All Things Related to Washington State ECNL

[Unregistered]

I think the back/forth replies here are pretty on point. Problem I see for Reign (stated and alluded to earlier) is that their younger teams are NOT in good shape with little history of developing players. The future for Reign doesn't bode well for them in the same regard - already a crowded market of clubs.

IMHO - the ONLY chance Reign would/could have had is if the program stayed in Seattle area and subsidized their top team at each age group. There, you would have seen many interested families in joining Reign.

If Reign doesn't get an invite from ECNL (and I wouldn't bank on it), the program will see its demise this year. And if Reign parents are STILL waiting, firms offers and registration for ECNL teams are occurring today. Just got our offer.

Good luck.

Don't worry. If Reign Academy shuts down, or if it is relegated to a lower-tier league and a bunch of girls from Reign bolt for the ECNL clubs, your "offer" won't necessarily protect your DD from being sent to the B team. And if it happens after you've signed on the dotted line, you'll basically have no recourse.

Of course, I don't know who I'm speaking to, and your DD might well be safe from a sudden influx of outside talent. And perhaps your coach is the sort who will stick with the team s/he picks at tryouts, rather than the "you can always be replaced" type. But make sure you have a good idea of your daughter's position with the club before signing on the dotted line.

[Unregistered]

This conversation does bring up an interesting question. Once you are in ECNL, are you in? No matter how bad you stink up the place, can a club continue to churn out low talent players and keep their prestigious ECNL badge?

[Unregistered]

What is your view on Reign's future if they dont get ECNL this year?

I wrote the above. I don’t have a crystal ball. My daughter is young enough that it seems to make sense to prioritize what she thinks about her current training and coaching rather than trying to gauge what anything will look like a year from now or jump to a new coach and team she’s never seen or met in person. We’ve seen and heard enough from older players to know that the only constant is change, that there will always be opportunities for players who can make an impact, and that some of the players making the biggest impacts in 11th and 12th grade won’t necessarily be the ones you would have expected in 6th or 7th or 8th grade. She’s happy with Reign and likes the coaching and training and trusts Amy to keep building a solid program, and after assessing some options and talking with some teammates her current plan is to stay. Her decision would be different if we thought not getting an ECNL team now was a death blow for the club or the club hadn’t repeatedly assured everyone that they will do everything they can to provide the same level of training, competition and college placement support as they did before, regardless of what league they are in. That decision may change if they can’t piece together a viable league (ECNL or otherwise) or viable teams, but we can take stock of all that over the summer and after the hs season (if there is one, fingers crossed) since we don’t expect much if any full-fledged soccer before then.

If they don’t get ECNL a lot depends on how a GA league with some nearby teams from the PNW comes together and whether they can rebuild bridges with other local clubs to get into local tourneys and set up friendlies with the ECNL clubs. I think it will be tough to do (especially without cal thorns and la Roca and any other nor cal da clubs that don’t join), but there are clubs in BC, eastern wa and even closer to home that could provide some options. Without at least that, they’d probably be better off moving towards being a U23 team for reign reserves and local grads and providing some kind of PDP-like programming for the local ECNL clubs. Ultimately it’s better for the NWSL club to have good relationships with the local clubs than to be viewed, rightly or wrongly, as some kind of a pariah.

[Unregistered]

With the Reign Academy in GDA this year we had 6 “elite” clubs within an hour’s drive of one another. This area only needs 2 at most and one in Eastern Washington. Let’s not add any more clubs. Instead, ECNL should limit the number of clubs and make RCL more competitive again. EFC and PAC pre-ECNL did a great job sending players to top colleges. Make ODP/EPD a more competitive by not allowing ECNL players. Have US Soccer Scouts actively following the best players in the area and not by coach recommendations. Everything has been deleted with the expansion of both GDA and ECNL hurting the players the most. And while I’m ranting, change the leagues to grad year so kids can play with their school friends and not have a ?!&@! show called ECNL Composite teams where teams get cut in half their last year of playing youth soccer.

[Unregistered]

For any girl younger than 9th grade and below; Play locally, play with friends, and have fun playing. You have plenty of time before having to deal with all this craziness. More than likely by the time you hit your Senior year, you will look back and see how unnecessary iall this was bouncing around and worrying about stuff that really doesnt matter at the end of the day.

Enjoy and have fun. Time flies by.

[Unregistered]

For any girl younger than 9th grade and below; Play locally, play with friends, and have fun playing. You have plenty of time before having to deal with all this craziness. More than likely by the time you hit your Senior year, you will look back and see how unnecessary iall this was bouncing around and worrying about stuff that really doesnt matter at the end of the day.

Enjoy and have fun. Time flies by.

Thanks for the quality words, all have a great weekend!

[Unregistered]

Have all the clubs offered spots?

[Unregistered]

Valid point. EFC is probably the least deserving to be in any Elite-ish league. Not trying to bash, if you had to take the top coaches or top developed players from the 4 big clubs, EFC would be dead last. EFC parents, don't get your shorts in a knot, just stating the obvious. XF, SU, Pac... pretty good record on college commits. Not sure if we really need XF, ISC, EFC and limping along Sound in the same vicinity. Consolidation is not a bad thing.

Beautiful and safe play fields in the mountains, away from filth and crime? Check.
Highly educated, well-off, and really nice parents? Check
Nice, smart, and hardworking kids attending best school districts in WA? Check
Good and experienced coaches, smart board, and armies of volunteers? Check
Rebuilding after the hard Reign and half a season of the first year of having ECNL? Check
High number soccer kids actually attending college for....education? Check
Not worried about the future of EFC? Check

Stay safe and enjoy your time with your kid.

[Unregistered]

Beautiful and safe play fields in the mountains, away from filth and crime? Check.
Highly educated, well-off, and really nice parents? Check
Nice, smart, and hardworking kids attending best school districts in WA? Check
Good and experienced coaches, smart board, and armies of volunteers? Check
Rebuilding after the hard Reign and half a season of the first year of having ECNL? Check
High number soccer kids actually attending college for....education? Check
Not worried about the future of EFC? Check

Stay safe and enjoy your time with your kid.

Excessive privilege? Check.

[Unregistered]

Beautiful and safe play fields in the mountains, away from filth and crime? Check.
Highly educated, well-off, and really nice parents? Check
Nice, smart, and hardworking kids attending best school districts in WA? Check
Good and experienced coaches, smart board, and armies of volunteers? Check
Rebuilding after the hard Reign and half a season of the first year of having ECNL? Check
High number soccer kids actually attending college for....education? Check
Not worried about the future of EFC? Check

Stay safe and enjoy your time with your kid.

Riddle me this. Are there actually players attending college for anything other than education!?! I mean, yeah, the kiddos play ECNL and such for exposure. But, if you're not hammering home to your player that they're going to college for the education and NOT just for soccer you're kinda' missing the entire point. IMO.

[Unregistered]

Has Crossfire Premier formed their ECNL and Composite teams? Also, how do the Composite teams and league work?

[Unregistered]

Composite ECNL is pretty much just like the straight up ECNL. I mean, it's the second team (with the straight ECNL being, obviously, first team) but they still go to events, they still have league. Though they play primarily other ECNL Composite squads.

[Unregistered]

Has Crossfire Premier formed their ECNL and Composite teams? Also, how do the Composite teams and league work?

No ECNL teams are formed yet per se. Clubs are signing kids up now for their age group pool. Once the pool is established, they will start putting teams together. Returning players may have a good idea which teams they will be on or have been told. Others may be told that they will probably wait until they can actually attend a practice.

New stud players may already know if they made ECNL or not. It is the bottom half that has to sweat it out.

[Unregistered]

ISC Gunners has some really strong girls teams that go head to head w/ ECNL teams...09, 08, 07...but many of the older teams have lost players to the ECNL (mostly Crossfire and Eastside). Do you think Gunners will get in ECNL?

[Unregistered]

ISC Gunners has some really strong girls teams that go head to head w/ ECNL teams...09, 08, 07...but many of the older teams have lost players to the ECNL (mostly Crossfire and Eastside). Do you think Gunners will get in ECNL?

They will not. They don’t have a particularly competitive team at the moment between 05 and the 99’s who graduated two years ago, and they consistently lose players once they get to the ECNL/DA age groups. Maybe a candidate for GA.