The RTC line actually makes sense because it's to seg into the ODP program which is in theory at least supposed to seg into national ID.
Your statement that ECNL and the Academy system play the same role is ridiculous. Let's take each of your pieces. "Fill the same role". That's a hard no. The function of the academies is to turn out professional players. The function of the MLS Next non-academy teams is to serve as cannon fodder for the MLS Academy teams and as a recruitment and talent identifying arena for the MLS Academies. ECNL has no such function because ECNL does not have a professional pathway.
"Attract similar quality kids". That's a hard no as well. One of the main questions that's been raised in these forums is the constant complaints about kids and teams who don't deserve to be in ECNL. The argument is that ECNL is too dispersed having too many teams. By contrast, the MLS Academy system in Los Angeles has only 2 academy teams. In the 07, 08, 09 divisions there are just 1 or 2 teams that can have a chance to beat the academies and there is a vast difference in the quality of play from the academy to some of the border regions with less of a population base like Murrieta.
"play similar quality games". At the older levels, league and to some extent showcase play in the MLS Next System is academy to academy, as well as international. ECNL has no mechanism by which the very top players play each other except the regional select teams, which don't train on a yearly basis, but on a select basis. In the MLS system, the future pros are playing the future pros.
And let's take one you didn't mention: training. The MLS Academy players routinely practice several hours a day including conditioning sessions. Even the MLS Next teams in Los Angeles, whether TFA, Laufa, or Surf, don't maintain the schedule the LA Galaxy players do, particularly once they hit the high school years. The MLS Next players have a restriction with the field time available and school work. The Academy players are told that their academy work comes before school and they have the facilities at the club to access to the field space. There are quite a few academy players as a result who do alternate school such as online schooling. It is absolutely ridiculous for you to suggest that even the top ECNL teams, whether boy or girl, is anywhere in the neighborhood of the MLS Academies in terms of workload.
They are no where near each other buddy. Less so if you take the top teams in England versus the pro academies there which are even more hard core and at the teen levels are basically training half the day. It's why the proposed rules apply to the top academies, and not to the highest flights of what in England they recognize as kiddie ball for everyone else. I'm sorry dude, your DD is not playing anything close to academy ball. Even the US academy players are barely playing academy ball. It's really just glorified kiddie soccer whose primary pathway is colleges, not pro. It's why ultimately the rest of the world has caught up with our USWNT and this year there is a lot of hang ringing over whether they can still maintain their form. Your statement that they are equivalent is indeed one of the most laughable things you have ever written on these forums.