New League!

[Unregistered]

You may drive a Porsche, and I may drive a pinto, that doesn't automatically make you a better driver, just like if you play ECNL and another player stays local, that alone will not make you better.

May not be the best analogy?
If all you want to be is an average "driver" then any car will do, i.e., a Pinto, just like any soccer club / team / league will do for an average player. However, if you want to be an advanced driver (race cars / hi-performance) then the Pinto will hold you back. A Pinto can't provide the level of performance required to hone your skills and practice at speed and velocity etc.. To be one of the better players you have to train and play with the best on a consistent basis .... I doubt Michael Schumacher honed his driving skills in a Pinto just as Messi didn't hone his soccer skills at the Yelm Mountain Yaks soccer club.

[Unregistered]

May not be the best analogy?
If all you want to be is an average "driver" then any car will do, i.e., a Pinto, just like any soccer club / team / league will do for an average player. However, if you want to be an advanced driver (race cars / hi-performance) then the Pinto will hold you back. A Pinto can't provide the level of performance required to hone your skills and practice at speed and velocity etc.. To be one of the better players you have to train and play with the best on a consistent basis .... I doubt Michael Schumacher honed his driving skills in a Pinto just as Messi didn't hone his soccer skills at the Yelm Mountain Yaks soccer club.

You are missing the point…Being in the high end car does not transform you into a better driver, just as being on an ECNL team does not transform you into an elite soccer player. There may be some players out there with such mad skills that they need an ECNL to be able to exercise their abilities, i believe there are a lot more that have a Mom and Dad that want to pay so they can claim their player is "Elite".

[Unregistered]

You are missing the point…Being in the high end car does not transform you into a better driver, just as being on an ECNL team does not transform you into an elite soccer player. There may be some players out there with such mad skills that they need an ECNL to be able to exercise their abilities, i believe there are a lot more that have a Mom and Dad that want to pay so they can claim their player is "Elite".

Just curious, truthfully... not trying to pick a fight here... but it seems to me only top players are being invited to play ECNL. Certainly a few turn it down, but most do not. I don't see a need for Crossfire to invite or select anything less than top shelf talent. Crossfire has a name to uphold so I don't see them settling for mediocre players just to take their money. They need to win and show well, or consider replacing players/coaches.

So whether you want to debate the word 'elite', we could do that all day. But it seems to me that generally speaking, if your player is good enough to make an ECNL squad, they are pretty elite.

And no, I do not have an ECNL player. But the few I know playing ECNL are, what I consider, 'elite'. Maybe not National team elite but compared to the masses that play recreational and advanced comp youth soccer, they are in the top 0.25%. I say give the girls a little respect. Just my 2 cents.

[Unregistered]

Just curious, truthfully... not trying to pick a fight here... but it seems to me only top players are being invited to play ECNL. Certainly a few turn it down, but most do not. I don't see a need for Crossfire to invite or select anything less than top shelf talent. Crossfire has a name to uphold so I don't see them settling for mediocre players just to take their money. They need to win and show well, or consider replacing players/coaches.

So whether you want to debate the word 'elite', we could do that all day. But it seems to me that generally speaking, if your player is good enough to make an ECNL squad, they are pretty elite.

And no, I do not have an ECNL player. But the few I know playing ECNL are, what I consider, 'elite'. Maybe not National team elite but compared to the masses that play recreational and advanced comp youth soccer, they are in the top 0.25%. I say give the girls a little respect. Just my 2 cents.

Spot on .... Thanks for the perspective.
I'm sure someone will jump in here and bash away but the reality is that the ECNL is the top league for girls soccer in the country and I doubt there are any "bad" players that get selected to teams.

[Unregistered]

You are missing the point…Being in the high end car does not transform you into a better driver, just as being on an ECNL team does not transform you into an elite soccer player. There may be some players out there with such mad skills that they need an ECNL to be able to exercise their abilities, i believe there are a lot more that have a Mom and Dad that want to pay so they can claim their player is "Elite".

I get what you're saying but your assumption is faulty that an average player could somehow even play in the ECNL. Take a very good soccer player with the right skill set / drive / work ethic and put them in a super competitive training and playing environment like the ECNL and they can flourish. Leave them in a less so environment and most likely they will get passed by. The car / driving analogy really wouldn't be any different if we're comparing skill sets etc. for commuting vs. racing.

[Unregistered]

Oh yes becasue you know that's how it works!

You are missing the point…Being in the high end car does not transform you into a better driver, just as being on an ECNL team does not transform you into an elite soccer player. There may be some players out there with such mad skills that they need an ECNL to be able to exercise their abilities, i believe there are a lot more that have a Mom and Dad that want to pay so they can claim their player is "Elite".

I feel safe in making the statement that you have no first hand experience with how either of the Seattle area ECNL teams work. Unlike almost every team in our little puddle of the youth soccer world they do not have open spots to place players just to take their money. Their teams are regularly in the top half of the ECNL national standings, therefore they don't take unqualified bench warmers.

Typically at both clubs the non-starters get 15-20 minutes a game during league and 25-30 during showcases so they are not going to put less qualified players on the field and risk losing a game. There is also a constant demand for membership from top players from out side the area (see PDX, VANC, East WA) so they do not HAVE to take unqualified talent.

What this means is that as a player you get to practice and play with the best that the area has to offer. Further the caliber of coaching is equal to or better than what you find on the sideline of even our best girl teams here in Portland.

Your constant dismissal of these benefits assumes that a players development is a static after U13 and tied or to physical gifts and is sooooooo typical of the local mentality that it hurts to even type that.

To use your analogy if you get a sports car you have the choice to learn how to drive it to or not. Staying here in Portland you don't even get to DRIVE ONE!