More SoCal Clubs "All In" in ECNL

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More missed school and more travel expense.

It’s all to create a two tier system for the top boys DA clubs that were going to pull out of DA because they don’t like playing so many bad teams all the time. It will make for more like-like team match ups. Thorns Academy will be tier 2 because all the teams are dead last but one. Will be nice to play other tier two teams.

[Unregistered]

GDA, I don't think it will be around even next year. What a bad idea to try to get girls to give up high school.

I know elite girls soccer players and they don't have to give up anything. GDA is missing the boat and that is probably why they wind up with B team players.

[Unregistered]

GDA, I don't think it will be around even next year. What a bad idea to try to get girls to give up high school.

I know elite girls soccer players and they don't have to give up anything. GDA is missing the boat and that is probably why they wind up with B team players.

Not allowing High school is just the tip of the ice berg. Also, elite players really can do whatever they want with the exact same results so they’d be dumb to give up anything for thorns or any other program. Also, let’s pretend we have 2 amazing keepers and 3 amazing center forwards in Oregon at one age. No way they want to all congregate on the same team (gda) because Thorns coach would decide which one they thought was the very best and the others would play less than ten minutes a game or not at all. Why in the world would a player choose that over being the superstar of her club team, playing all game every game and getting committed to the exact same pac12 school? Guarantee you the one that wouldve been benched at Thorns, would’ve missed out on that Pac12 commitment. Until the players who get minimal minutes at Thorns are getting better commitments than OYSA stars, there is no reason for talent to concentrate at the Thorns. Individual college results are better now if they don’t concentrate.

[Unregistered]

It’s all to create a two tier system for the top boys DA clubs that were going to pull out of DA because they don’t like playing so many bad teams all the time. It will make for more like-like team match ups. Thorns Academy will be tier 2 because all the teams are dead last but one. Will be nice to play other tier two teams.

BDA has the scale to go two tiered. However, that assumes MLS stays in the fold and many don't want to. If they pull out then BDA starts to look more like ECNL but with a HS sacrifice.
GDA does not have the depth at all to go two tiered. It's bad enough now. Imagine what the bottom tier would look like? No one is going to give up HS and do all that traveling for a GDA B level experience.

[Unregistered]

Parents don't understand this is a business. If it's not padding your wallet then it must be evil and you must denounce it. Anyone of these ECNL preachers could be converted to GDA overnight, just requires cash to grease the skids. And vice-versa. Except, I think most of the female coaches have significantly more character than the men. But that's just my experience and please note, I said "most".

Holy gender generalizations batman!

[Unregistered]

I laugh every time they say “meaningful games”

Please, someone ask Laura to justify the games as meaningful.

Lol

It does beg the question. If these are "meaningful games," which game are not meaningful? And why are kids getting on airplanes and missing school to play games that are not meaningful?

[Unregistered]

Someone ask the thorns coaches do justify their program currently.

Please. I’d love to hear some of these people try to talk about meaningful games pathwayto pros all the BS to someone who actually knows soccer and development.

Don’t worry, we ll wait.

[Unregistered]

Not allowing High school is just the tip of the ice berg. Also, elite players really can do whatever they want with the exact same results so they’d be dumb to give up anything for thorns or any other program. Also, let’s pretend we have 2 amazing keepers and 3 amazing center forwards in Oregon at one age. No way they want to all congregate on the same team (gda) because Thorns coach would decide which one they thought was the very best and the others would play less than ten minutes a game or not at all. Why in the world would a player choose that over being the superstar of her club team, playing all game every game and getting committed to the exact same pac12 school? Guarantee you the one that wouldve been benched at Thorns, would’ve missed out on that Pac12 commitment. Until the players who get minimal minutes at Thorns are getting better commitments than OYSA stars, there is no reason for talent to concentrate at the Thorns. Individual college results are better now if they don’t concentrate.

Since Oregon is not even in a NW regional discussion about having elite female players, why does the topic of elite players even come up on a talking soccer Oregon blog?

Really good female Oregon players can do whatever they want since the US Nat team is not an option, ever. The Top 50 D1 Colleges don't have them on their must get list as prized signee.

Frankly they can play DA, Club or just HS nobody at any higher level is much concerened if they players just da, just hs or just club.


What they do in their do in their leisure club or hs experience doesn't really impact anything.

They are what they are.

[Unregistered]

GDA seems to have gotten rid of the overall competitive drive. Most elite players want to compete and win cups. Gda doesn’t seem to value the trophies unless I’m missing something. I understand that some people think that tournaments and cups are not developmentally correct but I disagree.

[Unregistered]

GDA seems to have gotten rid of the overall competitive drive. Most elite players want to compete and win cups. Gda doesn’t seem to value the trophies unless I’m missing something. I understand that some people think that tournaments and cups are not developmentally correct but I disagree.

Great point since US Soccer houses all National Teams youth and adult. It's not like they have to compete against the best men in the world and the minnows for women.

US Club youth org has purely a 'showcase' format catering to girls college assistant coaches across the nation. US Soccer National teams on the girls side have shown this model produces apathy especially since nobody is watching them and prepared to give them a non scholarship roster spot or maybe even books and fees.

#VarsityBlues

[Unregistered]

GDA seems to have gotten rid of the overall competitive drive. Most elite players want to compete and win cups. Gda doesn’t seem to value the trophies unless I’m missing something. I understand that some people think that tournaments and cups are not developmentally correct but I disagree.

You can see the lack of competitive drive and fire with the US men. They are boring and sedate.

[Unregistered]

You can see the lack of competitive drive and fire with the US men. They are boring and sedate.

Watching the US Youth National teams that were formed from the former US Club girls league (ecnl) watching these girls struggle vs the Caribbean Island girls National teams has been truly refreshing.

[Unregistered]

You can see the lack of competitive drive and fire with the US men. They are boring and sedate.

Take kids away from their youth and make them play meaningless games and that's what you get.

I still to this day remember playing for my high school. Still good friends with most of my teammates.

[Unregistered]

Take kids away from their youth and make them play meaningless games and that's what you get.

US Club ECNL platform for girls still does this even after US Soccer said stop it. Like you mention it's truly a shame the girls are playing to travel and never get to hold a cup or great memory as team.

[Unregistered]

Take kids away from their youth and make them play meaningless games and that's what you get.

I still to this day remember playing for my high school. Still good friends with most of my teammates.

Why don't the thorns just allow the kids to play high school?