Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Hope or Hype?

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    Actually May bring up a good point. Since MLS is a lower level league, clubs need to be able
    To get transfer fee payments. Developing a kid for MLS is pointless, you can find those players almost anywhere.

    Comment


      #17
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Median is not average. Average is about $350k. Minimum is $81k. Pretty good for the 25tj best league in the world...
      The 350k figure excludes designated players, who have much higher salaries and would bring up that salary. Excluding DP’s also makes the 350k a pretty good metric of mls pay. No, it isn’t anywhere close to nba or nfl (or premier league or Bundesliga), nor should it be.

      Comment


        #18
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        The 350k figure excludes designated players, who have much higher salaries and would bring up that salary. Excluding DP’s also makes the 350k a pretty good metric of mls pay. No, it isn’t anywhere close to nba or nfl (or premier league or Bundesliga), nor should it be.
        Ok, now that everyone is past median, average, inclusive, exclusive, etc... does the new program help?

        Comment


          #19
          No. It hinders if anything. In the absence of DA at least ECNL would have absolutely been the top league. This just fractures and dilutes talent further just like GAL. If anyone believes Don Garber can effectively lead a youth development program,
          I have some oceanfront property in Wyoming for sale.

          Comment


            #20
            and remember the MLS season is about 6 months, so the effective annual salary is double that. not bad for playing a game

            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            The 350k figure excludes designated players, who have much higher salaries and would bring up that salary. Excluding DP’s also makes the 350k a pretty good metric of mls pay. No, it isn’t anywhere close to nba or nfl (or premier league or Bundesliga), nor should it be.

            Comment


              #21
              MLS vs. ECNL

              I don't believe the MLS Platform fractures the landscape further as the goals are different. It's right that MLS take over the elite player development (boys); I think it's hard to argue that professional player development similar to the rest of the world isn't the future of the game here in the US. Having some additional youth clubs in the mix will help coverage.

              ECNL has a proven track-record of high level play and college placement for the girls. This may be difficult to duplicate on the boys side as the MLS Platform will ultimately be the top league, particularly for those players chosen for the MLS academies, or any player at the other clubs that aspire to professional soccer. This will mean that the runoff from the MLS Platform will become the feeder to collegiate soccer (much like the DA). There is room for ECNL boys, it will just be the second tier.

              That being said, I think the MLS Platform will want to have two clubs in proximity in nearly every market. It's a model that has worked well for ECNL as it increases the financial efficiency for travel (although it may be that Seattle/Vancouver/Portland could be easily structured together).

              What really needs to happen now is that solidarity payments need to be enacted to encourage the MLS teams to develop the players they received from youth clubs (whether in the MLS Platform or not). This way an MLS club will really invest in the players they take and not cast them off quickly. This will also provide a revenue stream for lower level clubs (a market that need to remain and be better supported).

              Lastly, and I don't have any proof of this, I have to believe that XF will try to get into the MLS platform. Their history of success, standard of coaching, and sheer volume of players makes them an attractive partner. I don't see how they would be prevented from being in both the MLS Platform and ECNL.

              Good luck to everyone as we enter this new landscape.

              Comment


                #22
                Agree with above. Tiny step in right direction to have professional clubs who are incentivized by getting solidarity payments for selling players on. From what I've read it seems like there will be some compensation from MLS clubs to non-MLS teams in that league for players that move up the food chain but that is still vague and not yet true solidarity or training compensation.

                The weakness continues to be the paucity of professional teams due to single entity MLS control and lack of pro-rel. If XF had a professional team at a USL level, and got same solidarity as MLS teams from other entities AND needed to develop its own players to move up a league ladder form USL regional to MLS, THEN we would have a real pyramid that would push development. As it is, MLS still controls all and now youth development too. With an ax to grind against xf suing for Yedlin payments, I doubt they will be let in.

                ECNL boys will become the pay to play in college league of choice like the girls ECNL was/is. However, college coaches will still go first to "real" MLS Academy players due to higher level of play and MLS Academies will poach every player they can get from anywhere in the country independent of league affiliation. Note I believe that there are still LOTS of players that out there that are as good if not better than MLS Academy players. They are either out of view due to cost/location or undervalued due to continued Anglo-American views of "athleticism."

                No comment on GAL vs ECNL on girls side-I don't want my head cut off and placed on a spike in a public square.

                Comment


                  #23
                  MLS vs. ECNL (and GAL?)

                  I guess I should have addressed the GAL to be 'complete'.

                  Not sure of the intentions behind the GAL. ECNL and MLS have pretty clear missions (College Placement and Professional Player respectively). In some regions a GAL may make sense where the player population is large, and quality clubs/players exist relatively densely. However, to have it be high travel/cost seems ill advised.

                  For example, you could take the next tier of WA RCL clubs, add ISC and some of the non-ECNL Portland, OR area clubs have have a nice league. You could even keep the RCL (ECNL affiliated) clubs 2nd teams in such a division. Travel would be reasonable and wouldn't require airfare.

                  It's hard to determine how the GAL fits when the mission isn't clear.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    I’m amazed they haven’t announced ECNL-R for the PNW. A bunch of Seattle-Tacoma area teams, couple Portland, some Central WA, and a couple EWA. Makes sense to me...

                    Comment


                      #25
                      it's a busy time right now for ecnl they're still incorporating gda teams and the NW ecnl season doesn't start until spring. so plenty of time to properly set this up and announce it. agree it's a no brainer

                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      I’m amazed they haven’t announced ECNL-R for the PNW. A bunch of Seattle-Tacoma area teams, couple Portland, some Central WA, and a couple EWA. Makes sense to me...

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        Agree with above. Tiny step in right direction to have professional clubs who are incentivized by getting solidarity payments for selling players on. From what I've read it seems like there will be some compensation from MLS clubs to non-MLS teams in that league for players that move up the food chain but that is still vague and not yet true solidarity or training compensation.

                        The weakness continues to be the paucity of professional teams due to single entity MLS control and lack of pro-rel. If XF had a professional team at a USL level, and got same solidarity as MLS teams from other entities AND needed to develop its own players to move up a league ladder form USL regional to MLS, THEN we would have a real pyramid that would push development. As it is, MLS still controls all and now youth development too. With an ax to grind against xf suing for Yedlin payments, I doubt they will be let in.

                        ECNL boys will become the pay to play in college league of choice like the girls ECNL was/is. However, college coaches will still go first to "real" MLS Academy players due to higher level of play and MLS Academies will poach every player they can get from anywhere in the country independent of league affiliation. Note I believe that there are still LOTS of players that out there that are as good if not better than MLS Academy players. They are either out of view due to cost/location or undervalued due to continued Anglo-American views of "athleticism."

                        No comment on GAL vs ECNL on girls side-I don't want my head cut off and placed on a spike in a public square.
                        There are no details about the structure of this league as of yet. You MLS people are funny, yes in general those clubs are better, but not across the board. The Timbers Academy frankly isn't any good and the Sounders don't care one lick about college. It is very likely that the MLS teams won't even have a U-19 team in this league. The quality of many of the non-mls teams is well below what there was in the DA and that was the primary complaint of many MLS teams.
                        We haven't even got to travel for the NW teams yet. Are the bleeding MLS owners going to fly three academy teams to games in the fall?
                        Will it close for High School as they say?
                        I agree with the post above, if it's the right league, Xfire will likely join. It's far to early to tell if it is.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          I’m amazed they haven’t announced ECNL-R for the PNW. A bunch of Seattle-Tacoma area teams, couple Portland, some Central WA, and a couple EWA. Makes sense to me...
                          It probably will happen. Gotta kill off GAL first, so when that first wave of relegations happen, there is nowhere else for the victims to go.

                          Comment

                          Previously entered content was automatically saved. Restore or Discard.
                          Auto-Saved
                          x
                          Insert: Thumbnail Small Medium Large Fullsize Remove  
                          x
                          Working...
                          X