Serious question about GA in VA

[Guest]

By success of teams we’re talking about success in number and quality of college commits, right? Not judging success by wins or performances in showcases. That’s really the measure that matters to ECNL/GA players.

They really go hand in hand. Wins can be representative of both team level and amount of quality on a team. Winning against top teams means you are a top team and likely have more than just a couple of quality players. Playing top teams close but ultimately and consistently losing means, that while still a good team, you lack the same number of quality players as the top teams overall. Show me a bad ECNL or GA team that placed their starters in top soccer programs. Sure, a couple of players here and there might make a P5 school but most are going to Mid majors at best with a majority going to lower ranked D1 programs with some D2 and D3's to round out the bunch. Top, elite teams place by far the most players in top college programs.

And before anyone gets offended, elite players are hard to come by but top players are more readily available. The overall difference between good players and top players usually comes down to consistency of play over time. In a close game that consistency is what over time will overtake what is otherwise a good team with lots of good players. The difference is one team had more consistent players over the course of the game.

[Guest]

They really go hand in hand. Wins can be representative of both team level and amount of quality on a team. Winning against top teams means you are a top team and likely have more than just a couple of quality players. Playing top teams close but ultimately and consistently losing means, that while still a good team, you lack the same number of quality players as the top teams overall. Show me a bad ECNL or GA team that placed their starters in top soccer programs. Sure, a couple of players here and there might make a P5 school but most are going to Mid majors at best with a majority going to lower ranked D1 programs with some D2 and D3's to round out the bunch. Top, elite teams place by far the most players in top college programs.

And before anyone gets offended, elite players are hard to come by but top players are more readily available. The overall difference between good players and top players usually comes down to consistency of play over time. In a close game that consistency is what over time will overtake what is otherwise a good team with lots of good players. The difference is one team had more consistent players over the course of the game.

Ok that’s a lot of words but I’ll stand by the original statement. Wins are but one signal but college commits are the ultimate metric. It’s public and tangible and anyone can easily tell if a club is consistently performing or falling off. USWNT and pro players make for good PR but it’s more like winning the lottery for a club than something they did to deserve it. College commits are the measure.

[Guest]

Don’t lose sight of the fact, though, that even though US Soccer may have failed, they weren’t wrong in their analysis that most of these amateur clubs, ECNL or otherwise, are terrible.

US soccer was absolutely wrong in their asssessment. So much so, they failed. On top of that, they made it worse. They had zero intentions of setting up a real structure. They did this to soften the blow of the lawsuit brought forth by the USWNT. As soon as it was settled, the DA collapsed. Instead of working with the ECNL they tried to destroy it - and loss. Think about that - the USSF loss to youth soccer league.

and please stop with the "we need academies like Europe" - you must have money generating pro teams to fund it. We don't have it and never will. Truith be told - money generated by girls DA went to NWSL - so who was funding who?

[Guest]

Ok that’s a lot of words but I’ll stand by the original statement. Wins are but one signal but college commits are the ultimate metric. It’s public and tangible and anyone can easily tell if a club is consistently performing or falling off. USWNT and pro players make for good PR but it’s more like winning the lottery for a club than something they did to deserve it. College commits are the measure.

Photo ops and commitment announcements are propaganda for the club. You need to dive deeper to understand. Don't get caught up in the shining lights without knowing what is really going on behind the scenes. Talk to parents of committed kids - you will learn a lot.

[Guest]

Ok that’s a lot of words but I’ll stand by the original statement. Wins are but one signal but college commits are the ultimate metric. It’s public and tangible and anyone can easily tell if a club is consistently performing or falling off. USWNT and pro players make for good PR but it’s more like winning the lottery for a club than something they did to deserve it. College commits are the measure.

I'll simplify it for you. Bad teams do not have high college commitment rates.

[Guest]

US soccer was absolutely wrong in their asssessment. So much so, they failed. On top of that, they made it worse. They had zero intentions of setting up a real structure. They did this to soften the blow of the lawsuit brought forth by the USWNT. As soon as it was settled, the DA collapsed. Instead of working with the ECNL they tried to destroy it - and loss. Think about that - the USSF loss to youth soccer league.

and please stop with the "we need academies like Europe" - you must have money generating pro teams to fund it. We don't have it and never will. Truith be told - money generated by girls DA went to NWSL - so who was funding who?

BS. The US system doesn’t develop quality, which is what US Soccer knew. It’s plainly apparent on the men’s side and will continue to become more and more apparent on the women’s side.

[Guest]

BS. The US system doesn’t develop quality, which is what US Soccer knew. It’s plainly apparent on the men’s side and will continue to become more and more apparent on the women’s side.

Let me get this straight - you think that US soccer stepped in with good intentions to fulfill a need for girls soccer because they saw a lack of quality? You stand on that?

if so, explain to me why they pulled out and where the money went.

[Guest]

Let me get this straight - you think that US soccer stepped in with good intentions to fulfill a need for girls soccer because they saw a lack of quality? You stand on that?

if so, explain to me why they pulled out and where the money went.

US Soccer had to step into the girls side - Title IX. That said, though, the quality of US Soccer, men and women, is very poor.

[Guest]

GA may leave a lot to be desired as a league and FCV seems to be a lightning rod for controversy, but it’s better to have more competition for clubs and leagues, imo.

[Guest]

Ok that’s a lot of words but I’ll stand by the original statement. Wins are but one signal but college commits are the ultimate metric. It’s public and tangible and anyone can easily tell if a club is consistently performing or falling off. USWNT and pro players make for good PR but it’s more like winning the lottery for a club than something they did to deserve it. College commits are the measure.

Plenty of clubs have commits to high ranking programs but what they don't show is how many of those players never suit up, drop out of soccer in 1-2yrs, or transfer to lower tiered schools. That is why ECNL has on the application what accomplishments have the clubs players had at college. If a club sends half a dozen players every year to top P5 schools but they rarely play, quite, or transfer all it shows me is that the club doesn't care about the player finding the right fit to continue in college.

[Guest]

Plenty of clubs have commits to high ranking programs but what they don't show is how many of those players never suit up, drop out of soccer in 1-2yrs, or transfer to lower tiered schools. That is why ECNL has on the application what accomplishments have the clubs players had at college. If a club sends half a dozen players every year to top P5 schools but they rarely play, quite, or transfer all it shows me is that the club doesn't care about the player finding the right fit to continue in college.

Plenty of kids get into top colleges but don’t graduate or have trouble finding a job and have unsuccessful lives. That’s not on their high school which did all they could to prepare them.

[Guest]

Plenty of kids get into top colleges but don’t graduate or have trouble finding a job and have unsuccessful lives. That’s not on their high school which did all they could to prepare them.

That’s a bad comparison if you’re talking public high school. Maybe private high schools that parents and kids can select and pay for. If a private high school had a consistent record of top college acceptance and then a high drop out and failure rate then yes, people would think there’s a problem with that high school.

[Guest]

Kids leave or quit programs because they soon realize they are nothing more than bench depth players. Perhaps a little adult quidance beforehand could prevent this - but no - everyone wants to overplay their hand to flex.

Here is a good indicator - if they're not offering significant athletic money - you're a depth player. Aim lower and swallow your pride.

[Guest]

I'm not sure that we know why a player is not playing. Injury? Missed practice for a school commitment? It is school you know. The goal is a worthwhile degree - not minutes on a soccer field.

[Guest]

I'm not sure that we know why a player is not playing. Injury? Missed practice for a school commitment? It is school you know. The goal is a worthwhile degree - not minutes on a soccer field.

What coach sits a kid because they missed a practice due to a HS commitment?