Every league is a mess

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There is not one league that is truly superior they are all fubar.

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There are way too many leagues and way to many teams. That has watered down the talent to the point that most teams only have one or two impact players and way too many players that should not even be on the roster. The USSF is not doing their job of managing the youth side of their program.

I remember the USSF Project 2010 designed to have the USA win the World Cup in 2010. Well here we are in 2018 and we are not even in the World Cup. This shows how out-of-touch USSF is on the youth side. The watered down youth teams are killing player development and we continue to slide backwards at the National teams level while the USSF keeps adding more leagues.

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Yes we all know it. We can't do anything about it. Find the best coaching for your kids in your price range and workable travel.

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Yes we all know it. We can't do anything about it. Find the best coaching for your kids in your price range and workable travel.

After two kids and success, this is the best thing to start with.
However, if the goal is to play soccer in college (regardless of division), there is a limit to which teams/clubs to choose from. At some point a college coach has to see you or a video of you.

All that said, the absence of JV teams, rosters of 20-30, and an increasing foreign influx on college teams makes it a bit tougher to get on the field during the college years.

You really do have to consider the end-game and figure out what your child is really going to get out of the club soccer....or any other sport. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done since you might not be able to know this answer until they are 16 or 17 years old.

....but....don't create a scenario where you child is stressed and unhappy and you, the parent, are disappointed.....then no one wins.

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There is not one league that is truly superior they are all fubar.

Yawn....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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There is not one league that is truly superior they are all fubar.

I will have to disagree with this.
For the Boys, the DAP is the strongest league in the country.
You may or may not agree based on what you see in Mass, however, across the country it is.

The ECNL is also very strong, but varies quite a bit more.
In Mass, one of the best non DAP teams is the U17 (2001) NEFC NPL team which just won the 2000 NEFC tournament division.

I would like to see the NEFC 2001 team play any of the nearby 2001 DAP teams. It would be a great battle.

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After two kids and success, this is the best thing to start with.
However, if the goal is to play soccer in college (regardless of division), there is a limit to which teams/clubs to choose from. At some point a college coach has to see you or a video of you.

All that said, the absence of JV teams, rosters of 20-30, and an increasing foreign influx on college teams makes it a bit tougher to get on the field during the college years.

You really do have to consider the end-game and figure out what your child is really going to get out of the club soccer....or any other sport. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done since you might not be able to know this answer until they are 16 or 17 years old.

....but....don't create a scenario where you child is stressed and unhappy and you, the parent, are disappointed.....then no one wins.

OP here and yes I agree. Figure out the goals (and likelihood of that happening) and find the best fit to help achieve those goals. Many aspire to top D1 but it isn't attainable for most.

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OP here and yes I agree. Figure out the goals (and likelihood of that happening) and find the best fit to help achieve those goals. Many aspire to top D1 but it isn't attainable for most.

Not only isn't it attainable by most, but it might not be much fun either. While yes...if you get into most D1 programs you are probably a very good player. However, if the money isn't much....or at all....and professional soccer isn't in your future, I would wonder if a player would prefer to play all the time at a good D3 team than sit on the bench at a good D1 team?

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Too many teams??? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

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There are way too many leagues and way to many teams. That has watered down the talent to the point that most teams only have one or two impact players and way too many players that should not even be on the roster. The USSF is not doing their job of managing the youth side of their program.

I remember the USSF Project 2010 designed to have the USA win the World Cup in 2010. Well here we are in 2018 and we are not even in the World Cup. This shows how out-of-touch USSF is on the youth side. The watered down youth teams are killing player development and we continue to slide backwards at the National teams level while the USSF keeps adding more leagues.

The way to solve it is connect all the leagues and allow promotion relegation each year. DAP at the top, then ECNL, then NPL all the way down to town teams.

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I will have to disagree with this.
For the Boys, the DAP is the strongest league in the country.
You may or may not agree based on what you see in Mass, however, across the country it is.

The ECNL is also very strong, but varies quite a bit more.
In Mass, one of the best non DAP teams is the U17 (2001) NEFC NPL team which just won the 2000 NEFC tournament division.

I would like to see the NEFC 2001 team play any of the nearby 2001 DAP teams. It would be a great battle.

Didn't the Bolts DAP 2001/2002 team play them last month at Boston College? NEFC lost 4-1?

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Didn't the Bolts DAP 2001/2002 team play them last month at Boston College? NEFC lost 4-1?

Yup, the game where ED Kelley was screaming his head off all match.

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Too many teams??? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

I agree there's too many teams at the highest level. It no longer looks like a pyramid but practically a square.

I also agree with the above that an entire national system, consistent from state to state, of promotion and relegation from top to bottom would be preferred. But I just don't see any of these different leagues giving up their programs. A USSF monopoly over all of soccer probably wouldn't fly legally either.

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I agree there's too many teams at the highest level. It no longer looks like a pyramid but practically a square.

I also agree with the above that an entire national system, consistent from state to state, of promotion and relegation from top to bottom would be preferred. But I just don't see any of these different leagues giving up their programs. A USSF monopoly over all of soccer probably wouldn't fly legally either.

The different leagues could all operate financially independently. The agglomeration into a pyramid would be through voluntary agreement. Don’t forget everyone gets paid whether they are too second or third league, in fact the stability makes the business model better. Competition through promotion and relegation is the only way to up the level of US soccer. Are you with me fellow soccer parents of the world. Let’s unite and start a revolution (sorry to mention a team that would not benefit from this proposal.)

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The different leagues could all operate financially independently. The agglomeration into a pyramid would be through voluntary agreement. Don’t forget everyone gets paid whether they are too second or third league, in fact the stability makes the business model better. Competition through promotion and relegation is the only way to up the level of US soccer. Are you with me fellow soccer parents of the world. Let’s unite and start a revolution (sorry to mention a team that would not benefit from this proposal.)

Good luck with that. As long as one league is in competition with another financially and for talent it will never work. There's only so much talent to go around. They're all out trying to get the same players and their parents' money.

Good luck with the revolution part too. A parent revolt isn't in the works any time soon. Most don't care about the broader soccer universe, just what impacts their own kids. Parents helped create the mess but clubs and leagues are to blame as well.