CDL vs USA vs NPL...

[Unregistered]

If your kid is that good then take him/her to TBU if you live in Tampa. You would be wasting your kids time with a USA League club, and you would be wasting your money. The only people that are going to tell you that college's scout the USA League are people associated with clubs that are stuck in the USA League, or parents of kids that play in the USA League. Don't believe me, pull up this years standings for the USA League, click on each team, once you get to their homepage, see just how many kids have been recruited from their club. Now do the same for WFF, Chargers, TBU and Strictly, and look how many of their kids have got recruited to play in college.

you have no clue, you are correct that scouts do not go to USA games. that is right. they also do not go to CDL or NPL games. they go to college showcase tournaments and later rounds of state cup. so you have proven that your HB's cool aid drinker

[Unregistered]

wrong

ENCL
FSPL
R3PLE
USA,NPL, CDL (tie)



You have to be a final 16 team in state cup to qualify for FSPL, the only league where you have to earn the spot. No politics, no club pressure, it's all on you

To get in R3PLE you have to be in the top 2-4 in state. Teams range from NC. SC, Ga and Florida. Again how is fspl above when it is strictly in state.

[Unregistered]

you have no clue, you are correct that scouts do not go to USA games. that is right. they also do not go to CDL or NPL games. they go to college showcase tournaments and later rounds of state cup. so you have proven that your HB's cool aid drinker

Looks like the Celtic President JM is back to bashing again, sorry that Celtic is stuck in the USA League, but facts are facts.

[Unregistered]

Looks like the Celtic President JM is back to bashing again, sorry that Celtic is stuck in the USA League, but facts are facts.

no i posted that, i am not celtic. what i said was correct. college scouts do NOT go to CDL games or USA, NPL. they go to showcases. your hatred for that club shows exactly your motive, to be an idiot

[Unregistered]

To get in R3PLE you have to be in the top 2-4 in state. Teams range from NC. SC, Ga and Florida. Again how is fspl above when it is strictly in state.

sorry to burst bubbles, but R3PL is tops when it comes to the number 1, 2 or 3rd place teams. Overall R3PL had considerably most, FSPL had next most, but it was small, like 4-5, NPL was next at two, and last league to have a top three team in state were FLUG, FPL, and ECNL, each with 1. don't throw any boys stats at this either, they weren't considered. Now FKK might play in the CDL, but I thought they played in another higher league but really wasn't sure.. your website is a little vague - It just says US Club, and they had #1 team at U17.

[Unregistered]

sorry to burst bubbles, but R3PL is tops when it comes to the number 1, 2 or 3rd place teams. Overall R3PL had considerably most, FSPL had next most, but it was small, like 4-5, NPL was next at two, and last league to have a top three team in state were FLUG, FPL, and ECNL, each with 1. don't throw any boys stats at this either, they weren't considered. Now FKK might play in the CDL, but I thought they played in another higher league but really wasn't sure.. your website is a little vague - It just says US Club, and they had #1 team at U17.

Go back to the USA league you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

R3PL is a MUCH higher level league than FSPL

[Unregistered]

no i posted that, i am not celtic. what i said was correct. college scouts do NOT go to CDL games or USA, NPL. they go to showcases. your hatred for that club shows exactly your motive, to be an idiot

Itws funny how you state that college coaches dont go to NPL games. E-Mail USF's girls coach and ask where they were this weekend (Satruday and Sunday). They were wearing all black sitting under an umbrella at the corner flag of a NPL game. Ask Boca United, Space Coast, or TBU, they will tell you too.

Do us all a favor and stop posting what you dont know

[Unregistered]

Itws funny how you state that college coaches dont go to NPL games. E-Mail USF's girls coach and ask where they were this weekend (Satruday and Sunday). They were wearing all black sitting under an umbrella at the corner flag of a NPL game. Ask Boca United, Space Coast, or TBU, they will tell you too.

Do us all a favor and stop posting what you dont know

Only a moron would say that scouts do not go to NPL games. They don't waste their time on USA League games, because after age 12 the top players have long left the USA League.

[Unregistered]

I would like to say I hope this is all BS becuase if it is not my kid in the USA league will never have a chance. I think it might be true however he loves the players he is with. I guess he has no chance but he has learned team work and lessons in life thats priceless he might never amount to anything in soccer but I will keep him playing his childhood game for as long as he can.

[Unregistered]

I would like to say I hope this is all BS becuase if it is not my kid in the USA league will never have a chance. I think it might be true however he loves the players he is with. I guess he has no chance but he has learned team work and lessons in life thats priceless he might never amount to anything in soccer but I will keep him playing his childhood game for as long as he can.

He may not be good enough to play at a college level, but not many in the scheme of things are. Playing and having fun and learning lesson are valuable in life and are translatable regardless of level of play.

How many adults play golf and are really not pros, but manage to enjoy it. Same thing and it is not a shame.

[Unregistered]

He may not be good enough to play at a college level, but not many in the scheme of things are. Playing and having fun and learning lesson are valuable in life and are translatable regardless of level of play.

How many adults play golf and are really not pros, but manage to enjoy it. Same thing and it is not a shame.

That's what the purpose of the USA League is, to have a step up from recreational soccer, the USA League is advanced recreational soccer.

[Unregistered]

I thought it would fit in this thread also regarding “which league is better” etc without beating the horse again…

http://www.talking-soccer.com/TS4/sh...d.php?t=114917


Originally Posted by Unregistered
As someone who has spent over twenty five years involved in Fla youth soccer in multiple league leadership positions, including coaching, in several of the leagues referenced here I'd like to add my OPINION.
USA/CDL/FPL each have their merits, especially for the younger players enjoying a sport. I would concur that in or around the U-13 level competition begins to separate many of the teams regardless of the league. While the gap may vary from year to year, all of these leagues have a few teams that are CAPABLE of playing with another league’s best. The league makes no difference. Majority however do fall into the "lesser team" category for their particular league which may or may not be superior to another leagues "lesser teams". This seems to always become a topic of discussion.
So is one better than another? Well, yes and no.
This is like asking which college football team is the best in the land this season.

Did FSU win the championship? Yes.

Did they play the best competition? No.

Best is highly subjective here and with Fla's current youth soccer systems. Ideally having a league "1" and league "2" would lessen the gap and foster more completion but even then it would leave too much to discussion.

On a side note, prior to my retirement, the number of players who went on to play soccer in college year over year from these leagues were very similar. There was no long term clear cut leader.

Just my two cents based on my personal experience in these leagues. I'd encourage anyone to make their own decisions based on what they feel is best for them and enjoy the game!


To address the following though,
"We are in Hillsborough County. My kid wants to play in college. Do college coaches ever scout USA league games, Region Cups? Or do we need to make a move to a club that has multiple leagues and more than 1 team per age group? I'm guessing that come tryout season, we should make the rounds of local clubs and see if there is any movement."

In my experience, there is rarely a time that ANY coach has the time, the budget or the advance knowledge to “scout a league game”. Any league actually. Having been on both sides of this question (college coaching and club league positions) It’s nearly impossible.
One of the first questions we (as a college coach) always received was about scouting a tournament. You may be familiar with those who advertise which colleges will be present at any particular event. Understand however that being present and watching your son/daughter play are usually two different things. Often these events have multiple age groups with multiple skill levels playing at multiple sites at any given time. So what's a coach to do?
Generally speaking, “getting seen” begins much earlier than the event. It begins with the player. Have they contacted me and expressed their interest? Have they kept in touch and updated me? Have they advised me where they will be playing, the time, the field etc?
Now in fairness, yes we do ask questions (provided we can have contact with them) and yes, we will ask what level they are playing, tournaments their team may be playing in, do they play in HS, do they play ODP etc.
Does league matter? That depends. What matters more though is can the player fill a need on a team? Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard about events in other states that are lined with college coaches, and while it’s true that many “next level” players may be present, I can assure you of two things:
Many coaches are in attendance there because it’s the best bang for their recruiting buck, and secondly its because they have already had dialogue and interest in many players present. Of course there is a chance of seeing someone for the first time but that would be much less of an opportunity.

Getting back to the question though “does league matter”. Naturally a player who has shown his/herself against like talent garners significant interest…but here is the caveat…only if all things are equal. If a coach recruits based strictly off talent then ultimately they end up with players that are just talented. To simplify the point, the NY Yankees seem to always have the best team money can buy, and although they are a safe bet to compete year in and year out, they aren’t always the best TEAM. Having sluggers and the best starting pitchers may get you a lead, but its those positional players, middle relievers and DH’s that tie them all together. As a team, they just work and it matters little if they played for a div 1 baseball program or a community college. In order for them to win it just has to work. Period.

In closing I would venture a guess and say every parent wants what's best for their kid. That’s what parents should want anyway (just my .02 cents) and the first step is asking them what they really do want. If it’s playing soccer at the next level then great! Be proactive with them, but not for them, and help them find where they fit best because at the end of the day, aren’t they what really matters?

[Unregistered]

Find a club that has access to multiple leagues, that way your son or daughter will have the ability to play up if their talent merits. Don't lock yourself into a club that only has access to one league, these types of clubs are better suited if your simply looking for a place to allow your child to get exercise, or be part of a team. Personally, I would not ever put a talented child into a lower league like the USA League after they surpass the age of 12. By doing so, you are stunting their soccer growth, as they will be playing against lesser competition. You will probably pay more for a club that has access to numerous leagues, but your child will receive better training.

[Unregistered]

Put your child in a club with options to play in multiple leagues. From there your coach and DOC will determine which league will be most competitive for your team. Avoid the smaller poorly run clubs after U-12. There is a reason smaller poorly run clubs are not invited into certain leagues. They don't have quality coaching, fields or enough consistency in their competitive teams to fill each age group. USA is a glorified rec league after U-12. If your child is talented enough take them to a larger club WFF, TBU or Chargers. They have access to each league in Region C.

[Unregistered]

Put your child in a club with options to play in multiple leagues. From there your coach and DOC will determine which league will be most competitive for your team. Avoid the smaller poorly run clubs after U-12. There is a reason smaller poorly run clubs are not invited into certain leagues. They don't have quality coaching, fields or enough consistency in their competitive teams to fill each age group. USA is a glorified rec league after U-12. If your child is talented enough take them to a larger club WFF, TBU or Chargers. They have access to each league in Region C.

Right on, when this person talks about poorly run small clubs, this includes: Largo, Everton, Tarpon, Celtic, Dunedin, Oldsmar and Pinellas County United in the Pinellas area. In Hillsborough, the weaker clubs are: GTBFC, Houston Dynamo, Tampa Ranger, Tampa Swag, Fishhawk. There are no good clubs in Pasco County! These teams are all stuck in the USA League for a reason, if they could escape then they would.