ECNL v DA

[Unregistered]

We are at the point where the DA/ECNL patch on the shoulder is a “scarlet letter”, marking players & clubs that are well down the road of mediocrity, but celebrating it like it means something significant. League-based elitism is killing American soccer.

[Unregistered]

We are at the point where the DA/ECNL patch on the shoulder is a “scarlet letter”, marking players & clubs that are well down the road of mediocrity, but celebrating it like it means something significant. League-based elitism is killing American soccer.

MLS is not helping either.....

Money rules the game, and nothing else.

[Unregistered]

I cant do a damm thing about any of it. I will continue to help my players make the best choices for them, then will be thrilled when we're out of the cesspool

[Unregistered]

I cant do a damm thing about any of it. I will continue to help my players make the best choices for them, then will be thrilled when we're out of the cesspool

Yes. Good luck navigating through all the crap. If soccer were not such a great sport, no one would tolerate all this nonsense.

[Unregistered]

MLS is not helping either.....

Money rules the game, and nothing else.

If clubs are able to make money by producing great players then it will work .... this is how the world does it and is why we are where we are. They will see ROI ... as it is now, they just see cost. We will finally get an elite pyramid (on the men's side anyway) where the top is absolutely free and only for very elite players ... you cant just pay $4-5k and get your kid a sleeve patch, as we have now. Agree though that our elitism system is killing the sport entirely. Look for kids that play other sports to start switching to the most competitive one (likely not soccer) when it comes down to it .... we will lose some of our best to other sports unless this is corrected.

[Unregistered]

If clubs are able to make money by producing great players then it will work .... this is how the world does it and is why we are where we are. They will see ROI ... as it is now, they just see cost. We will finally get an elite pyramid (on the men's side anyway) where the top is absolutely free and only for very elite players ... you cant just pay $4-5k and get your kid a sleeve patch, as we have now. Agree though that our elitism system is killing the sport entirely. Look for kids that play other sports to start switching to the most competitive one (likely not soccer) when it comes down to it .... we will lose some of our best to other sports unless this is corrected.

think it is already happening. is this soccer or polo? getting hard to tell with all the money required to play it.

[Unregistered]

If clubs are able to make money by producing great players then it will work .... this is how the world does it and is why we are where we are. They will see ROI ... as it is now, they just see cost. We will finally get an elite pyramid (on the men's side anyway) where the top is absolutely free and only for very elite players ... you cant just pay $4-5k and get your kid a sleeve patch, as we have now. Agree though that our elitism system is killing the sport entirely. Look for kids that play other sports to start switching to the most competitive one (likely not soccer) when it comes down to it .... we will lose some of our best to other sports unless this is corrected.

Not sure where you’ve been, but the top of the pyramid is 100% free right now. There are only two MLS clubs that charge their players anything.

[Unregistered]

^ agreed but even MLS clubs would live to not have all this nonsense travel. It costs them big money.. They also have to train a ton of players to find the rare gem. Then once they've polished the gem they get little in return for it.

[Unregistered]

Not sure where you’ve been, but the top of the pyramid is 100% free right now. There are only two MLS clubs that charge their players anything.

Most times you will have to shell out some real $ on the path to MLS. Geography and transportation also limits MLS radius but as more start residential programs that will improve. However, they'd rather pay to house/educate/train far fewer players who really have a shot vs larger numbers who are simply college material(which is the vast majority of DA players, even those at MLS clubs). MLS really wants to call theirboqn shots and it's questionable how much longer they will stay in DA.

[Unregistered]

If clubs are able to make money by producing great players then it will work .... this is how the world does it and is why we are where we are. They will see ROI ... as it is now, they just see cost. We will finally get an elite pyramid (on the men's side anyway) where the top is absolutely free and only for very elite players ... you cant just pay $4-5k and get your kid a sleeve patch, as we have now. Agree though that our elitism system is killing the sport entirely. Look for kids that play other sports to start switching to the most competitive one (likely not soccer) when it comes down to it .... we will lose some of our best to other sports unless this is corrected.

Let me ask you something. Should coaches work for free? If they did, exactly should the money come from to cover the expenses? Fields. Tournaments. Leagues. Referees. Indoor time. If you think that you can keep players local to keep the costs down and develop top players, you’re high. Cracks me up when people fail to use logic and spout nonsense. I’ve had three kids come up playing soccer. One was very good. One stopped playing. And one currently playing. In each instance, the investment was worth it for different reasons.

[Unregistered]

^ agreed but even MLS clubs would live to not have all this nonsense travel. It costs them big money.. They also have to train a ton of players to find the rare gem. Then once they've polished the gem they get little in return for it.

The MLS owners were getting tired of throwing money down the development rat hole, and witnessing their top youth prospects leave for free when a European team came calling (think Weston McKennie/FC Dallas).

They then got wise and told Garber to agree to training compensation and solidarity payment scheme so as they could get some $$$$ when the euro clubs came calling. MLS clubs also started pushing their top 15/16 year olds to sign pro contracts to lock them up. They dump them in their USL reserve squad and hope for the best.....

[Unregistered]

Let me ask you something. Should coaches work for free? If they did, exactly should the money come from to cover the expenses? Fields. Tournaments. Leagues. Referees. Indoor time. If you think that you can keep players local to keep the costs down and develop top players, you’re high. Cracks me up when people fail to use logic and spout nonsense. I’ve had three kids come up playing soccer. One was very good. One stopped playing. And one currently playing. In each instance, the investment was worth it for different reasons.

Nope, in my world, coaches would get paid far more than now .... and they would be worth it. No more parent coaches in GDA and ECNL and everything (including travel) would easily be covered. You are either dense or have no clue how big boy soccer works. Take guys like Reyna or Pulisic. Their clubs would basically sell their rights to european clubs for millions which would fund their development and every team before and after them for decades ... and that is only with a single top player. The best clubs in the country would turn a few of these guys out a year .... honestly, I could see top MLS academies making more in player transfer fees than MLS revenues. So, the only one failing to use logic is you, you f'ing moron! You know what's even better?! The pretenders will quickly be forced out and more power would go to the clubs doing it right. Everyone with talent would flock to these meccas and the top ones .... even moreso. No dropping your checkbook at the front desk to earn a shiny patch sleeve. I would have to imaging that SoCal, TX, NY Metro, FL, and a handful of other places would amass the most amazing teams that no current team could touch! When MLS drops out of DA, watch what happens .... scattered talent from all over DA will flock to those places strengthening them infinitely and they will be untouchable. On the girls side, this will be nearly impossible to do as girls sports worldwide are never profitable. Oh well.

[Unregistered]

Nope, in my world, coaches would get paid far more than now .... and they would be worth it. No more parent coaches in GDA and ECNL and everything (including travel) would easily be covered. You are either dense or have no clue how big boy soccer works. Take guys like Reyna or Pulisic. Their clubs would basically sell their rights to european clubs for millions which would fund their development and every team before and after them for decades ... and that is only with a single top player. The best clubs in the country would turn a few of these guys out a year .... honestly, I could see top MLS academies making more in player transfer fees than MLS revenues. So, the only one failing to use logic is you, you f'ing moron! You know what's even better?! The pretenders will quickly be forced out and more power would go to the clubs doing it right. Everyone with talent would flock to these meccas and the top ones .... even moreso. No dropping your checkbook at the front desk to earn a shiny patch sleeve. I would have to imaging that SoCal, TX, NY Metro, FL, and a handful of other places would amass the most amazing teams that no current team could touch! When MLS drops out of DA, watch what happens .... scattered talent from all over DA will flock to those places strengthening them infinitely and they will be untouchable. On the girls side, this will be nearly impossible to do as girls sports worldwide are never profitable. Oh well.

Perhaps we should be careful to celebrate the European and South American system of signing little kids into contracts and training them with the intention of selling them, often as minors. There is a lot wrong with how these European academies go about their business and the trail of illiterate poor kids tossed from their academies at 15 years old is endless.

[Unregistered]

Perhaps we should be careful to celebrate the European and South American system of signing little kids into contracts and training them with the intention of selling them, often as minors. There is a lot wrong with how these European academies go about their business and the trail of illiterate poor kids tossed from their academies at 15 years old is endless.

We toss our poor kids way before 15.

[Unregistered]

Nope, in my world, coaches would get paid far more than now .... and they would be worth it. No more parent coaches in GDA and ECNL and everything (including travel) would easily be covered. You are either dense or have no clue how big boy soccer works. Take guys like Reyna or Pulisic. Their clubs would basically sell their rights to european clubs for millions which would fund their development and every team before and after them for decades ... and that is only with a single top player. The best clubs in the country would turn a few of these guys out a year .... honestly, I could see top MLS academies making more in player transfer fees than MLS revenues. So, the only one failing to use logic is you, you f'ing moron! You know what's even better?! The pretenders will quickly be forced out and more power would go to the clubs doing it right. Everyone with talent would flock to these meccas and the top ones .... even moreso. No dropping your checkbook at the front desk to earn a shiny patch sleeve. I would have to imaging that SoCal, TX, NY Metro, FL, and a handful of other places would amass the most amazing teams that no current team could touch! When MLS drops out of DA, watch what happens .... scattered talent from all over DA will flock to those places strengthening them infinitely and they will be untouchable. On the girls side, this will be nearly impossible to do as girls sports worldwide are never profitable. Oh well.

When MLS drops out of DA, there will be no more DA. DA was set up for the cream of the crop, and if MLS leaves they take the cream out of the DA, leaving the DA pointless. Kids who are good enough will be absorbed by pro clubs (MLS, USL, etc.) and they will play for free. All the rest will stay in the pay-to-play system and go to college.