More SoCal Clubs "All In" in ECNL

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The best of the best girls don't have to give up their lives because someone at US soccer wants them to. So top clubs dropping out fast.

The best of the best are in the DA

source US national team Youth team rosters.

Sorry you didn't realize this.

In a state like Oregon it's like discussing the weather on Mars. Light years away, my friend.

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Elite girls want to play high school.

No elite girls in Oregon.

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No elite girls in Oregon.

Hello we have contact.

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The elite players in Oregon want to play high school so you won't find them in the da. Da in oregon has players that were b team/bench players elsewhere.

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Yes - Didn't Tophat, Real Colorado, and FC Dallas just drop GDA for ECNL?

Plus Crossfire Premier, Slammers the list goes on.

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Plus Crossfire Premier, Slammers the list goes on.

List goes on? fake news.

[Unregistered]

The elite players in Oregon want to play high school so you won't find them in the da. Da in oregon has players that were b team/bench players elsewhere.

Leave the poor kids alone. It's bad enough they get shellacked regularly.

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Leave the poor kids alone. It's bad enough they get shellacked regularly.

Why do have to bring up FC Portland ECNL , leave the alone.

[Unregistered]

The best of the best are in the DA

source US national team Youth team rosters.

Sorry you didn't realize this.

In a state like Oregon it's like discussing the weather on Mars. Light years away, my friend.

Chicken or the egg? USSF is pressuring them to be in DA and sending a clear message you better be there if you want a call up. In doing so they are dismissing some real talent that is sticking with ECNL. You're not doing yourself any favors if your local DA region isn't any good or it's a crap region.

[Unregistered]

Chicken or the egg? USSF is pressuring them to be in DA and sending a clear message you better be there if you want a call up. In doing so they are dismissing some real talent that is sticking with ECNL. You're not doing yourself any favors if your local DA region isn't any good or it's a crap region.

Good thing the NW region for the DA is tough. Reign is going to be a powerhouse this year. Seattle scene is my thing and many top girls from other ECNL teams left for Reign (many ages) this last tryout cycle due to Reign’s strong coaching and this club stands a part from the 5 Regional Club League teams (RCL), oh wait, I mean 5 potentially, talent-diluted local, ECNL teams (Crossfire Premier, Seattle United, WA Premier, Eastside FC, Pac NW) that are up there now playing in the 2019-2020 season. Even the Boise Thorns may now be decently equal to the other Seattle Metro ECNL teams, what with centralizing all of ID’s top talent on one team.

ECNL schedulers tend to schedule No. CA teams playing OR and WA teams only once a season, or about 3 match ups only (missing the other 3 from No. CA). To say “we play No. CA is not really the complete truth”. Most ECNL team games schedules are between WA and WA teams, OR and WA teams or WA/OR and ID. For Seattle players this is almost like RCL local league or Far West league all over. Nothing progressive being offered by ECNL in game scheduling. Travel is not everything though, and playing local has benefits too. But if top talent truly is centralized and if that is good for development, you should have less top teams and more travel.

The Thorns had just as strong of a chance to centralize talent in OR, but have failed organizationally not hiring the best staff, being non-progressive in their scheduling of development opportunities and in doing so, not overcoming the “no high school” hurdle. Crossfire United is benefiting from Thorns not being run well. Reign, Placer, La Roca, San Jose Earthquakes, CA Thorns, in the NW DA division, have been more than up to securing top talent with the “no high school” DA challenge. Many Talking Soccer parents truly do not understand the DA is centralizing talent in a lot of markets, definitely not all, but a lot. Yes- even No. CA where 3/4 DA clubs stand a part from all others, though I would argue No. CA with 4 DA teams and 6 ECNL teams, also suffers from dilution. It will likely be another year of Thorns’ teams getting crushed..... for a reason!

[Unregistered]

In Oregon the top players in the state are playing high school soccer. It is really frustrating. They don't understand that is bad.

[Unregistered]

Good thing the NW region for the DA is tough. Reign is going to be a powerhouse this year. Seattle scene is my thing and many top girls from other ECNL teams left for Reign (many ages) this last tryout cycle due to Reign’s strong coaching and this club stands a part from the 5 Regional Club League teams (RCL), oh wait, I mean 5 potentially, talent-diluted local, ECNL teams (Crossfire Premier, Seattle United, WA Premier, Eastside FC, Pac NW) that are up there now playing in the 2019-2020 season. Even the Boise Thorns may now be decently equal to the other Seattle Metro ECNL teams, what with centralizing all of ID’s top talent on one team.

ECNL schedulers tend to schedule No. CA teams playing OR and WA teams only once a season, or about 3 match ups only (missing the other 3 from No. CA). To say “we play No. CA is not really the complete truth”. Most ECNL team games schedules are between WA and WA teams, OR and WA teams or WA/OR and ID. For Seattle players this is almost like RCL local league or Far West league all over. Nothing progressive being offered by ECNL in game scheduling. Travel is not everything though, and playing local has benefits too. But if top talent truly is centralized and if that is good for development, you should have less top teams and more travel.

The Thorns had just as strong of a chance to centralize talent in OR, but have failed organizationally not hiring the best staff, being non-progressive in their scheduling of development opportunities and in doing so, not overcoming the “no high school” hurdle. Crossfire United is benefiting from Thorns not being run well. Reign, Placer, La Roca, San Jose Earthquakes, CA Thorns, in the NW DA division, have been more than up to securing top talent with the “no high school” DA challenge. Many Talking Soccer parents truly do not understand the DA is centralizing talent in a lot of markets, definitely not all, but a lot. Yes- even No. CA where 3/4 DA clubs stand a part from all others, though I would argue No. CA with 4 DA teams and 6 ECNL teams, also suffers from dilution. It will likely be another year of Thorns’ teams getting crushed..... for a reason!

As I've noted before:

Thorns need to either a) offer a better product, or b) be free (or close to it).

They are cheaper than ECNL when you factor in travel, but the upper-class families who play in ECNL aren't put off by the sticker price, and might consider not having the "riffraff" as teammates to be a bonus. (Longtime readers of this blog no doubt remember the constant putdowns of "vantucky" and "eastside cavemen" and other socio-economic insults, being hurled down from the West Hills).

But they are too expensive for poor families. (Timbers actually get this part right; their main problem is they aren't as well-run as other MLS academies. But they get more of the top local talent.)

Either Thorns Academy ought to be low-cost (less than $1k per year, including all costs), and aggressively marketed towards families who don't have household incomes north of $200k/year, or if they want to compete with CU head-on, they have to offer a first-rate product. A nationally-recognized coach (no, Laura Schott isn't it). Top-notch facilities (the swamp known as THPRD #3 isn't it either). And since there is no homegrown rule in NWSL--no need to focus on local girls anyway; go bring in the best from around the country. If the Thorns were doing it right, few locals would qualify for the team in the first place.

They've got the best professional women's team in the country. They should act like it.

[Unregistered]

As I've noted before:

Thorns need to either a) offer a better product, or b) be free (or close to it).

They are cheaper than ECNL when you factor in travel, but the upper-class families who play in ECNL aren't put off by the sticker price, and might consider not having the "riffraff" as teammates to be a bonus. (Longtime readers of this blog no doubt remember the constant putdowns of "vantucky" and "eastside cavemen" and other socio-economic insults, being hurled down from the West Hills).

But they are too expensive for poor families. (Timbers actually get this part right; their main problem is they aren't as well-run as other MLS academies. But they get more of the top local talent.)

Either Thorns Academy ought to be low-cost (less than $1k per year, including all costs), and aggressively marketed towards families who don't have household incomes north of $200k/year, or if they want to compete with CU head-on, they have to offer a first-rate product. A nationally-recognized coach (no, Laura Schott isn't it). Top-notch facilities (the swamp known as THPRD #3 isn't it either). And since there is no homegrown rule in NWSL--no need to focus on local girls anyway; go bring in the best from around the country. If the Thorns were doing it right, few locals would qualify for the team in the first place.

They've got the best professional women's team in the country. They should act like it.

They have the only DA in Oregon as well.

[Unregistered]

Most with 15K a year can play GDA... that is a fact.

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... Reign that is. At least Thorns get some money but it is a train wreck!