Draining the swamp..Oregon clubs registered in the ECNL

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thornz makes no sense. Expensive and you have to give up your high school life to participate.

You have to give up your high school life to earn a position on the national team and pro womens soccer.

The GDA $15,000 per year cost is a easy investment decision to make. Not going to college will save a ton of money. The pro womens soccer players in the US make big bucks.

NWSL increased its minimum salary from $6,842/year in 2015 to $7,200/year in 2016. The league’s maximum salary — which applied to both domestic and international players outside of those whose salaries are subsidized by a federation — increased from $37,800 to $39,700.


That is serious money. Almost over the federal poverty line!

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Rumor has it the thorns have a direct pipeline to casher positions at the Walgreens across the street so that their players have a 2nd income. Added bonus is the 10% employee discounts on prescriptions.

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Getting rid of High School soccer maybe the only thing that GDA has right. High School soccer is very poor. They don't train enough and there is no development for three months. The best players should be running away from High School soccer

But plenty won't.

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Rumor has it the thorns have a direct pipeline to casher positions at the Walgreens across the street so that their players have a 2nd income. Added bonus is the 10% employee discounts on prescriptions.

No. You have it all wrong. Thorns players make extra cash working at the Timbers camps. It's genius really - players get some extra pocket money to augment those impressive four figure salaries, and Timbers rake in the cash from suckers who sign up for their camps.

[Unregistered]

You have to give up your high school life to earn a position on the national team and pro womens soccer.

The GDA $15,000 per year cost is a easy investment decision to make. Not going to college will save a ton of money. The pro womens soccer players in the US make big bucks.

NWSL increased its minimum salary from $6,842/year in 2015 to $7,200/year in 2016. The league’s maximum salary — which applied to both domestic and international players outside of those whose salaries are subsidized by a federation — increased from $37,800 to $39,700.


That is serious money. Almost over the federal poverty line!

The GDA may cost the Portland Thorns & US Soccer $15k per player, but those selected for the Portland Thorns program will only pay a security deposit in the amount of 10x less than the 15K estimate. If US Soccer and the Portland Thorns are going to subsidize the program at a level close to the Boys Academy, guess what out of state players will come to the area just to have this once in a lifetime pd experience never thinking about playing HS Soccer as something they must give up. You folks don't get it, there will be plenty of applicants for Spots in the Thorns Academy with all it's benefits that no other local club can even match on a cost or competitive basis. This choice is over before it even began. No club in Oregon can even dream of doing this unless all the DOC's and front office tourney directors decided they would not be paid and isnted give hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the players and parents for the good of the girls game. Not happening.

[Unregistered]

The GDA may cost the Portland Thorns & US Soccer $15k per player, but those selected for the Portland Thorns program will only pay a security deposit in the amount of 10x less than the 15K estimate. If US Soccer and the Portland Thorns are going to subsidize the program at a level close to the Boys Academy, guess what out of state players will come to the area just to have this once in a lifetime pd experience never thinking about playing HS Soccer as something they must give up. You folks don't get it, there will be plenty of applicants for Spots in the Thorns Academy with all it's benefits that no other local club can even match on a cost or competitive basis. This choice is over before it even began. No club in Oregon can even dream of doing this unless all the DOC's and front office tourney directors decided they would not be paid and isnted give hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the players and parents for the good of the girls game. Not happening.

It's not happening for the other clubs in the area as they didn't get accepted into the GDA this first go around, but they can hope for another chance to be considered in the future for sure. For now it's back to the drawing board.

[Unregistered]

It's not happening for the other clubs in the area as they didn't get accepted into the GDA this first go around, but they can hope for another chance to be considered in the future for sure. For now it's back to the drawing board.

They wanted DA for the boys but not girls (Crossfire & FCP) because they would lose money from ECNL if they moved the girls to GDA... GDA at those clubs would mean more scholarships for lower income players... which would flush out the white high income cash cow they are enjoying now.

[Unregistered]

The GDA may cost the Portland Thorns & US Soccer $15k per player, but those selected for the Portland Thorns program will only pay a security deposit in the amount of 10x less than the 15K estimate. If US Soccer and the Portland Thorns are going to subsidize the program at a level close to the Boys Academy, guess what out of state players will come to the area just to have this once in a lifetime pd experience never thinking about playing HS Soccer as something they must give up. You folks don't get it, there will be plenty of applicants for Spots in the Thorns Academy with all it's benefits that no other local club can even match on a cost or competitive basis. This choice is over before it even began. No club in Oregon can even dream of doing this unless all the DOC's and front office tourney directors decided they would not be paid and isnted give hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the players and parents for the good of the girls game. Not happening.

I actually hope this is true. It will be a hoot and a half to watch all those bottom feeder players thorns scraped together this year get bumped off the team in favor of this huge influx of out of state players (eye roll). It will be funnier to watch them all crawl and grovel their way back to their old TA teams. Funniest of all is that every single thorns parent reading this is thinking "well...maybe that's true but my little Mia will never get cut."

[Unregistered]

Getting rid of High School soccer maybe the only thing that GDA has right. High School soccer is very poor. They don't train enough and there is no development for three months. The best players should be running away from High School soccer

You are high.

[Unregistered]

High is thinking that the GDA will be funded like the boys and that High School soccer is of any quality. It is a waste of time for quality players

[Unregistered]

High is thinking that the GDA will be funded like the boys and that High School soccer is of any quality. It is a waste of time for quality players

The reality is the majority of boys DA clubs aren't funded by a parent MLS club, Portland is an exception in the USDA structure and funding is unique to the cities/states that field MLS teams.

The NWSL is also in Portland as the flagship team in the upstart league and as such will extend funding to those players selected for it's Portland Thorns Girls Development Academy.

Not really something to get 'high' about.

Excited of course.

[Unregistered]

High is thinking that the GDA will be funded like the boys and that High School soccer is of any quality. It is a waste of time for quality players

GDA will not be funded save the few clubs that are doing it (less than half a dozen). A "quality" player may not advance the way USSF wants in the 3+ months of HS soccer but most will learn things - you have to play differently in HS (better anticipation of teammate and opponent weaknesses), if you're that good you're a leader on the team etc. Then there's the social aspect which as much as USSF thinks it doesn't matter? It does. Boys didn't have a choice but to give up HS; girls will.

[Unregistered]

GDA will not be funded save the few clubs that are doing it (less than half a dozen). A "quality" player may not advance the way USSF wants in the 3+ months of HS soccer but most will learn things - you have to play differently in HS (better anticipation of teammate and opponent weaknesses), if you're that good you're a leader on the team etc. Then there's the social aspect which as much as USSF thinks it doesn't matter? It does. Boys didn't have a choice but to give up HS; girls will.

The (G)USDA is being funded by US Soccer first and foremost (based on financial need or exceptional ability) so far clubs like Portland Thorn and few other MLS/NWSL clubs have offered scholarships or full rides to the girls in their GDA club, which is amazing and truly remarkable given the reality female soccer players are not turning pro for the most part.

On the other hand Title IX has created college scholarships for a generation of ladies that would never of gotten one for playing a sport, especially a non revenue lower tiered american version of girls soccer. It is what it is.

US Soccer is disgusted with the business model and total lack of oversight involved in the art of 'showcasing' girls for college coaches and wants to end this charade with it's own Development Academy in an effort to stay relevant with the emerging countries that are quickly passing our US Gals, see North Korea as the most recent example of county passing the US girls.

It's difficult to argue with the facts.

[Unregistered]

The (G)USDA is being funded by US Soccer first and foremost (based on financial need or exceptional ability) so far clubs like Portland Thorn and few other MLS/NWSL clubs have offered scholarships or full rides to the girls in their GDA club, which is amazing and truly remarkable given the reality female soccer players are not turning pro for the most part.

On the other hand Title IX has created college scholarships for a generation of ladies that would never of gotten one for playing a sport, especially a non revenue lower tiered american version of girls soccer. It is what it is.

US Soccer is disgusted with the business model and total lack of oversight involved in the art of 'showcasing' girls for college coaches and wants to end this charade with it's own Development Academy in an effort to stay relevant with the emerging countries that are quickly passing our US Gals, see North Korea as the most recent example of county passing the US girls.

It's difficult to argue with the facts.

Good luck with that. It's worked so well on the men's side even with MLS support and a pro path.

[Unregistered]

We are glad to be part of the boys' DA at the younger ages and consider it an achievement when one of our boys players is selected for the Timbers Academy at the older ages.

ECNL has been good for club/families and we are committed to the platform.

We will continue to monitor what is going on regionally and nationally (it is fluid with the boys equivalent of ECNL and Girls equivalent of DA coming on line next year), but for the foreseeable future we believe the best platform for our most ambitious players once they hit HS are:

(i) boys DA
(ii) girls ECNL