This whole mess is caused by-----

[Unregistered]

Thank you for this. I was getting tired of the only-kids-who-play-DA-want-to-be-on-the-NT. Isn't that most kids' dream who are playing on a top team? Last I checked, the only kids on the NT were at Stars and Select. Personally, I wish our club would go back to ECNL. It was great last year, and I haven't seen a difference this year, and people who say that DA is different are not being honest. It is a lot - a lot - of travel and expense for games that are sometimes weaker than when our daughter was in NPL, and there are the same squeaky wheels trying to get their kids playing time. Before you dump on me, my daughter is a starter and plays almost every minute.

It was great and you don't see the difference. Make up your mind. Any 2 weak teams in NPL can compete and make the game competitive. No matter what league you are in, you will have 2-3 competitive games if you are top team. At showcases usually it is more competitive. BTW, I am Trump.

[Unregistered]

This is a good point, but USSF wants the money that comes from all the rosters.

And even players dedicated to improving love competing. No season with games to play is a very tough sell.

[Unregistered]

And even players dedicated to improving love competing. No season with games to play is a very tough sell.

Players need game match conditions, yes, so play weekly games without standings, just not ones that require significant travel. Or have 1 weekend/month with games that count towards standings with other regional GDA teams. Continue to have showcases.

What they have now is a tough sell to sustain itself. If they want the unicorns, they will sacrifice for getting the best development environment. But that doesn't exist right now.

[Unregistered]

People on this site don't want to hear this POV.

Yes. I miss going to phoenix in April for my daughter to be seeing by Arizona SU.

[Unregistered]

Geography can't be dismissed across the US. I agree that GDA needs to shrink substantially, and by doing so, GDA needs to stop being a league and focus on the development component. It's not practical and cost-ineffective to force costly travel for weekly games as currently structured. It would be even worse with 25% of the current clubs.

Acceptance to GDA should have been something that was coveted...instead they had to scrape players to fill the rosters because they was just too much competition for the same players. Make it an elite thing and those who truly want it will find their way there. Otherwise, it is just going to limp along with watered down talent and lack competitive games as a league.

but so is the ECNL right?

[Unregistered]

This is a good point, but USSF wants the money that comes from all the rosters.

and for ECNl to go away. If they really cared about the end product they wouldn't have made it so large.

[Unregistered]

Players need game match conditions, yes, so play weekly games without standings, just not ones that require significant travel. Or have 1 weekend/month with games that count towards standings with other regional GDA teams. Continue to have showcases.

What they have now is a tough sell to sustain itself. If they want the unicorns, they will sacrifice for getting the best development environment. But that doesn't exist right now.

Or do once a month round robins with a few teams in a central location. There are solutions. It just takes some creativity and will power to do something different.

[Unregistered]

But there was and is, and US Soccer was not doing their job. Clubs/coaches can and will try to gain NT visibility/exposure for players, but I would expect U.S. Soccer to not buy into it. The NT system should be structured, fair and open to all players. No player should have to join DA to be on a NT. Awful statement by AH.

US Soccer could have set up open communication/ complaint box for poor coaching behavior. The coach's license is provided by US Soccer and can be taken away.

If USSF controls everything, then where is the oversight? If clubs/parents/players don't agree with US Soccer, then what? What is the check and balance?

there is no oversight in the ECNL. the only difference is the USSF are held to a higher standard. I think one thing that is overlooked is that the USSF were horrified by some of the behaviors in these Clubs.

I spoke to a College coach at a top 10 program who told me he was embarrassed by some of the language and yelling coming from coaches directed at players during showcases.

all these issues are collective ones that as a soccer community no one tires to address because the overriding aim is to make money and turn a blind eye unless directly impacted. I bet almost every roster has kids who really dont belong and every family knows it.

[Unregistered]

you dont need to stop being a league to develop. you dont need to stop keeping standings or scores either. You need what the womens game lacks

attractive benefits from the process of developing that are proportional to how good you actually get.


this whole GDA/ECNL thing boils done to one very simple fact. the developmental benefits of the GDA curriculum are not valued by the general public. Soccer excellence is not valued here. before we even waste time debating which platform is "better" thats the key issue.

If recruiting shifts to say junior year, then i think you will see a change in perception. right now with many of the top school recruiting long before you have enough real information on a player, parents are lulled into thinking development does not matter than much. If its pushed back, then it will matter a lot more.

[Unregistered]

But there was and is, and US Soccer was not doing their job. Clubs/coaches can and will try to gain NT visibility/exposure for players, but I would expect U.S. Soccer to not buy into it. The NT system should be structured, fair and open to all players. No player should have to join DA to be on a NT. Awful statement by AH.

US Soccer could have set up open communication/ complaint box for poor coaching behavior. The coach's license is provided by US Soccer and can be taken away.

If USSF controls everything, then where is the oversight? If clubs/parents/players don't agree with US Soccer, then what? What is the check and balance?

once there is no trust, you dont have anything to build on. this is what people are missing. The USSF built its own league becasue by and large they dont trust the big Clubs in the USA. They dont have the staff or the budgets to oversee 80 + clubs at the level you suggest and to be fair, they are still picking non DA kids.

On your complaint box, what are you suggesting they do with complaints? you do realize that opens the door for frivolous complaints from disgruntled parents right?

you seem more concerned about elected reps controlling something than a cartel of private business who have no requirements to open up their books for anyone. I get your concerns, but they seem a bit one sided.

[Unregistered]

you dont need to stop being a league to develop. you dont need to stop keeping standings or scores either. You need what the womens game lacks

attractive benefits from the process of developing that are proportional to how good you actually get.


this whole GDA/ECNL thing boils done to one very simple fact. the developmental benefits of the GDA curriculum are not valued by the general public. Soccer excellence is not valued here. before we even waste time debating which platform is "better" thats the key issue.

If recruiting shifts to say junior year, then i think you will see a change in perception. right now with many of the top school recruiting long before you have enough real information on a player, parents are lulled into thinking development does not matter than much. If its pushed back, then it will matter a lot more.

You are misunderstanding the comment -- it wasn't that you need to stop being a league to develop. It's that the GDA in its current form isn't achieving its goals by focusing itself as a league and trying to replace ECNL exactly (with more restrictions that do not appeal to most).

So much of the current GDA platform, in terms of time and cost, is spent on weekly games far away. With fewer clubs and more focus on the players supposed to be there, the game component can be solved in some other ways. That is the easiest part. Having a consistent development platform in place that works across the geography is what is failing.

[Unregistered]

Yes. I miss going to phoenix in April for my daughter to be seeing by Arizona SU.

Sorry that's what your daughter attracted.

[Unregistered]

You are misunderstanding the comment -- it wasn't that you need to stop being a league to develop. It's that the GDA in its current form isn't achieving its goals by focusing itself as a league and trying to replace ECNL exactly (with more restrictions that do not appeal to most).

So much of the current GDA platform, in terms of time and cost, is spent on weekly games far away. With fewer clubs and more focus on the players supposed to be there, the game component can be solved in some other ways. That is the easiest part. Having a consistent development platform in place that works across the geography is what is failing.

It is worth adding that most parents and kids want to continue to develop. If they stop developing, then they won't have a chance of playing in college or on the national team.

[Unregistered]

The same goes with the USSF, but they are building out a DA platform. Does anyone have any issues with NT selections or how they were treated by US Soccer coaches? What about what AH said about having to join DA to make a NT. That's the quote in SoccerWire.

What does USSF care about. Plenty of players are not getting playing time in DA and ECNL. If they didn't have the staff and budgets in place then why build a platform without adequate oversight? How about using the complaint box for serious issues and for patterns tracing back to specific clubs or coaches?

I don't think a lot of people have agreed with the US Soccer approach. If you care about building the game, it has to start at the younger ages, be structured, bring together and not divide, and be fair.

Do you think there are 20 U.S. players out there that could have beaten last year's MNT? College coaches do.

once there is no trust, you dont have anything to build on. this is what people are missing. The USSF built its own league becasue by and large they dont trust the big Clubs in the USA. They dont have the staff or the budgets to oversee 80 + clubs at the level you suggest and to be fair, they are still picking non DA kids.

On your complaint box, what are you suggesting they do with complaints? you do realize that opens the door for frivolous complaints from disgruntled parents right?

you seem more concerned about elected reps controlling something than a cartel of private business who have no requirements to open up their books for anyone. I get your concerns, but they seem a bit one sided.

[Unregistered]

The same goes with the USSF, but they are building out a DA platform. Does anyone have any issues with NT selections or how they were treated by US Soccer coaches? What about what AH said about having to join DA to make a NT. That's the quote in SoccerWire.

What does USSF care about. Plenty of players are not getting playing time in DA and ECNL. If they didn't have the staff and budgets in place then why build a platform without adequate oversight? How about using the complaint box for serious issues and for patterns tracing back to specific clubs or coaches?

I don't think a lot of people have agreed with the US Soccer approach. If you care about building the game, it has to start at the younger ages, be structured, bring together and not divide, and be fair.

Do you think there are 20 U.S. players out there that could have beaten last year's MNT? College coaches do.

There's a kernel of an idea. I was thinking they should have phased it in at the younger ages. Instead, they could have started this at ulittle with a lot of clubs and gotten the money, and then streamlined the clubs as the kids got older.