Is the FC STARS strategy working?

[Unregistered]

Yes. The game that actually NEFC was all over stars ECNL? 1-0 and in a lot people's opinion, NEFC were the better team.

Interesting memory you have there. Was that the same NEFC team that drew against Bayside, the team Stars beat 7-1 in that tournament?

[Unregistered]

If you think it was BTDT who wrote that then fine. Shoot the messenger all that you like. Doesn't bother me in the least. Let him burn for all that I care. He ain't me! The message however stands on its own two feet. Let me reiterate the points that I was making.

1-Not saying it can't be done but a one man band is a tough act to stack up against corporate giants that rule the roost in USCS
2-The politics of the USCS are moving things towards regional leagues not national leagues and that puts the ECNL in a tenuous position that could very well lessen its influence
3-JD can't use his prestige in USCS to be completely ruthless in protecting the Stars otherwise the other clubs with revolt and that could do the Stars harm. He needs to work with them not against them.
4-I would like to see a merger between the ECNL and NPL clubs in what was the old region 1 to form a super regional league because I think it would make a better competitive environment.

[Unregistered]

If you think it was BTDT who wrote that then fine. Shoot the messenger all that you like. Doesn't bother me in the least. Let him burn for all that I care. He ain't me! The message however stands on its own two feet. Let me reiterate the points that I was making.

1-Not saying it can't be done but a one man band is a tough act to stack up against corporate giants that rule the roost in USCS
2-The politics of the USCS are moving things towards regional leagues not national leagues and that puts the ECNL in a tenuous position that could very well lessen its influence
3-JD can't use his prestige in USCS to be completely ruthless in protecting the Stars otherwise the other clubs with revolt and that could do the Stars harm. He needs to work with them not against them.
4-I would like to see a merger between the ECNL and NPL clubs in what was the old region 1 to form a super regional league because I think it would make a better competitive environment.

Thanks BTDT.

[Unregistered]

Interesting memory you have there. Was that the same NEFC team that drew against Bayside, the team Stars beat 7-1 in that tournament?

I am impressed with your memory also. Did you run out of arguments and you are bringing third party into discussion? Yes, same team. The same team that beat Match fit 2-1, the team that beat stars ECNL 3-0 to recently. Remember that?

[Unregistered]

I am impressed with your memory also. Did you run out of arguments and you are bringing third party into discussion? Yes, same team. The same team that beat Match fit 2-1, the team that beat stars ECNL 3-0 to recently. Remember that?

Nope don't remember. It's hard to keep track of all the games you guys play when you work so hard to not travel.

[Unregistered]

If you think it was BTDT who wrote that then fine. Shoot the messenger all that you like. Doesn't bother me in the least. Let him burn for all that I care. He ain't me! The message however stands on its own two feet. Let me reiterate the points that I was making.

1-Not saying it can't be done but a one man band is a tough act to stack up against corporate giants that rule the roost in USCS
2-The politics of the USCS are moving things towards regional leagues not national leagues and that puts the ECNL in a tenuous position that could very well lessen its influence
3-JD can't use his prestige in USCS to be completely ruthless in protecting the Stars otherwise the other clubs with revolt and that could do the Stars harm. He needs to work with them not against them.
4-I would like to see a merger between the ECNL and NPL clubs in what was the old region 1 to form a super regional league because I think it would make a better competitive environment.

1- The source of some (maybe many) of Scorps problems was that they were operated for too long as a one-man show under FM. What resulted from that is in the open for all to observe, but they also seem to have taken some steps to try and turn things around by joining forces with the Breakers. Whether that works out or not remains to be seen, but Scorps recent rough patch is an illustration of what can happen if too many eggs are placed in one basket.

2- If ECNL is in fact in a tenuous position and suffers due to the costs of participation being too high, or for any other reason, then the member clubs will seamlessly move on to what is next. Around here, the ECNL clubs are already positioned just fine vis-a-vis the NPL with their second teams. If the NPL model wins out, or if some amalgam of ECNL and NPL does emerge, the ECNL clubs are not in any danger of getting left out in the cold. Sticking with ECNL for now does them no harm. It's a non-issue.

3- JD will do what he thinks is best for JD. Parents and players are either on board for that, or they aren't. To each his own.

4- I think it's almost always true that the competitive environment can be made better, but the question is whether club politics and rivalries will ever allow the 'best' competitive situation emerge. That's anybody's guess, but based on the vitriol that is so often on display here, we're probably still some distance away from that.

[Unregistered]

1- The source of some (maybe many) of Scorps problems was that they were operated for too long as a one-man show under FM. What resulted from that is in the open for all to observe, but they also seem to have taken some steps to try and turn things around by joining forces with the Breakers. Whether that works out or not remains to be seen, but Scorps recent rough patch is an illustration of what can happen if too many eggs are placed in one basket.

Great example. I was actually thinking further back to clubs like Spirit and such. I think the business side of all of this is actually quite fascinating. For many of the same reasons I'm watching the Bolts and wondering where they go. They have a valuable chip in the DAP designation but it sure doesn't look like they are going anywhere with it. Maybe that is the right approach (do what you do and do it well) but eventually I think all this USCS stuff is going to impact them as well and force them to expand as well and I'm not sure they have the business horses to do that.

2- If ECNL is in fact in a tenuous position and suffers due to the costs of participation being too high, or for any other reason, then the member clubs will seamlessly move on to what is next. Around here, the ECNL clubs are already positioned just fine vis-a-vis the NPL with their second teams. If the NPL model wins out, or if some amalgam of ECNL and NPL does emerge, the ECNL clubs are not in any danger of getting left out in the cold. Sticking with ECNL for now does them no harm. It's a non-issue.

I don't think that the ECNL completely disappears just that it morphs into something else. I actually think it would be better served shrinking in size and becoming something like the USYSA national league where champions from the NPL play.

3- JD will do what he thinks is best for JD. Parents and players are either on board for that, or they aren't. To each his own.

Agree about the internal side of it. On the external side there is a risk here that if he plays his cards too aggressively he could get shunted off into oblivion. That what business types do. They just put you out on a limb and wait for the right moment to saw it off. This is all like forming a union. There is a lot of allegiances being formed right now and all it would take is for one of the better ECNL clubs to shift their position and things could unravel quickly on that side. Ultimately the other ECNL clubs are not going to want to fight JD's battle and keep clubs like NEFC, MPS and Seacoast at bay just so he can retain some marketing advantage in this area. Clubs like NEFC, MPS and Seacoast are really growing quite strong and their influence in the region is going to be a tough thing keep under wraps. They certainly are not going to accept being intentionally cast into a second fiddle role to Stars if they can help it.

4- I think it's almost always true that the competitive environment can be made better, but the question is whether club politics and rivalries will ever allow the 'best' competitive situation emerge. That's anybody's guess, but based on the vitriol that is so often on display here, we're probably still some distance away from that.

So true.

[Unregistered]

As a parent with kids in Stars over the last couple years, I feel the coaches and program has really fostered their growth. The coaches committed to the kids and available to parents.

[Unregistered]

As a parent with kids in Stars over the last couple years, I feel the coaches and program has really fostered their growth. The coaches committed to the kids and available to parents.

Actually all that one has to say. If you were happy with your experience there is nothing else anyone can say to change that fact. The rest of the political intrigue is just window dressing. If you need to understand the landscape in order to make appropriate decisions for your child then you must suffer the fate of having to work your way through all of it. Not an enviable task when all most really need to do is ask themselves are they satisfied?