PDA Showcase

[Guest]

Soccer Nut I will take it a set further.....and tell me if you agree or disagree. I believe and understand that college coaches recruit PLAYERS not teams. So in my opinion it doesn't matter what team you are on. If you out there performing as a players trust me they will find you. So it doesn't matter if you are A team B team C team etc if colleges are looking for certain positions to fill and trust me colleges do have NEEDS...WANTS...and if you want to come here thats up you type of offers. Trust me there is definitely a VALUE to what they need for that particular recruiting year.

Eric Harris

Eric,

In my experience, who you play with on the field and in practice matters. Elite teams playing against other elite teams provide a platform of perspective.. I agree with Coach me as well in that college coaches go where they can get the biggest bang for their limit buck. They are indeed stretched thin. So in theory a very good player can be noticed anywhere and have and opportunity to play for A college but not necessarilly Thee college they are looking to play for. I dont know too many non ecnl or non GA players that get the opportunity to play at USC. Do you? It happens Im sure but the window is small.


Soccer Nut

[Guest]

Its been said many times before, if you will be in the top 14 or 15 on PDA blue, preferably a starter with lots of time on the field, there is no better platform to show your stuff to college coaches. Each players experience is different depending on where you are in the pecking order. It can be glorious or miserable.

Soccer Nut

True so why White and South? Those players are really not ECNL level or they would be on Blue. And you know as well as we all do the PDA recruits come from outside PDA not brought up from White.

The ECNL soup is more like dishwater than soup with all the dilution of talent. Let it be the best league with the best kids not some glorified money making machine.

[Guest]

True so why White and South? Those players are really not ECNL level or they would be on Blue. And you know as well as we all do the PDA recruits come from outside PDA not brought up from White.

The ECNL soup is more like dishwater than soup with all the dilution of talent. Let it be the best league with the best kids not some glorified money making machine.

That’s more the reason other top academies like CSA should be in ECNL instead of being kept down due to territorial reasons. Would be amazing if we truly had the best of the best playing ECNL.

[Guest]

True so why White and South? Those players are really not ECNL level or they would be on Blue. And you know as well as we all do the PDA recruits come from outside PDA not brought up from White.

The ECNL soup is more like dishwater than soup with all the dilution of talent. Let it be the best league with the best kids not some glorified money making machine.

There is no one answer for that question. In my expereince, each teams creditability is highly dependent on coach and players. That goes for PDA or any other club. Especially if you are not playing for the top team in that age group. What highschool players have to ask themselves is does the platform you are prrforming for -Ecnl or GA ,and the recognition you get make up for bad coaching or lower level of play. That’s a personal choice. One thing I do agree with is that platform matters in recruiting. Your window should be big and wide and attract the most coaches, so that the player, when writing to these coaches, can have the best opportunity to be seen. As coach Me says, budgets are tight and they mostly go where they get the biggest bang for their buck. So that can be the white or south team in the Ecnl or the GA or a really good EDP team that plays in a lot of high quality national showcases. But whereever you end up , you should be on the field at least half the game.
That has been my experience , your milage may vary.

Soccer Nut

[Guest]

There is no one answer for that question. In my expereince, each teams creditability is highly dependent on coach and players. That goes for PDA or any other club. Especially if you are not playing for the top team in that age group. What highschool players have to ask themselves is does the platform you are prrforming for -Ecnl or GA ,and the recognition you get make up for bad coaching or lower level of play. That’s a personal choice. One thing I do agree with is that platform matters in recruiting. Your window should be big and wide and attract the most coaches, so that the player, when writing to these coaches, can have the best opportunity to be seen. As coach Me says, budgets are tight and they mostly go where they get the biggest bang for their buck. So that can be the white or south team in the Ecnl or the GA or a really good EDP team that plays in a lot of high quality national showcases. But whereever you end up , you should be on the field at least half the game.
That has been my experience , your milage may vary.

Soccer Nut

For my daughters it was always about being on the best team the club had to offer. So the teams interest and the clubs interests were aligned. We recieved the best coaches for that club and they played with the best players. The platforms were also solid for recruiting Others may want the Ecnl platform no matter what team.


Soccer Nut

[Guest]

There is no one answer for that question. In my expereince, each teams creditability is highly dependent on coach and players. That goes for PDA or any other club. Especially if you are not playing for the top team in that age group. What highschool players have to ask themselves is does the platform you are prrforming for -Ecnl or GA ,and the recognition you get make up for bad coaching or lower level of play. That’s a personal choice. One thing I do agree with is that platform matters in recruiting. Your window should be big and wide and attract the most coaches, so that the player, when writing to these coaches, can have the best opportunity to be seen. As coach Me says, budgets are tight and they mostly go where they get the biggest bang for their buck. So that can be the white or south team in the Ecnl or the GA or a really good EDP team that plays in a lot of high quality national showcases. But whereever you end up , you should be on the field at least half the game.
That has been my experience , your milage may vary.

Soccer Nut

What good is the ECNL platform for a kid that really shouldn't be in ECNL from a talent perspective? They made an ECNL team just because there were 3 of them instead of 1 and not because they were good enough to be in ECNL. So the talent level isn't there but the schools they can't play for will be? Big and wide is fine but "realistic" is right up there in the top 2.

[Guest]

Define good enough? If White or South is not than one could argue neither is Bucks, Delco, Maryland, etc. What are you left with? Blue vs Penn Fusion?

[Guest]

That’s more the reason other top academies like CSA should be in ECNL instead of being kept down due to territorial reasons. Would be amazing if we truly had the best of the best playing ECNL.

Agreed but will never happen. Too much of the pay to play environment in effect.

[Guest]

What good is the ECNL platform for a kid that really shouldn't be in ECNL from a talent perspective? They made an ECNL team just because there were 3 of them instead of 1 and not because they were good enough to be in ECNL. So the talent level isn't there but the schools they can't play for will be? Big and wide is fine but "realistic" is right up there in the top 2.

You can point to the kids that shouldn't be there and I can point to the kids that should be there, even though they are playing on white/south. Its personal choice. It sounds like it doesn't work for you. It doesn't work for me either- But I have known parents/kids that have benefitted greatly because of the platform. Kids that played on the South/white teams are playing at good respectable D1 colleges and prospering.
Now if your argument is why does PDA have 3 while other respectable clubs have 0-well that's a whole other can of worms.


Soccer Nut

[Guest]

You can point to the kids that shouldn't be there and I can point to the kids that should be there, even though they are playing on white/south. Its personal choice. It sounds like it doesn't work for you. It doesn't work for me either- But I have known parents/kids that have benefitted greatly because of the platform. Kids that played on the South/white teams are playing at good respectable D1 colleges and prospering.
Now if your argument is why does PDA have 3 while other respectable clubs have 0-well that's a whole other can of worms.


Soccer Nut

You missed the point-

You failed to address the lack of talent overall. Kids from EDP playing and doing well at D1 too but that isn't the point. Top level should be for top level talent. That isn't the case and you just brushed right over it with it doesn't work for me or my family. How does that suddenly make white and south players better?

What I am saying flat out is there isn't enough talent for 3 PDA ECNL teams (leave out the individual who should and shouldn't be there)/just talking sheer numbers of quality players. Once you get past #'s 5-10 on blue the kids are all interchangeable/no difference in soccer talent/level of play in the big picture of things. Those kids are needed everywhere so you don't end up with 11 individuals and no team but it doesn't mean they are as talented/good as the top kids on blue. It is why White is who they are and South is who they are. They have no studs just supporting players as those kids are no different than 100's of others in NJ/surrounding area.

[Guest]

You missed the point-

You failed to address the lack of talent overall. Kids from EDP playing and doing well at D1 too but that isn't the point. Top level should be for top level talent. That isn't the case and you just brushed right over it with it doesn't work for me or my family. How does that suddenly make white and south players better?

What I am saying flat out is there isn't enough talent for 3 PDA ECNL teams (leave out the individual who should and shouldn't be there)/just talking sheer numbers of quality players. Once you get past #'s 5-10 on blue the kids are all interchangeable/no difference in soccer talent/level of play in the big picture of things. Those kids are needed everywhere so you don't end up with 11 individuals and no team but it doesn't mean they are as talented/good as the top kids on blue. It is why White is who they are and South is who they are. They have no studs just supporting players as those kids are no different than 100's of others in NJ/surrounding area.

I think our perspectives about what the ECNL are quite different.

I see the ECNL as a business that merely promises a platform to be seen and plays to a certain "acceptable" quality. But their priorities are to use the platform to attract a customer pool of the various levels available to them, to put forth the best product they can, to make as much money as they can. Like most clubs they will choose money over quality unless the product becomes so watered down the quality begins to affect their money. That has not happened to date, so they rock on.

If I understand your view, your view is purer-better for the game and for development, a lot more altruistic.

Altruism and money do not walk hand in hand in youth soccer. Money always wins.


Soccer Nut

[Guest]

I think our perspectives about what the ECNL are quite different.

I see the ECNL as a business that merely promises a platform to be seen and plays to a certain "acceptable" quality. But their priorities are to use the platform to attract a customer pool of the various levels available to them, to put forth the best product they can, to make as much money as they can. Like most clubs they will choose money over quality unless the product becomes so watered down the quality begins to affect their money. That has not happened to date, so they rock on.

If I understand your view, your view is purer-better for the game and for development, a lot more altruistic.

Altruism and money do not walk hand in hand in youth soccer. Money always wins.


Soccer Nut

All about the $$$$ otherwise great NJ clubs like CSA, FC Copa etc would also be in ECNL too.

[Guest]

As always a thread goes to talk only about PDA and ecnl. This thread was talking about an entire showcase with other teams. However, I’m still reading it lol

[Guest]

I think our perspectives about what the ECNL are quite different.

I see the ECNL as a business that merely promises a platform to be seen and plays to a certain "acceptable" quality. But their priorities are to use the platform to attract a customer pool of the various levels available to them, to put forth the best product they can, to make as much money as they can. Like most clubs they will choose money over quality unless the product becomes so watered down the quality begins to affect their money. That has not happened to date, so they rock on.

If I understand your view, your view is purer-better for the game and for development, a lot more altruistic.

Altruism and money do not walk hand in hand in youth soccer. Money always wins.


Soccer Nut

I am more about for the kids than the game of football itself but yeah it doesn't need to be this way as I grew up in a time that it wasn't. Heck there weren't many clubs at all sans the IA or GAK type ethnic clubs. Everything else travel wise was through the town Rec dept.

I also think the affects of the dilution and the emergence of other factors are already impacting the PDA product negatively.

White is a shell of it former Covid self and South just really isn't there as folks may finally be awake/realizing ECNL is just like everywhere else talent wise after the top 5 or so kids. The super majority of kids will end up where they end up with or without a PDA magnet or another ECNL teams gear which is right where they belonged to begin with.

[Guest]

Define good enough? If White or South is not than one could argue neither is Bucks, Delco, Maryland, etc. What are you left with? Blue vs Penn Fusion?

Yes and Susa, world class- depends on age. Our area doesn’t have the top ECNL teams. This has been said over and over.