Some NorCal teams with similarities to EPL Clubs...

[Thatonedad]

Once SF Elite and LGU secure ECNL on the girls’ side, their first two years will define the club’s identity. If they get greedy and stack rosters with 22+ with mostly pay‑to‑play players, it’s a short‑sighted move that will hurt them in the long run. And everyone involved would be frustrated and unhappy including the coaches.

LGU may have more leverage with better training locations and a stronger local talent pool that stretches from Monterey to Santa Cruz. It’s a delicate process and it may take time, but if handled well, they have real advantages to build on.

The strategy is straight-forward: (1) Once ECNL is confirmed, aggressively promote the new platform to build awareness and attract top GA players, especially those already considering a switch to NL in 2026-2027. (2) Target the best RL players and overlooked bubble NL players. Each age group has 4–5 strong prospects with good quality, but the clubs need to show that they are serious about building competitive NL teams. As always, it really comes down to the players and how strong the roster is.

In the end, this strengthens ECNL league as a whole. Everyone benefits from higher‑quality competition and fewer subpar NL teams (you know who) in NorCal.

Will they go the MVLA route and just get the best 18 players they can or the surf/force route that’s add all the players you can until players and parents figure it out. LG has strong leadership with ST back and I would assume they will do everything they can to be competitive right away.

 

[RandomSoccerFan]

Weirdness in various tournament tiebreaks has caused some unexpected matchups, and it will have one of our teams playing that same fantastic Folsom Lake 2011B RL team in the morning. I hope it's at least entertaining.

I can't imagine Los Gatos or SF Elite are going to do anything that any of us wouldn't expect. Many of the top kids on the existing RL teams will have a chance to show up on the new NL team. Many other disgruntled players on other clubs, feeling that they aren't getting what they deserve already will make up the bulk of the rest. And hopefully, they each can find 1-2 game changers per age group that can take the team out from the bottom of the table to midpack or even better. But it's still likely to take 2-3 years before things settle, and the new teams will have a challenge.