Texas ECNL and Frontier Conference
- Thread starter STX
- Start date
Not a bad place for a showcase imo
kickingandscreaming
PREMIER
Yes, just not July - September (Same for Silverlakes)
And not Denver in April
It all seems sorted out, with the exception that most expect there to be two GA League clubs added from Dallas.
Texas ECNL (9 TX, 2 OK):
Solar
FC Dallas
DFeeters/Kicks
Sting Dallas
Dallas Texans
Sting Austin
Classics Elite
Albion Hurricanes
Challenge SC
Tulsa SC
Oklahoma Celtic
GA League (4 TX, 2 OK, 1 KS, 1 MO, 1 CO):
Lonestar SC
San Antonio FC
Houston Dash
Rise SC
Oklahoma Energy
West Side Alliance
Sporting Blue Valley
Lou Fusz
Colorado Rush
Future Dallas Club 1?
Future Dallas Club 2?
Texas ECNL looks pretty good. No plane trips for league games and the two clubs that were really poor and bottom of the table in nearly every age group - Oklahoma Celtic and Sting Austin - are said to be picking up top players (and sometimes entire teams) from ex-DA clubs Oklahoma Energy and Lonestar. In Houston, the two ECNL teams have picked off many top players from Dash and should be much stronger.
The DA was much better than ECNL the past few years here, but the top talent seem to be quickly consolidating into ECNL.
As for the GA League, even with the defections of players to nearby ECNL clubs, there's still some competitive teams and good coaches. But it's decidedly 2nd tier. Right now, much more than half of all away league games are going to require a plane ticket, which isn't ideal. Once two Dallas clubs are added (either ECNL club's 3rd teams or some smaller club's 1st teams), the map will look a lot better.
While the GA League looks pretty good in some parts of the country with regards to time and travel and costs, this TX/OK/CO/KS/MO union looks to be a pretty expensive proposition for what is likely to be 2nd or 3rd tier competition in the region. That's completely flipped from last year, when the same was more likely to have been said about ECNL.
ECNL appears to have scored a decisive victory in Texas. Things sure can, and did, change in a hurry.
Texas ECNL (9 TX, 2 OK):
Solar
FC Dallas
DFeeters/Kicks
Sting Dallas
Dallas Texans
Sting Austin
Classics Elite
Albion Hurricanes
Challenge SC
Tulsa SC
Oklahoma Celtic
GA League (4 TX, 2 OK, 1 KS, 1 MO, 1 CO):
Lonestar SC
San Antonio FC
Houston Dash
Rise SC
Oklahoma Energy
West Side Alliance
Sporting Blue Valley
Lou Fusz
Colorado Rush
Future Dallas Club 1?
Future Dallas Club 2?
Texas ECNL looks pretty good. No plane trips for league games and the two clubs that were really poor and bottom of the table in nearly every age group - Oklahoma Celtic and Sting Austin - are said to be picking up top players (and sometimes entire teams) from ex-DA clubs Oklahoma Energy and Lonestar. In Houston, the two ECNL teams have picked off many top players from Dash and should be much stronger.
The DA was much better than ECNL the past few years here, but the top talent seem to be quickly consolidating into ECNL.
As for the GA League, even with the defections of players to nearby ECNL clubs, there's still some competitive teams and good coaches. But it's decidedly 2nd tier. Right now, much more than half of all away league games are going to require a plane ticket, which isn't ideal. Once two Dallas clubs are added (either ECNL club's 3rd teams or some smaller club's 1st teams), the map will look a lot better.
While the GA League looks pretty good in some parts of the country with regards to time and travel and costs, this TX/OK/CO/KS/MO union looks to be a pretty expensive proposition for what is likely to be 2nd or 3rd tier competition in the region. That's completely flipped from last year, when the same was more likely to have been said about ECNL.
ECNL appears to have scored a decisive victory in Texas. Things sure can, and did, change in a hurry.
Surf Zombie
GOLD
Up here in the north east ECNL was always strong than GDA but now it’s by a landslide over GAL.
GAL Northeast:
25. NEFC
32. SSS
82. Oakwood
NA- STA, Cedar Stars Academy, Long Island SC, New York SC, Seacoast United
ECNL Northeast:
3. PDA
33. World Class FC
34. FC Stars
42. Maryland United
48. SUSA
57. East Meadow
60. Match Fit
61. Scorpions
64. CFC
91. Penn Fusion
93. Bethesda
NA Pipeline, Bucks, FC Delco, FSA
Looks like a clear consolidation for Texas in favor of ECNL per the Soccerwire Top 100 national club rankings.
Texas ECNL:
2. Solar
5. FC Dallas
21. Sting Dallas
27. DKSC
43. Albion
62. Challenge
66. Texans
92. Tulsa SC
97. Classics Elite
NR Sting Austin
NR Oklahoma Celtic
And apparently Sting Austin (from Lonestar), Oklahoma Celtic (from Energy), and Challenge and Albion (from Dash) have already picked up a lot of new top players for next year and should be much stronger.
Frontier GA:
26. Sporting Blue Valley
29 Lonestar
64. Lou Fusz
74. Dash
87. Colorado Rush
NR Oklahoma Energy
NR Rise SC
NR West Side Alliance
NR San Antonio City FC
Several current GA clubs in the Top 100 will struggle to hold those spots with all the rumored player defections to ECNL.
Texas ECNL:
2. Solar
5. FC Dallas
21. Sting Dallas
27. DKSC
43. Albion
62. Challenge
66. Texans
92. Tulsa SC
97. Classics Elite
NR Sting Austin
NR Oklahoma Celtic
And apparently Sting Austin (from Lonestar), Oklahoma Celtic (from Energy), and Challenge and Albion (from Dash) have already picked up a lot of new top players for next year and should be much stronger.
Frontier GA:
26. Sporting Blue Valley
29 Lonestar
64. Lou Fusz
74. Dash
87. Colorado Rush
NR Oklahoma Energy
NR Rise SC
NR West Side Alliance
NR San Antonio City FC
Several current GA clubs in the Top 100 will struggle to hold those spots with all the rumored player defections to ECNL.
Much better!!
Surf Zombie
GOLD
Desert Hound
DA
Where do you see "All In"?Sporting Blue Valley
www.sportingbvsoccer.org
SBV “All In” to ECNL regional league.
ChalkOnYourBoots
BRONZE
Cleveland Force also announced participation in ECRL. Not clear either of these directly threatens the roster of clubs that have been announced for GAL. Probably clubs just hedging their bets and getting a foot in the door with ECNL, just in case. Regardless, not a great pair of announcements for those promoting GAL.
Desert Hound
DA
I kind of wonder if they announced that wrong.
Looking at their home page, they already have added in GA to their offer. And on their FB page on the 10th they were talking GA.
Anyway. Not saying you are wrong.
youthsportsugh
SILVER ELITE
I would guess that is the case since as a DA club they were not that strong, but I think they might have only been a DA club for 1 year.
Surf Zombie
GOLD
Yeah, who knows. Their website is a bit of a mess. ECNL will probably put out an announcement soon about whatever clubs are in that regional league.
Sounds like Sting Dallas is getting a 2nd ECNL team. There was a need for another team to be a travel partner for the other five teams, but giving a 3rd team to Sting is a really bad look for ECNL.
Sting Austin was probably the worst club in all of ECNL last year, but they managed to keep their spot while nearby Lonestar was shunned. Sting Dallas is probably no better than the 4th best club in Dallas, but somehow they also get a 2nd Dallas team (and not Solar, whose 2nd teams competed quite well in ECNL last year)?
The Texas ECNL Conference is going to be quite good, but it could have easily been better.
Sting Austin was probably the worst club in all of ECNL last year, but they managed to keep their spot while nearby Lonestar was shunned. Sting Dallas is probably no better than the 4th best club in Dallas, but somehow they also get a 2nd Dallas team (and not Solar, whose 2nd teams competed quite well in ECNL last year)?
The Texas ECNL Conference is going to be quite good, but it could have easily been better.
texanincali
SILVER ELITE
I don't know, but that would explain the decision as keeping out Lonestar and Solar 2 for Sting Austin and Sting Dallas 2 is pretty indefensible from a soccer perspective. So it's just about money, which I guess is a bit reassuring in a way (the people making these decisions aren't idiots, they just have a different motivation than the rest of us).
Surf Zombie
GOLD
In the north east there is PDA (Blue) which is one of the best clubs in the country. The PDA (White) as their second team, which is middle of the road. And they just added PDA south, which is in a different part of the state, but a 3rd team for PDA? Not a great look.
GeekKid
SILVER ELITE
ECNL Board of Directors:
At-Large: Christian Lavers (Director of Coaching - FC Wisconsin)
At-Large: Mike O’Neill (Director of Coaching - PDA)
At-Large: Doug Landefeld (Executive Director/VP - MI Hawks)
At-Large: Sarah Kate Noftsinger (Atlanta United (MLS) - Dir. of Marketing (former ECNL commissioner))
Mid-Atlantic Conference: Jay Howell (Executive Director/Director of Soccer - Richmond Utd)
Midwest Conference: Rory Dames (President/Director of ECNL - Eclipse)
Northeast Conference: Jason Dewhurst (Director of ECNL Girls - FC Stars)
Northwest Conference: Patrick Uriz (Director of Coaching - Mustangs)
Ohio Valley Conference: Doug Bracken (Director of Coaching - Ohio Elite)
Southeast Conference: Campbell Chapman (Technical Director/Girls Director/Girls ECNL Director - GSA)
Southwest Conference: Tom Amick (Director of ECNL – Heat FC)
Texas Conference: Kenny Medina (Director of Coaching - Sting)
ECNL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and non-stock corporation so there is no general voting membership, the board is the supreme governing body of the institution, and its members are sometimes chosen by the board itself (lifted from Wikipedia). As with any board they must conduct themselves to prevent any conflict or duty of interest either directly or implied. That being said all of the board members have a direct responsibility to ECNL but they also have guarded interest in the clubs they represent. Not granting membership to clubs such as Tophat, Quakes or LA Galaxy (all affiliates included) seems to be a convenient way to eliminate local competition and strengthen their club’s brand.
youthsportsugh
SILVER ELITE
I think the Quakes and Galaxy got rid of their girls programs without entertaining or waiting on acceptance to ECNL or GAL or whatever platform, so that might not be a thing for those 2 clubs. Now not accepting a program/club like Tophat which by all accounts I have seen is a top notch club might seem to have a ring of keeping out the competition.