Another excellent article

[Unregistered]

Ecnl might be the best path in the NW and other areas for now but GDA is thinking of allowing hs soccer to entice more of the better players over to Academy. Ecnl will lose many players if GDA does that.

However, if ecnl goes to graduation year age groups they will win the war for top players. At least 99.9% of them. And then the .1% will follow as well.

[Unregistered]

2019/2/6/18212846/mls-is-spoiling-the-start-of-andrew-gutmans-pro-career#comments

However, if ecnl goes to graduation year age groups they will win the war for top players. At least 99.9% of them. And then the .1% will follow as well.

Given the number of top players in Oregon, 0.1% of top players would basically consist of some girl's left foot and ankle.

[Unregistered]

You started so well and ended so poorly. What you want exists today if you simply allow your child to play below the Premier division where playing with classmates is allowed. Asking for a special league or rule changes for everybody so your child can play in a league labeled Premier or ECNL or GDA is entitled behavior. Check the ego and let the kids choose their path.

Your missing the point - not asking for special rules for DA. Fed should do whatever they think is right for the that top .001. ECNL should design program around their target.

Everything below that? US Soccer, MLS/NWSL, should stay out of it. They have done more harm then good. We shouldn't be designing programs for the .001% at level.

Don't care what league I play in or my child plays in is called - irrelevant.

[Unregistered]

Your missing the point - not asking for special rules for DA. Fed should do whatever they think is right for the that top .001. ECNL should design program around their target.

Everything below that? US Soccer, MLS/NWSL, should stay out of it. They have done more harm then good. We shouldn't be designing programs for the .001% at level.

Don't care what league I play in or my child plays in is called - irrelevant.

I understand your point but disagree that anything needs to change. Everything you want is available today. All of the leagues below the Premier division will allow classmates to play together. With that in mind, the only thing you could really be asking for is the top divisions to cater to folks who want classmates to play together.

To find and develop the top player pool with the most efficiency, the entire system needs to support and funnel to that end. The .001% don't just sign up to play for the top divisions they are developed and found through the lower divisions with massive error correction as they grow through the U11-U19 ranks.

[Unregistered]

This may come as a surprise to you, but there are talented soccer players in Oregon and beyond who want to play soccer at a competitive level, and in many cases play in college, but who do not aspire to play professionally or on the national team.

Please enlighten me as to what leagues within the state of Oregon, or the Pacific Northwest, are in place for these players to play with school year teams. I'll wait. And sorry if I am "entitled" for asking you to provide evidence of your "options."

The change to birth year teams was a disaster.
-No team to play on for older 8th graders.
-No team for seniors to play on when the rest of their team has graduated.
-Having to combine u18 & u19 into one team because of birth year, means fewer kids can be fostered
-Young kids start playing rec with their grade mates. They all used to move to club as they got older and better. Not as many go club now when they realize they’ll be split onto different birth year teams
-college coaches don’t care about birth year; college coaches want to be able to evaluate the same graduation year players against their same graduation class. Can’t evealuate well when some of them are playing with one grade below players and the other group is playing with one grade above kids. About 2/3 are playing down a grade and about 1/3 are playing up a grade. That’s a 2 grade difference - and it’s happening on every team! No one is happy. The college coaches aren’t happy. The kids forced to play down a grade aren’t happy. The kids forced to play up a grade aren’t happy.
-soccer participation is down 15% and will keep sliding downward if someone doesn’t come to their senses and switch to graduation year age groups like the smart and fastest growing sport of lacrosse.

[Unregistered]

The change to birth year teams was a disaster.
-No team to play on for older 8th graders.
-No team for seniors to play on when the rest of their team has graduated.
-Having to combine u18 & u19 into one team because of birth year, means fewer kids can be fostered
-Young kids start playing rec with their grade mates. They all used to move to club as they got older and better. Not as many go club now when they realize they’ll be split onto different birth year teams
-college coaches don’t care about birth year; college coaches want to be able to evaluate the same graduation year players against their same graduation class. Can’t evealuate well when some of them are playing with one grade below players and the other group is playing with one grade above kids. About 2/3 are playing down a grade and about 1/3 are playing up a grade. That’s a 2 grade difference - and it’s happening on every team! No one is happy. The college coaches aren’t happy. The kids forced to play down a grade aren’t happy. The kids forced to play up a grade aren’t happy.
-soccer participation is down 15% and will keep sliding downward if someone doesn’t come to their senses and switch to graduation year age groups like the smart and fastest growing sport of lacrosse.

The Biggest Sports in this Country that will never be in Jeopardy of being caught up to by a $$$ sport like LAX.

Once you arrive in the top 3 sports category:

AAU Basketball teams are not graduation year based are they?

Club Baseball teams are not graduation year based are they?

7 v 7 Club Football are not graduation year based are they?


When your in the business of trying sell parents on the notion of athletic scholarships for LAX you need to craft a sales pitch: like graduation year teams to get a buy in. Fringe sports with self funding and no local competition platform have to find a way to market their product. Which has nothing to do with sport popularity or talent. Just a way into the parents naive pockets.

See US Club league for Girls soccer for more evidence of the 'shine'.

[Unregistered]

The change to birth year teams was a disaster.
-No team to play on for older 8th graders.
-No team for seniors to play on when the rest of their team has graduated.
-Having to combine u18 & u19 into one team because of birth year, means fewer kids can be fostered
-Young kids start playing rec with their grade mates. They all used to move to club as they got older and better. Not as many go club now when they realize they’ll be split onto different birth year teams
-college coaches don’t care about birth year; college coaches want to be able to evaluate the same graduation year players against their same graduation class. Can’t evealuate well when some of them are playing with one grade below players and the other group is playing with one grade above kids. About 2/3 are playing down a grade and about 1/3 are playing up a grade. That’s a 2 grade difference - and it’s happening on every team! No one is happy. The college coaches aren’t happy. The kids forced to play down a grade aren’t happy. The kids forced to play up a grade aren’t happy.
-soccer participation is down 15% and will keep sliding downward if someone doesn’t come to their senses and switch to graduation year age groups like the smart and fastest growing sport of lacrosse.

Changing to graduation year age groups would definitely help ECNL attract players. Most girls want the best path to college.

[Unregistered]

Changing to graduation year age groups would definitely help ECNL attract players. Most girls want the best path to college.

DIII coaches agree with you. Smart move.

[Unregistered]

Changing to graduation year age groups would definitely help ECNL attract players. Most girls want the best path to college.

In Oregon, most top players already choose to play ecnl or oysa and get recruited to the same or better colleges than Oregon gda players. I think grad year teams would widen that gap, particularly at the 8th-9th transition and the junior-senior combined team fiasco with current birth year teams.

[Unregistered]

In Oregon, most top players already choose to play ecnl or oysa and get recruited to the same or better colleges than Oregon gda players. I think grad year teams would widen that gap, particularly at the 8th-9th transition and the junior-senior combined team fiasco with current birth year teams.

DIII coaches are grateful they stay with the local club and not the DA. It's brilliant.

[Unregistered]

In Oregon, most top players already choose to play ecnl or oysa and get recruited to the same or better colleges than Oregon gda players. I think grad year teams would widen that gap, particularly at the 8th-9th transition and the junior-senior combined team fiasco with current birth year teams.

I know of multiple players from oysa teams that are going Pac12 and other D1 schools. All 3 paths work just fine. It’s the player not the league.

[Unregistered]

I know of multiple players from oysa teams that are going Pac12 and other D1 schools. All 3 paths work just fine. It’s the player not the league.

Nationwide the DA has mostly D1 Players or National team selections.

USYS & US Club are open to all kinds of clubs and players, but with so many leagues they do have the most going to some type of college. Very few of this kids nationwide go to top 25 D1 Schools or Nat youth teams, like the DA platform.

The DA isn't really a level that allows Oregon to supply the same type of elite national level players in Cali, Texas, Ohio, Flordia and other prodigious states.

But the DA is the proving and recruiting ground for the Nation's elite youth and it's where the D1 coaches go to almost exclusively as they avoid USYS and US Club for the most part.

[Unregistered]

Nationwide the DA has mostly D1 Players or National team selections.

USYS & US Club are open to all kinds of clubs and players, but with so many leagues they do have the most going to some type of college. Very few of this kids nationwide go to top 25 D1 Schools or Nat youth teams, like the DA platform.

The DA isn't really a level that allows Oregon to supply the same type of elite national level players in Cali, Texas, Ohio, Flordia and other prodigious states.

But the DA is the proving and recruiting ground for the Nation's elite youth and it's where the D1 coaches go to almost exclusively as they avoid USYS and US Club for the most part.

I would bet more kids go D1 from ECNL then DA. Locally talent is forsure more heavy in ECNL. DA in PDX is struggling at best.

[Unregistered]

I would bet more kids go D1 from ECNL then DA. Locally talent is forsure more heavy in ECNL. DA in PDX is struggling at best.

Unfortunately the DA kids are the lion share of the top D1 recruits.... also Oregon's DA lands the kids at the highest levels higher than any local clubs

It's steep preferred platform for college coaches the DA that is for both boys and girls that's already happened

[Unregistered]

Nationwide the DA has mostly D1 Players or National team selections.

USYS & US Club are open to all kinds of clubs and players, but with so many leagues they do have the most going to some type of college. Very few of this kids nationwide go to top 25 D1 Schools or Nat youth teams, like the DA platform.

The DA isn't really a level that allows Oregon to supply the same type of elite national level players in Cali, Texas, Ohio, Flordia and other prodigious states.

But the DA is the proving and recruiting ground for the Nation's elite youth and it's where the D1 coaches go to almost exclusively as they avoid USYS and US Club for the most part.

Did one year of DA and said it sucked. They were one of the top DA clubs last year.

https://www.slammersfc.org/ncaa-nati...ng-day-update/


Michigan Hawks... one year of DA and now out as well.

https://www.michiganwolveshawks.com/...e-commitments/



ECNL list:

I saw a few FSU, Stanford, Penn State, etc...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...YRQ/edit#gid=0

DA is not bad, but no need to lie about things to make DA look better.