USYS Elite 64 - oh dear

[Guest]

The one thing USYS had going for it was the open league concept- teams qualifying/promoted based on performance. Now it's moving towards a closed club v club league.. Bravo idiots.. We already have 2 of those leagues with much better teams. How does this fit in with their regional/national championship and the PRO league.

from the email: Featuring six age groups (13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 18/19U), Elite 64 features year-round competition for the top 64 boys clubs and top 64 girls clubs in the country. The 64 clubs in each gender will be geographically positioned into eight groups of eight clubs, providing an annual competition calendar that includes…

• A minimum of 14 league games over a 10-month season, with a schedule created to aid a player’s periodization and involvement in high school soccer.
• The Elite 64 Finals and Showcase. All teams attend, and top regular season finishers compete in championship brackets, with winners in select age groups advancing to the USYS Champions Cup.
• Up to three national showcases taking place alongside National League P.R.O. — creating a cannot-miss scouting opportunity with the top club-based and team-based national competition.
• The ability to advance to the USYS Champions Cup, where Elite 64 Finals winners in the 14U-17U age groups can compete for an international title against other domestic and international champions.
• The option to play in the USYS National Championship Series via entry into their respective USYS State Cup.

[Guest]

Bad idea.....Keeps diluting the talent level. Think we will just be fine with ECNL and GA/MLS Next options....Enough already !!!

[soccerinnj]

What is the difference between this and the PRO league that just started?

[Guest]

PRO league is team based- if you win state cup or your USYS division, you can join the PRO league. This is a club v club league, just like ECNL and GAL/MLS Next- but with town teams.

[Guest]

Club v club does not work at this level because the teams at these clubs vary so greatly (the u13s might be division 1 and u14s might be division 3, etc.). This is really going to suck. Plus you are now removing 8 clubs from the regular USYS league, so you weaken those top divisions as well. So they already had a weak product and now they just cut it half. This is beyond stupid.

[soccerinnj]

The regions they set up are worse than the GA. Virginia to Maine is crazy.

https://www.usysnationalleague.com/a...ew_1-17-22.pdf

[Guest]

This is beyond brutal. Didn't EDP have a club v club division a couple years ago? who was in that?

[Guest]

if done right this will kill ECNL Boys (which is clearly 2nd, or even 3rd tier in most of the nation.

[Guest]

"US Youth Soccer ODP Elite 64 players that are recognized as USYS ODP prospects will be afforded the opportunity to access ODP at the Inter-Regional level."

If they do this, this will kill all credibility ODP had left. If players are allowed to side step state ODP and Region Camps what reason would anyone have to do them? For players on non-USYS teams looking to get outside exposure due to club politics or because they aren't a top 5 player or just can't get to one of those clubs this will hurt them more then help.

USYS should merge with GA not try to make yet another closed system. These idiots should be working together to build a single large stream not carve out a small piece. Ultimately they are cannibalizing themselves as these clubs will have to weigh participation in State Cups, Large Non-League National Showcases and NL Pro.

[Guest]

if done right this will kill ECNL Boys (which is clearly 2nd, or even 3rd tier in most of the nation.

If this is done right it wont even hold a candle to ECNL Boys which is clearly WAY below MLS next. Huge swing and a miss on this idea. Just bad.

[Guest]

if done right this will kill ECNL Boys (which is clearly 2nd, or even 3rd tier in most of the nation.

This isn't even close to factually accurate (3rd tier). There are plenty of ECNL teams that are right there with MLS teams. For example, in the 2008 age group, Crossfire, OK Energy, DKSC all in the top 10 in the country.

[Guest]

The one thing USYS had going for it was the open league concept- teams qualifying/promoted based on performance. Now it's moving towards a closed club v club league.. Bravo idiots.. We already have 2 of those leagues with much better teams. How does this fit in with their regional/national championship and the PRO league.

from the email: Featuring six age groups (13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 18/19U), Elite 64 features year-round competition for the top 64 boys clubs and top 64 girls clubs in the country. The 64 clubs in each gender will be geographically positioned into eight groups of eight clubs, providing an annual competition calendar that includes…

• A minimum of 14 league games over a 10-month season, with a schedule created to aid a player’s periodization and involvement in high school soccer.
• The Elite 64 Finals and Showcase. All teams attend, and top regular season finishers compete in championship brackets, with winners in select age groups advancing to the USYS Champions Cup.
• Up to three national showcases taking place alongside National League P.R.O. — creating a cannot-miss scouting opportunity with the top club-based and team-based national competition.
• The ability to advance to the USYS Champions Cup, where Elite 64 Finals winners in the 14U-17U age groups can compete for an international title against other domestic and international champions.
• The option to play in the USYS National Championship Series via entry into their respective USYS State Cup.

Bravo to them as they will now finally surpass GA as a solid secondary option. Sometimes you have to make big changes to compete.

[Guest]

Bravo to them as they will now finally surpass GA as a solid secondary option. Sometimes you have to make big changes to compete.

Sounds like more of an attention grab. USYS should stay in their lane with teams making a splash on a national level for teams that aren't apart of top clubs or players that can't get to an ECNL or GA club.

[Guest]

Bravo to them as they will now finally surpass GA as a solid secondary option. Sometimes you have to make big changes to compete.

USYS is already above GA on the pyramid but now they may overtake ECRL with this move.

[Guest]

USYS is already above GA on the pyramid but now they may overtake ECRL with this move.

Bahahahaha. Riiiiiggghhtttt.