZ. This is what dreams are made of.
Click to expand...
And no chance ECNL drops anyone right now. They will only add.

Agree, if you're an ECNL club travel will be so much better
 
EOTL said:
That is a really bitter and stupid thing to say. ECNL coaches and clubs direct 99 percent of their effort to developing players. The whole point of ECNL is to take the best players and make them even better, not to continue carrying the anchors who drag everyone else down either because they can’t or won’t develop like their peers. So many people at this site whine that youth soccer isn’t a meritocracy right up until they whine that it is.
Click to expand...
A coach tells his players they’d better step up their game during quarantine or someone else from the DA will get their spot and I’m bitter and stupid. Ok. But that coach is an ass. Nothing like causing his players to panic right now.
 
Sandypk said:
A coach tells his players they’d better step up their game during quarantine or someone else from the DA will get their spot and I’m bitter and stupid. Ok. But that coach is an ass. Nothing like causing his players to panic right now.
Click to expand...
Day before Easter, probably wait until Monday would be more sensitive. However, every girl on a socal ecnl team needs to know competition is coming for the first time in a long time and not everyone can be "Elite." Some girls need to be told the truth that their spot will be gone if the don;t try harder. 03' and 04s better learn how to fight for time or college will be hell!!! This is the reality that this GDA league took away. 25% starts and development BS. That game is over. No promises anymore and most girls will do find playing all the time locally in the SCDSL or ECNL regional.
 
timbuck said:
“Hey mom. My coach is a dick. Can we find a new team? I know Becky’s team is looking for players. Sure, they aren’t the same level as my current team. But she loves playing. And her coach isn’t a complete asshole. I really don’t want to play in college anyway”
Click to expand...
Haha! Maybe?
 
timbuck said:
“Hey mom. My coach is a dick. Can we find a new team? I know Becky’s team is looking for players. Sure, they aren’t the same level as my current team. But she loves playing. And her coach isn’t a complete asshole. I really don’t want to play in college anyway”
Click to expand...
Can't tell if it sarcasm, but I can totally imagine the conversation.

Same talk can also begin, "I want to quit soccer."
 
Eusebio said:
It's statistically proven it's often late-bloomers who end up having the most success at the pro levels, but we basically purge our late-bloomers.
Click to expand...
Yes! Statically proven and exacerbated by RAE. One of the biggest obstacles in the US developing soccer players that can compete internationally.

Eusebio said:
My son's technical ability at 13 was better than mine at 18. But my creativity and free expression was and still is better than his. He can juggle to 500 on 5 different body parts, but I can beat a Keeper 1v1 countless ways. Even when I watch high level DA matches, I regularly see players make an absolute mess of breakaway situations. Lack of imagination and composure, it's embarrassing.
Click to expand...
Yes! We have basically over-organized and over-controlled the sh*t out of youth soccer and we think we are developing players but we are just creating robots.

If US soccer took half the money they spent on the DA and spent it on broad scouting, not just in urban areas and in certain leagues, they would be more effective in identifying players for the YNT than they have been with 10+ years of DA.
 
soccer4us said:
And no chance ECNL drops anyone right now. They will only add.

Agree, if you're an ECNL club travel will be so much better
Click to expand...
I am still waiting for tomorrow (and the announcement). Is that not a song -- "Tomorrow never comes"?

What many perceive as ECNL exclusivity is often ECNL loyalty -- they are very loyal to their member clubs. I highly doubt any club will be dropped for next season, no matter what happens.

As far as adding clubs, club history will matter. How Surf and RSC managed their departure from ECNL to DA will matter. How Legends and Beach handled their exclusion will also matter. It would not be retaliation to deny any club admittance, no matter how much success they have had, based on a prior bad experiences with that club.

But how nice would it be to have two ECNL SW brackets, a South bracket with Phoenix, San Diego and Southern OC, and a North bracket with the South Bay, LA, SF Valley/Camarillo, IE and Las Vegas.
 
foreveryoung said:
Yes! Statically proven and exacerbated by RAE. One of the biggest obstacles in the US developing soccer players that can compete internationally.


Yes! We have basically over-organized and over-controlled the sh*t out of youth soccer and we think we are developing players but we are just creating robots.

If US soccer took half the money they spent on the DA and spent it on broad scouting, not just in urban areas and in certain leagues, they would be more effective in identifying players for the YNT than they have been with 10+ years of DA.
Click to expand...
You touched on another area - your socioeconomic status. We are never going to get the best players from the upper middle class of America - which are for the most part the kids playing DA and ECNL. These kids come from families that value higher education and are likely college bound and aren't looking for "a way out" of their circumstances which provides the hunger and drive that is necessary to persevere to the top level of play in sport. Upper middle class kids have a much easier path laid out for them. If you look at 99% of professional soccer players around the world you would see that they also came from humble backgrounds. It's a working class sport in every other country. In the UK, prestigious private schools don't even have soccer teams. They only play Rugby. Even with our best US players, Landon Donovan was raised by a single mother and had to walk/run to soccer practice. Dempsey was raised in a trailer park. Pulisic might not fit this category but as someone else said he's sort of a US anomaly anyway. Just another reason that broad scouting, outside of any leagues would serve US soccer much more than just looking within certain leagues of mostly upper middle class kids. Perhaps the fully funded MLS teams will help with this but they need to do broad scouting too. We have the talent in this country, we are just missing it by not seeing it at all, or by purging them with our short-sighted play to win strategy at the youth levels.
 
Dos Equis said:
I am still waiting for tomorrow (and the announcement). Is that not a song -- "Tomorrow never comes"?

What many perceive as ECNL exclusivity is often ECNL loyalty -- they are very loyal to their member clubs. I highly doubt any club will be dropped for next season, no matter what happens.

As far as adding clubs, club history will matter. How Surf and RSC managed their departure from ECNL to DA will matter. How Legends and Beach handled their exclusion will also matter. It would not be retaliation to deny any club admittance, no matter how much success they have had, based on a prior bad experiences with that club.

But how nice would it be to have two ECNL SW brackets, a South bracket with Phoenix, San Diego and Southern OC, and a North bracket with the South Bay, LA, SF Valley/Camarillo, IE and
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top