ECNL wants to switch back to school year from birth year

[Guest]

MLS Next is governed under the Federation (US Soccer). Like many other comments here that are wrapped in wishful thinking based on how it affects their kid, why in the world does anyone think that MLSN cares enough about sticking with BY that they would carry a different convention than the rest of youth soccer? It really makes no sense. These clubs all have an extremely deep understanding of their player pool and it probably is the easiest for them to change out of any league/group because their focus is so much on individual player development over team. The non-MLS Clubs in MLSN wont want to have a different convention than the other parts of their player pool.

Again, I dont understand why anyone thinks MLSN would push back on a change if the rest of US soccer is doing it.

Agree, Clubs usually own both MLSN and EA teams. There is no financially incentive to be the single league in BY for EA league, so both MLSN and EA will be forced to change to SY along with all other leagues, in order to maintain the current status quo.

[Guest]

https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-r...r-registration

This survey is bull****. If they want to fake it, please make it to appear more formal.

[Guest]

Umm all it says is the issue is under review…..rl ulittle parents at it again.

Dumb head, this huge change has already been discussed and decided. Nothing can be reviewed in the next 15 days to overturn whatever decision they already held. All the hints show that change is coming.

[Guest]

Umm all it says is the issue is under review…..rl ulittle parents at it again.

Cognitive dissonance is a hellavu drug

[Guest]

Umm all it says is the issue is under review…..rl ulittle parents at it again.

Communicating a path forward to the ecosystem? Whatever that jumbled mess of words means, I don't read it to mean "We're going to make a decision and it's going to be a binding mandate across all platforms/leagues." It also doesn't answer the question about what impact it could have on their decision if MLS--even if it's MLS alone--doesn't want to switch.

[Guest]

Cognitive dissonance is a hellavu drug

lol you sure about that? Ulittle rl parents make me

[Guest]

Maybe posted somewhere above, but here's an article with a heavy pro-SY bias: https://www.soccerparenting.com/blog...ing-us-soccer/

Found this note added at the end interesting: "Author note: My intention with this article is to not demonstrate bias, but instead to be clear on what will result. With that in mind, I added in #6 "Our Most Elite Players will be Impacted" after initially publishing this article and after hearing from someone at MLS NEXT."
Indicates to me that someone at MLSN seems to be against the switch away from BY. Here's the referenced #6:

6. Our Most Elite Players - Youth National Team and Young Professionals - Will Be Impacted


If our move to Birth Year was made to support our Youth National Team players, or players who have an opportunity to play professionally at a young age, a move back will impact them. Eventually, RAE will circle back to where it was before with a selection bias towards a School Year cut off. This will impact some players on our Youth National Teams in competition and it will also impact some of our young players trialing at professional clubs internationally.

Also of note, this will impact American teams playing in International competitions. So, when a MLS NEXT club from the United States plays against a Professional Club Academy in a country that does Birth Year registration, the other team will have a biological age advantage.

[Guest]

Communicating a path forward to the ecosystem? Whatever that jumbled mess of words means, I don't read it to mean "We're going to make a decision and it's going to be a binding mandate across all platforms/leagues." It also doesn't answer the question about what impact it could have on their decision if MLS--even if it's MLS alone--doesn't want to switch.

https://youtu.be/JZLmD35d9YI?si=78l-uZ0xk4eje2Ef Listen to the most recent ECNL podcast, ECNL's technical advisor describes the system in the UK, it is based on school year, their academy teams are based on school year. Birth Year, School year none of it matters until every club honestly reviews every kid and their coaches are actively working on their development instead of focusing on winning, especially at younger ages. It just seems like a more equitable and productive system, that we should probably mirror if we don't want to fall behind the rest of the world, if we have not already.

[Guest]

Maybe posted somewhere above, but here's an article with a heavy pro-SY bias: https://www.soccerparenting.com/blog...ing-us-soccer/

Found this note added at the end interesting: "Author note: My intention with this article is to not demonstrate bias, but instead to be clear on what will result. With that in mind, I added in #6 "Our Most Elite Players will be Impacted" after initially publishing this article and after hearing from someone at MLS NEXT."
Indicates to me that someone at MLSN seems to be against the switch away from BY. Here's the referenced #6:

6. Our Most Elite Players - Youth National Team and Young Professionals - Will Be Impacted


If our move to Birth Year was made to support our Youth National Team players, or players who have an opportunity to play professionally at a young age, a move back will impact them. Eventually, RAE will circle back to where it was before with a selection bias towards a School Year cut off. This will impact some players on our Youth National Teams in competition and it will also impact some of our young players trialing at professional clubs internationally.

Also of note, this will impact American teams playing in International competitions. So, when a MLS NEXT club from the United States plays against a Professional Club Academy in a country that does Birth Year registration, the other team will have a biological age advantage.

I don't believe it will be a big issue internationally; most international academy teams are split 60/40 with kids playing up in age. If the UK has been doing this for years, even after most countries changed to birth year, I'm sure the US can figure out a way.

[Guest]

And their coaches are actively working on their development instead of focusing on winning, especially at younger ages. .

At what age should coaches focus on winning?

[Guest]

none of it matters until every club honestly reviews every kid and their coaches are actively working on their development instead of focusing on winning, especially at younger ages.

In my opinion, this is the real crux of the problem in the US. So much weight is put on winning, at every level, here. I think it starts with parents, who prioritize winning over all else and the ultimate indicator of development, regardless of age or level. Clubs, who should and likely do know better, get drawn into it because club success (and therefore profits) directly affects recruiting and retention of players. Development gets lost in the shuffle and ultimately just becomes a potential byproduct of success.

[Guest]

I don't believe it will be a big issue internationally; most international academy teams are split 60/40 with kids playing up in age. If the UK has been doing this for years, even after most countries changed to birth year, I'm sure the US can figure out a way.

While I think this is true, it affects so few players that, ultimately it is probably not a big consideration for the governing bodies.

[Guest]

At what age should coaches focus on winning?

In a perfect world, just professional and international levels would focus on winning.

[Guest]

At what age should coaches focus on winning?

realistically U-16 but yeah in a perfect world just national teams and professionals.

[Guest]

In a perfect world, just professional and international levels would focus on winning.

What? So the 99.9999999% of players who will never play pro or internationally--which includes a fair number of people good enough to have played MLSN, ECNL and college--will never play in a single game where the idea is to win? No championship games or tournament finals of any kind where they're trying to win? I get the sentiment, but think things through a bit before you post man.