ECNL and GA club changes - official announcements

[Guest]

This back and forth is childish sandbox argument that means nothing as far as where all these leagues stand as far as the best or which players get recruited. When my girls played youth soccer ECNL was the only league that mattered for those that wanted to play high quality college soccer and get the most visibility at showcases and league tournaments. ECNL was founded on “less is more” meaning get the best rated and most successful clubs in all four regions and have tournaments in one place that will draw the best college coaches from across the country and it worked. I couldn’t believe there were in excess of 100 coaches for some games. That was then and now ECNL has had to change their business plan entirely because of the complete failure of the Boys ECNL which is a dumpster fire and bleeding money. ECNL Boys at best is a third tier choice after MLS Academies and MLS Next. ECNL girls have now had to add on clubs that they have repeatedly turned down year after year. Do you really think these clubs have improved to be accepted into ECNL after all these rejections? Of course not so instead ECNL business model has changed to bring in these clubs and form a “TIER” system. The top ranked/rated teams in ECNL will remain in the top tier playing each other in all four regions at College showcases and tournaments. The Second tier will be those established clubs that are below who are not rated/ranked as high as the top tier who also will play each other in ECNL events. Lastly, you will have tier 3 the bottom teams in each region who will also play each other in ECNL events. Included in that bottom group will be these newly promoted GA clubs. Do these new clubs actually think that these newly promoted clubs will be in the mix with the top clubs? Ultimately, what i think will occur is ECNL’s worse case scenario when these top rated/raked clubs in tier 1 who were the founding members get together and decide this train is off the track and decide to form there own “Super league” and leave ECNL. So you parents can continue your argument of superiority of who is playing in a higher league.

[Guest]

This back and forth is childish sandbox argument that means nothing as far as where all these leagues stand as far as the best or which players get recruited. When my girls played youth soccer ECNL was the only league that mattered for those that wanted to play high quality college soccer and get the most visibility at showcases and league tournaments. ECNL was founded on “less is more” meaning get the best rated and most successful clubs in all four regions and have tournaments in one place that will draw the best college coaches from across the country and it worked. I couldn’t believe there were in excess of 100 coaches for some games. That was then and now ECNL has had to change their business plan entirely because of the complete failure of the Boys ECNL which is a dumpster fire and bleeding money. ECNL Boys at best is a third tier choice after MLS Academies and MLS Next. ECNL girls have now had to add on clubs that they have repeatedly turned down year after year. Do you really think these clubs have improved to be accepted into ECNL after all these rejections? Of course not so instead ECNL business model has changed to bring in these clubs and form a “TIER” system. The top ranked/rated teams in ECNL will remain in the top tier playing each other in all four regions at College showcases and tournaments. The Second tier will be those established clubs that are below who are not rated/ranked as high as the top tier who also will play each other in ECNL events. Lastly, you will have tier 3 the bottom teams in each region who will also play each other in ECNL events. Included in that bottom group will be these newly promoted GA clubs. Do these new clubs actually think that these newly promoted clubs will be in the mix with the top clubs? Ultimately, what i think will occur is ECNL’s worse case scenario when these top rated/raked clubs in tier 1 who were the founding members get together and decide this train is off the track and decide to form there own “Super league” and leave ECNL. So you parents can continue your argument of superiority of who is playing in a higher league.

I can't be bothered reading this grammatical horror show.
Can someone sum up?

[Guest]

I can't be bothered reading this grammatical horror show.
Can someone sum up?

They like ECNL and are probably drunk or on drugs.

[Guest]

Tracker...

GA
1. Was Promoted by US Soccer
2. Added Liverpool FC International Academy (CA)
3. Added SYC
4. Added Revolution
5. Added Seattle Celtic
6. Added Westside Metros FC
7. Added Oregon Premier
8. Added South Valley Surf
9. Added KC Scott Gallagher
10. Added Coppermine SC
11. Added Cap City SC
12. Added Columbus United SC
13. Added Bayside FC
14. Added Rhode Island Surf SC
15. Gave City SC a 2nd GA team
16. Gave Cincinnati United a 2nd GA team
17. Gave NEFC a 2nd GA team
18. Added Colorado United
19. Added Sporting United FC

DPL
1. Added FC Sarasota
2. Added Georgia Impact
3. Added Inter Connecticut FC
4. Added San Antonio FC
5. Added Idaho Inferno
6. Added Augusta Arsenal
7. Added Wasatch SC
8. Added Dallas Hornets SC
9. Added 956 United
10. Added North Coast FC
11. DPL OPEN added Lanier Soccer Academy (Not sure what DPL Open is)
12. Added NEFC South
13. Added Western Washington Surf
14. Added San Antonio Athenian SC
15. Added Global Football Innovation
16. Added Bridge City Soccer Academy
17. Added Houston Rangers

ECNL
1. Added Colorado Rush
2. Added Nationals
3. Added Ukies
4. Added South Shore Select

ECRL
1. Added Lonestar
2. Added Cape Coral SA
3. Added South Florida Football Academy
4. Added Sunrise Surf Soccer Club
5. Added Team Boca
6. Added West Florida Flames
7. Added Arkansas Comets
8. Added Blitz Academy
9. Added Northeast Oklahoma FC
10 Added Oklahoma Cosmos
11. Added Sporting Springfield
12. Added Sting Nebraska
13. Added Germantown Legends
14. Added Lobos Rush
15. Added Mississippi Rush
16. Added Tennessee United
17. Added Tupelo FC
18. Added Utah Surf
19. Added New England Surf
20. Added PSA North
21. Added Hex Keystone FC
22. Added Match Fit Mercer
23. Added Reading Rage
24. Added YMS
25. Added DC Soccer Club
26. Added Mt. Vernon Sport Club

[Guest]

Looks like both GA/DPL and ECNL/RL are racing to add add many clubs as possible.

[Guest]

This back and forth is childish sandbox argument that means nothing as far as where all these leagues stand as far as the best or which players get recruited. When my girls played youth soccer ECNL was the only league that mattered for those that wanted to play high quality college soccer and get the most visibility at showcases and league tournaments. ECNL was founded on “less is more” meaning get the best rated and most successful clubs in all four regions and have tournaments in one place that will draw the best college coaches from across the country and it worked. I couldn’t believe there were in excess of 100 coaches for some games. That was then and now ECNL has had to change their business plan entirely because of the complete failure of the Boys ECNL which is a dumpster fire and bleeding money. ECNL Boys at best is a third tier choice after MLS Academies and MLS Next. ECNL girls have now had to add on clubs that they have repeatedly turned down year after year. Do you really think these clubs have improved to be accepted into ECNL after all these rejections? Of course not so instead ECNL business model has changed to bring in these clubs and form a “TIER” system. The top ranked/rated teams in ECNL will remain in the top tier playing each other in all four regions at College showcases and tournaments. The Second tier will be those established clubs that are below who are not rated/ranked as high as the top tier who also will play each other in ECNL events. Lastly, you will have tier 3 the bottom teams in each region who will also play each other in ECNL events. Included in that bottom group will be these newly promoted GA clubs. Do these new clubs actually think that these newly promoted clubs will be in the mix with the top clubs? Ultimately, what i think will occur is ECNL’s worse case scenario when these top rated/raked clubs in tier 1 who were the founding members get together and decide this train is off the track and decide to form there own “Super league” and leave ECNL. So you parents can continue your argument of superiority of who is playing in a higher league.

I'm not sure why you believe that the new GA teams are beneath a lot of the current ECNL teams, and that they couldn't do well. Having daughters that have played in both ECNL and GA, and played against the Nationals and the Ukrainian Nationals, they're on par with the better ECNL teams in New England. On a more national level I'd say that they're probably another 15 GA clubs that if currently added would further improve the quality of ECNL; in addition to their being other good, but not great clubs, that could add solid depth. This isn't to say that I think GA is better than ECNL, but anecdotally I've seen plenty of impressive GA teams(and not so impressive ECNL teams like FSA).

In my opinion these teams being rejected in the past has far less to do with the ability of these teams, but instead ECNL telling its members that they can't block clubs from joining because of politics(like Stars preventing SSS from joining). If GA teams do continue to be added, then yes, eventually the ECNL talent level will be diluted.

[Guest]

I'm not sure why you believe that the new GA teams are beneath a lot of the current ECNL teams, and that they couldn't do well. Having daughters that have played in both ECNL and GA, and played against the Nationals and the Ukrainian Nationals, they're on par with the better ECNL teams in New England. On a more national level I'd say that they're probably another 15 GA clubs that if currently added would further improve the quality of ECNL; in addition to their being other good, but not great clubs, that could add solid depth. This isn't to say that I think GA is better than ECNL, but anecdotally I've seen plenty of impressive GA teams(and not so impressive ECNL teams like FSA).

In my opinion these teams being rejected in the past has far less to do with the ability of these teams, but instead ECNL telling its members that they can't block clubs from joining because of politics(like Stars preventing SSS from joining). If GA teams do continue to be added, then yes, eventually the ECNL talent level will be diluted.

The ECNL platform is now diluted. This expansion is not what the initial founding clubs signed up for in the original business model. ECNL is now trying to become too many things and they are diluting the brand. The gulf of level of talent between these 3 tiers is increasing for the expansion the league has decided to go. Agree or disagree the founding clubs will decide there own future.

[Guest]

I can't be bothered reading this grammatical horror show.
Can someone sum up?

“Back in the good old days, when my kid played in ECNL, it meant something..,”

[Guest]

“Back in the good old days, when my kid played in ECNL, it meant something..,”

Soccer NIMBYs are the worst.

Adding crappy clubs to a league does nothing other than force better teams to play a few guaranteed win games. League winners don't change. If anything the guaranteed wins pushes better teams up higher in the rankings.

Just snobs that want to think they're better than someone else.

[Guest]

There is a post on the NJ forum about the 35 teams now in club v club leagues. Of course there are 2 or so leagues that do not really matter, and they do NOT have any DPL teams (DPL screwed up and NAL is t he DPL of NJ), but still 27 teams in ECNL/GA/ECRL/NAL(DP).

Are there REALLY 500+ girls per birth year in NJ that are going to be scouted?!?!?

Started to look at the MA list, and my head started to hurt

[Guest]

“Back in the good old days, when my kid played in ECNL, it meant something..,”

ECNL was founded as a highly competitive league with the top ranked clubs in all four regions. Today ECNL is a three tier league. ECNL expansion to these separate tiers have diluted the brand. That is problematic to those founding clubs who joined this league because of its high standards & criteria that has now been changed with a different business model.

[Guest]

Soccer NIMBYs are the worst.

Adding crappy clubs to a league does nothing other than force better teams to play a few guaranteed win games. League winners don't change. If anything the guaranteed wins pushes better teams up higher in the rankings.

Just snobs that want to think they're better than someone else.

ECNL was founded on the principle that better teams wouldn’t have to travel 2 hours to play these guaranteed win games. ECNL was originally the most competitive successful highly ranked teams but no more. You have TS whiny parents who complain about traveling 2 hours for a match and now will happily drive to PDA, SUSA, World class to play teams rated higher then them.

[Guest]

ECNL was founded on the principle that better teams wouldn’t have to travel 2 hours to play these guaranteed win games. ECNL was originally the most competitive successful highly ranked teams but no more. You have TS whiny parents who complain about traveling 2 hours for a match and now will happily drive to PDA, SUSA, World class to play teams rated higher then them.

The sport is growing, there's more and more clubs participating.

If girls ECNL doesn't expand they're going to be like MLSN only focusing on quality. The problem with this is they won't have a relationship with NWSL. (Like MLSN does with MLS)

GA will just surround ECNL. If this happens GA will have closer games (less travel for parents) and eventually newer clubs will figure out how to win.

This is why as much as the snobs hate it ECNL needs to expand. ECNL knows this, it's why you see them adding so many ECRL clubs.

[Guest]

The whole concept of leagues adding more clubs "dilutes" talent is BS.

More clubs oarticipating in a league gives more players an opportunity to play. Which should be what everyone wants.

The only situation where "dilution" kind of occurs is where the super clubs have difficulty collecting talent. When there's more options to play a single super club can't dominate the league as easily. Again, this should be what everyone wants. A rising tide floats all boats.

[Guest]

The whole concept of leagues adding more clubs "dilutes" talent is BS.

More clubs oarticipating in a league gives more players an opportunity to play. Which should be what everyone wants.

The only situation where "dilution" kind of occurs is where the super clubs have difficulty collecting talent. When there's more options to play a single super club can't dominate the league as easily. Again, this should be what everyone wants. A rising tide floats all boats.

Stop with the boat analogy. Sounds cool but doesn’t work for all things. This is not a tide. It is a regression to a mean. It will lift lower players while it will sink higher players. Just like the US education systems.