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    PSPL vs RCL

    Hello - my family just moved to port angeles area for work and we have a 13 year old daughter that loves to play soccer. Use to play in a DA league in Massachusetts but coming out here - we won't have as many options. I looked at the clubs closest to me and one is called Storm Kings (pspl) and the other is kitsap alliance (rcl) which is an hour drive to get to...

    My question - are these organizations any good? Is it worth my time/effort to drive her an hour away to play in the rcl team over the pspl team that is much closer (sequim compared to bremerton from port angeles)

    Thanks for input!

    #2
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    Hello - my family just moved to port angeles area for work and we have a 13 year old daughter that loves to play soccer. Use to play in a DA league in Massachusetts but coming out here - we won't have as many options. I looked at the clubs closest to me and one is called Storm Kings (pspl) and the other is kitsap alliance (rcl) which is an hour drive to get to...

    My question - are these organizations any good? Is it worth my time/effort to drive her an hour away to play in the rcl team over the pspl team that is much closer (sequim compared to bremerton from port angeles)

    Thanks for input!
    RCL is a stronger league. But if your daughter played DA you might want to push past all the trash talk on this board and see if she can train with the most convenient team and be a PT player for OL Reign in Seattle. They were the local DA team, now moving to GA League, and they just lost a ton of players to ECNL. They had out-of-state players on the roster before the DA collapse, so maybe they can make something work for you.

    Now that I've written that, a ton of people will probably post to bash Reign, but check things out for yourself.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Hello - my family just moved to port angeles area for work and we have a 13 year old daughter that loves to play soccer. Use to play in a DA league in Massachusetts but coming out here - we won't have as many options. I looked at the clubs closest to me and one is called Storm Kings (pspl) and the other is kitsap alliance (rcl) which is an hour drive to get to...

      My question - are these organizations any good? Is it worth my time/effort to drive her an hour away to play in the rcl team over the pspl team that is much closer (sequim compared to bremerton from port angeles)

      Thanks for input!
      Having had kids who played with clubs in both leagues, RCL is clearly the bigger, stronger, more competitive league. I'm in the Seattle area and have seen Kitsap Alliance several times at games, tournaments, etc. I recall them being being pretty solid. No intel at all on Storm Kings.

      If your DD is DA level, RCL also presents a better option because all ECNL teams in WA are affiliated with RCL... your closest club/team being Washington Premier ECNL in Puyallup approx 2 hours away (ouch).

      Welcome to Washington.

      Comment


        #4
        Your options in that area are very limited as you've discovered. If your daughter is a DA caliber player, neither team is the best fit even though Kitsap has some decent teams/players. Depending on how important soccer is to your daughter and her future plans as far as playing in college, pro, etc. you may seriously need to think about relocating closer to an ECNL team.

        Comment


          #5
          This isn’t going to be popular, but play with the closer team and do EPD. An hour to practice multiple times a week? She would be better off playing with the local team and doing 90 minutes of Footskills in the backyard.

          Comment


            #6
            Welcome to WA

            PSPL is a smaller league with a slightly shorter season, and many clubs take a training break in the middle or less practices in spring. In general the PSPL clubs compete at a lower level than RCL, but here are some clubs/teams that perform on par with RCL clubs.

            RCL is a larger league and has I think 5 clubs participating in ECNL, which would be the highest level of play for the area.

            Every club/team in the area has left some room in their rosters due to covid. I would figure out how far you are willing to drive and contact coaches directly.

            You can find club standing for RCL here https://wys-19-20rcl.sportsaffinity....6-BBE5E87BAA0F

            Comment


              #7
              The best advice is not to choose a club based on league. Try finding out where the best coaches are, do that research instead and go for the best coach/teacher, regardless of league. Isn’t that what you are paying for? The title of this thread sets up a false and pointless competition between leagues, but leagues don’t develop players coaches do that work. The reality is that there are very few coaches who really teach. Most go through the motions because they know they’ve got you. You’re in, no questions asked. You made the choice based on the league the clubs play in so you never dig, investigate or evaluate at any level deeper than that. This is the problem with youth soccer in the U.S. Focusing on leagues rather than quality of soccer education/coaching. Leagues and league marketing is BIG business, and many on this board do this marketing for the leagues right here for free to justify choices they made for their kids, which ends up feeding the league marketing machine. Look at this board and you’ll see lots of threads focused on leagues. Maybe start a thread about the best coaches instead. That would be eye-opening.

              Comment


                #8
                Oh-oh... here comes the annual PSPL v. RCL cockfight. Grab your popcorn! This should be good! We should throw ECNL, NPL, GAL and every other XXXL’s in and have a WWF-style throwdown. Entertainment rating: 10. 😂😂😂

                Comment


                  #9
                  As a new player in the area, wait until kick arounds or practice start back up. You should be in no hurry to sign on the dotted line until you have checked out few clubs.

                  No sure what level you are looking for but if select, PSPL or RCL should be good enough. You would probably want to stay local. If Premier or Elite is what you are searching for, you will have to check out one of the ECNL teams. Most players in your are will probably choose WPFC probably because it will be the closest. Some pass that up and keep driving nor to PacNW.

                  All 5 ECNL clubs put their older players in ECNL and their B teams in RCL. The youngers are in RCL.

                  Good luck and come back on the board if you have specific questions about on clubs. Just take your time.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    The best advice is not to choose a club based on league. Try finding out where the best coaches are, do that research instead and go for the best coach/teacher, regardless of league. Isn’t that what you are paying for? The title of this thread sets up a false and pointless competition between leagues, but leagues don’t develop players coaches do that work. The reality is that there are very few coaches who really teach. Most go through the motions because they know they’ve got you. You’re in, no questions asked. You made the choice based on the league the clubs play in so you never dig, investigate or evaluate at any level deeper than that. This is the problem with youth soccer in the U.S. Focusing on leagues rather than quality of soccer education/coaching. Leagues and league marketing is BIG business, and many on this board do this marketing for the leagues right here for free to justify choices they made for their kids, which ends up feeding the league marketing machine. Look at this board and you’ll see lots of threads focused on leagues. Maybe start a thread about the best coaches instead. That would be eye-opening.
                    The poster said s/he has a daughter who played DA in MA, but s/he probably needs preaching about how to make decisions in choosing a team and coach. Amen!

                    Give it a rest bud... she asked about PSPL vs. RCL.

                    Someone's got a complex.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Oh-oh... here comes the annual PSPL v. RCL cockfight. Grab your popcorn! This should be good! We should throw ECNL, NPL, GAL and every other XXXL’s in and have a WWF-style throwdown. Entertainment rating: 10. 😂😂😂
                      ECNL>RCL>GAL>PSPL>Rec

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        Oh-oh... here comes the annual PSPL v. RCL cockfight. Grab your popcorn! This should be good! We should throw ECNL, NPL, GAL and every other XXXL’s in and have a WWF-style throwdown. Entertainment rating: 10. 😂😂😂
                        Since your dd is only 13, for the first year anyway I'd suggest playing with the local club and checking out other options when you can. If she's an 06 half of her age group will be freshmen in high school, so the fall seasons are mostly makeshift leagues of 8th grade teams in both RCL and PSPL.

                        PSPL has a EPD-like program called PSPL surf that is well-designed for people who live relatively far afield. A group training session each month and 3 or so travel tournaments over the course of a year. Not a bad option for getting in some training. You could probably check out their next training session (whenever they're able to do one) and see if your dd is a good fit for the pool. EPD tryouts are in late July or early August, and then EPD trains 1x every month or so followed by picking a travel roster for regionals and then a tournament in Portland on memorial day. I've always found our state EPD to be a lot less than it could or should be.

                        You could also check out training sessions with Reign and the RCL/ECNL clubs. I know Reign has had players from Kitsap, Eastern WA, even Idaho, and has found ways to make it work. ECNL allows "discovery players" from other clubs, so there may be options to train and play with an ECNL team-- I'd check out a training session with each of those clubs over the next few months and see if there's a good fit.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          After seeing where Port Angeles is, you are closer to Canada. Wait for the ban to be lifter first before venturing up there.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            First of well-welcome to the beautiful northwest!! I have had girls and boys play in both leagues; and some PSPL teams are top notch and well run. But in general, the RCL is more structured and competitive and would be more what you would be used to as a DA player in MA.

                            I would ask Seattle United (which by ferry might be the same difference as WPFC and give you a break from driving at times for homework etc) if you could be a Satellite player on an ECNL team. They would be better able to explain to you want that means but it gives players who live too far for regular training to join the team for ENCL league play (Assuming they are qualified to make the team). I also second having your DD try out for EPD and make use of that once a month training and later possible selection for OPD regional. Kitsap FC has had some strong teams and I think they are well run. That is what I would choose.

                            I am sure this move is hard on her, and if she was used to the commitment for DA, she will be missing that structure and level of play. I hope you and your family transition well during this time and enjoy our beautiful state.

                            Good luck to your family.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                              After seeing where Port Angeles is, you are closer to Canada. Wait for the ban to be lifter first before venturing up there.
                              You know how long it takes to cross the ferry to Victoria? Even ignoring the FIFA headaches that would be involved with having an American girl play for a Canadian club (assuming it's even allowed), the line for the boat is often HOURS, and the crossing time is 90 minutes.

                              Comment

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