ECRL vs GA

[Unregistered]

Being on PDA Shore ECRL is being on top team for that branch which is still 10x better than DA, GA or whatever it’s called these days.

100% agree. PDA Shore has some great teams that can beat their GA equivalents at other NJ clubs. Choose smartly people. One league in ECRL has GA clubs already joining and others begging to get in. The other league (GA) has top clubs and players bailing by the month. You do the math.

[Unregistered]

So, what you are saying that if I'm a college scout, and I'm looking for players, that I should go to a club and ask where their 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th tier players are to scout.

And, you type that with a straight face as well?

"Hey Mr. Big Club, I'm looking for your 80th best player..."

Comedy.

[Unregistered]

Both are relatively new. Teams in MA and NE GA tend to be better then NA and NE ECRL. Still depends on training as each club and vary greatly and even vary between ECNL and RL teams.

Agree with this find the best club, coach and team for your kid - don’t worry so much about the letters. As long as your kid like her team, is getting better, has a vested coach and loving the game the rest will follow.

Over here in PA there has been some kids leaving ECNL clubs to go to a GA club, I will grant you the ECNL club they are leaving is a mess but still they are finding the GA club is offering them much better training in terms of quality and quantity for their money.

Again there is a team/club for everyone find the right fit and level of commitment FOR YOUR KID.

[Unregistered]

Ecnl
ecrl
usys
gal
edp 2/3

Fairly accurate. I would put USYS and GA as a tie for third though to be fair.

[Unregistered]

Agree with this find the best club, coach and team for your kid - don’t worry so much about the letters. As long as your kid like her team, is getting better, has a vested coach and loving the game the rest will follow.

Over here in PA there has been some kids leaving ECNL clubs to go to a GA club, I will grant you the ECNL club they are leaving is a mess but still they are finding the GA club is offering them much better training in terms of quality and quantity for their money.

Again there is a team/club for everyone find the right fit and level of commitment FOR YOUR KID.

Great point. I think too many lose site when they talk about leagues vs. leagues, is the are drawn to compare the best of one vs. the worst of another. I understand the truth hurts, but for most of the players, they are all in the same bucket and are more equal than mommy can realize. The best of the best, overall, come from ECNL. If you aren't one of those select few (call it several if you want), ignore the letters on the badge and look at the rest of the factors.

[Unregistered]

We are the shore!

[Unregistered]

Great point. I think too many lose site when they talk about leagues vs. leagues, is the are drawn to compare the best of one vs. the worst of another. I understand the truth hurts, but for most of the players, they are all in the same bucket and are more equal than mommy can realize. The best of the best, overall, come from ECNL. If you aren't one of those select few (call it several if you want), ignore the letters on the badge and look at the rest of the factors.

The numbers don’t lie. Making a blanket statement that the best of the best playing ECNL is not factual. Using PDA as an example. With all there teams at every age bracket and examine four ECNL teams at the high school level ie. U16-18. We can examine at least 100 plus kids. Maybe 1/2 (at best) will play college soccer at some level. Of that group maybe 6-10 will play P5 Conference and the rest will play at lower rated levels of D1 -D3. It will always come down to the player. ECNL does not guarantee a commitment because you play in the league. Players from all leagues I urge you to attend every clinic and camp for colleges you wish to attend and that match your soccer abilities. It’s the player who gets recruited. Get on a coaches radar. Don’t wait for a club to make it happen, go out there and make it happen yourself, individually.

[Unregistered]

The numbers don’t lie. Making a blanket statement that the best of the best playing ECNL is not factual. Using PDA as an example. With all there teams at every age bracket and examine four ECNL teams at the high school level ie. U16-18. We can examine at least 100 plus kids. Maybe 1/2 (at best) will play college soccer at some level. Of that group maybe 6-10 will play P5 Conference and the rest will play at lower rated levels of D1 -D3. It will always come down to the player. ECNL does not guarantee a commitment because you play in the league. Players from all leagues I urge you to attend every clinic and camp for colleges you wish to attend and that match your soccer abilities. It’s the player who gets recruited. Get on a coaches radar. Don’t wait for a club to make it happen, go out there and make it happen yourself, individually.

I think you missed my point, as I overall agree with you. But, the reality is you are more likely to find a player at the tippity-top in ECNL right now than in GAL. Call it the best provider for the 1%.

The rest, to your point, doesn't matter as much as people think.

[Unregistered]

I think you missed my point, as I overall agree with you. But, the reality is you are more likely to find a player at the tippity-top in ECNL right now than in GAL. Call it the best provider for the 1%.

The rest, to your point, doesn't matter as much as people think.

I didn’t miss your point, I was emphasizing the percentage which I agree. The top 1% of the ECNL players will have great choices while the numbers drop drastically after that core group. Regardless of league players can advocate for themselves individually this Spring/summer at specific targeted colleges that they have a realistic chance both academically and athletically. It’s not the patch but the individual. You hear the same bck and forth arguments about leagues and except for. Select few at the top of ECNL it comes down to individual performances under pressure with coaches “eyes” on you in a controlled competitive atmosphere.

[Unregistered]

The numbers don’t lie. Making a blanket statement that the best of the best playing ECNL is not factual. Using PDA as an example. With all there teams at every age bracket and examine four ECNL teams at the high school level ie. U16-18. We can examine at least 100 plus kids. Maybe 1/2 (at best) will play college soccer at some level. Of that group maybe 6-10 will play P5 Conference and the rest will play at lower rated levels of D1 -D3. It will always come down to the player. ECNL does not guarantee a commitment because you play in the league. Players from all leagues I urge you to attend every clinic and camp for colleges you wish to attend and that match your soccer abilities. It’s the player who gets recruited. Get on a coaches radar. Don’t wait for a club to make it happen, go out there and make it happen yourself, individually.

yes and no - coaches at top programs go to league(s) with the greatest concentration of talent first. Sure they'll look at players from other leagues, if those players can even get their attention. Top programs get hundreds of players wanting in. Now, if you're targeting mid to lower level programs certainly ECNL becomes less of a necessity. ECNL just gets the door open faster for you. After that it's up to you to prove yourse;f

However, parents need to keep in mind it's easy for a skilled player in a lower league to look like a rock star. Put that player in a tougher environment and they might thrive, or they might disappear like wallpaper. Coaches want you training at the best club you can and the best league you can give local opportunities. They know not all players have easy access to a quality clubs or leagues, but they do want players who can come into school as ready as possible to play.

During the "make the list" period in recruiting, pay attention to what players are getting the most PT and what their backgrounds are. If EDP type players are more often the bench warmers that's an important data point. It doesn't mean your kid shouldn't go for it, but it's important to know the realities going in.

[Unregistered]

So, what you are saying that if I'm a college scout, and I'm looking for players, that I should go to a club and ask where their 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th tier players are to scout.

And, you type that with a straight face as well?

"Hey Mr. Big Club, I'm looking for your 80th best player..."

Comedy.

There are a lot of colleges out there that understand that they are not going to attract the top-tier players, so yes, they are looking for the players who are not targeting top-level D1 soccer programs.

[Unregistered]

Great point. I think too many lose site when they talk about leagues vs. leagues, is the are drawn to compare the best of one vs. the worst of another. I understand the truth hurts, but for most of the players, they are all in the same bucket and are more equal than mommy can realize. The best of the best, overall, come from ECNL. If you aren't one of those select few (call it several if you want), ignore the letters on the badge and look at the rest of the factors.

No one can dispute that ECNL is the top league. With 70-80% D1 players coming from ECNL what else is there to say. That number will only increase as GA defections continue both as entire clubs and top players make the move to ECNL.

[Unregistered]

There are a lot of colleges out there that understand that they are not going to attract the top-tier players, so yes, they are looking for the players who are not targeting top-level D1 soccer programs.

Most coaches are pretty realistic about the type of player their program and school will be able to attract. Sure they'll aim higher because they'll want to continually improve their programs, but improvement takes time. Tough to turn a program around on a dime. Also, some schools are less of an academic draw and plays a part in recruiting also. So is location. A small east coast school few have heard of is far less likely to get a kid from Cali interested.

[Unregistered]

There are a lot of colleges out there that understand that they are not going to attract the top-tier players, so yes, they are looking for the players who are not targeting top-level D1 soccer programs.

Exactly. Hence the reason why the league doesn't matter as much as the keyboardists on here lead you to believe.

They'd have to be pretty desperate to ask a club for their 80th ranked player though.

[Unregistered]

The only ones saying that league doesn't matter are those who are not in the ECNL