ECNL to Portland

[Unregistered]

I'm disappointed for the team and my DD. Worth a try though. On another note, merging with another club will never work. Unfortunately Tom is not popular and those clubs will never merge unless we have another DOC.

Uh huh. Sure. Nice try undercover wsm parent!

[Unregistered]

That's disappointing that ECNL is not coming to Oregon. However, after speaking with parents at ECNL clubs, there are definately pros and CONS to the entire thing. And if the goal is college, there are many other ways to get attention from the college recruiters.

So, while this would have been great, the fact that it isn't coming isn't the end of the world.

[Unregistered]

but maybe the end of TA!!!!

[Unregistered]

but maybe the end of TA!!!!

That might be the only way your team could win a game against his ;)

[OrSoccerMom]

That might be the only way your team could win a game against his ;)

LOL... his teams are hard to beat.

My daughter would not have benefited from ECNL in Portland this late in her high school youth soccer career, but I think it is an experience that would have been a good one had the option been there. I hope that Oregon clubs don't give up and continue to try and secure this high level soccer avenue for our Oregon girls. I appreciate Tom for having given it a shot. It definitely won't happen if no one tries.

[Unregistered]

What the heck?

A lil bird was whispering in my ear and told me of a story that isnt a happy one for most folk here.

He told me of a idea that the Timbers, once they have their West, East and North training centers in place, all the new players info in their data banks, all their best playing in their DA program, will eliminate them (WSM, ESUFC & VUSA) from competitive competition in our state. Those player will be wearing Green Adidas and wont have any identity to the former clubs so there is no need for them to be in competition of their program(s).

MP/Timbers (headed by Mr. Wilkerson) are in business to be in business. If they could control the lion share of the best youth players in our state, the rest will follow. At that point they also will be collecting the lion share of our tuition payments and that means profit (BIG profit). Their is no rent control, you and I will pay whatever they wish to charge or that the market will bear.

Be on the look out for the tale tell signs in the near future.

What the heck is this person talking about? It has to be a freeloading dumb*** parent that never does anything to help out the team or club because EVERYBODY who has ANYTHING to do with ANY of the clubs in the area know there is ABSOLUTELY no profit in running a club. Yeah, you might argue whether someones salary is to high but profit? WOW. Way to look ignorant.

[Unregistered]

LOL... his teams are hard to beat.

My daughter would not have benefited from ECNL in Portland this late in her high school youth soccer career, but I think it is an experience that would have been a good one had the option been there. I hope that Oregon clubs don't give up and continue to try and secure this high level soccer avenue for our Oregon girls. I appreciate Tom for having given it a shot. It definitely won't happen if no one tries.

I agree and I know nothing about TA (wouldn't know him if he was standing next to me). I am glad he gave it a shot and hope that we keep trying. If any feedback was given, I hope that the DOCs of the major Oregon clubs (and maybe even share it with the Timbers DOC) take it under advisement and try to address the concerns. It's going to take a concerted effort so I hope that egos don't get in the way (I know, that's asking a lot).

[Unregistered]

Here are the new clubs added to ECNL:

Albion Hurricane (Texas)
Mountain View Los Altos (Calif.)
Brandon Flames (Fla.)
Santa Rosa United (Calif.)
CFK Krush (Fla.)
Texas Rush (Texas)
Internationals (Ohio)

[Unregistered]

Here are the new clubs added to ECNL:

Albion Hurricane (Texas)
Mountain View Los Altos (Calif.)
Brandon Flames (Fla.)
Santa Rosa United (Calif.)
CFK Krush (Fla.)
Texas Rush (Texas)
Internationals (Ohio)

.

Soccer city USA and the pacific nw didn't even get a look, what can we do if the ecnl won't even give us any consideration. Sucks being stuck in a bubble

[Unregistered]

Stop diluting talent

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Soccer city USA and the pacific nw didn't even get a look, what can we do if the ecnl won't even give us any consideration. Sucks being stuck in a bubble

It's not rocket science its demographics’! The timbers are about to do on the Boys side what the egos on the girls side just can’t bring themselves to do and that is concentrate the talent in three clubs. Ya listening THUSC, WSM & FC? OSSA is one step ahead of you and the Timber designation for Eastside will kill Clackamas.

Think about how good the A team of those combined Westside clubs clubs would be on a national level?

[Unregistered]

It's not rocket science its demographics’! The timbers are about to do on the Boys side what the egos on the girls side just can’t bring themselves to do and that is concentrate the talent in three clubs. Ya listening THUSC, WSM & FC? OSSA is one step ahead of you and the Timber designation for Eastside will kill Clackamas.

Think about how good the A team of those combined Westside clubs clubs would be on a national level?

I just worry if it is a sustainable model. If all the top players were consolidated into three teams by way of pulling the best players from all other clubs this doesn't seem like a long term solution. Immediately the top three teams would only have themselves to compete with in-state. This would require these teams to participate in the likes of ECNL, just to get good competition. This would also raise costs.

Longer term, the development chain that created the players they would recruit will likely dry up. They will need to find how to ID players on a statewide level.
This will raise costs.

If the goal is to raise the competitive level across the state, this goes in the opposite direction. If it is about creating a few super clubs that will change the long term picture in soccer, this won't work. What it will create is a pool of three who will feed off themselves and eventually implode.

[Unregistered]

Yep

If you could do that, keep the best 18 girls on one team, it would work, but we all know you need about a 54 girl player pool to make one good team of 18.

At anyone one time a 1/3 of girls hate the girls they are playing with and are leaving, another 1/3 is inviting a different 2/3 girls to play because they don't like the 1/3 that hate them and think the 1/3 who are quite don't like them either. The 1/3 that are happy what to the leave the club and take the coach because 1/3 don't like them and a 1/3 are inviting a new 2/3 to play.

Right you need 54 girls.

[Unregistered]

Funny!! Being the mother of 3 daughters I can tell you that the most of competitive of the three is also not into the drama that the other two seem to engage in....

I would lower the number to 40

[Unregistered]

Don't fight change

I just worry if it is a sustainable model. If all the top players were consolidated into three teams by way of pulling the best players from all other clubs this doesn't seem like a long term solution. Immediately the top three teams would only have themselves to compete with in-state. This would require these teams to participate in the likes of ECNL, just to get good competition. This would also raise costs.

Longer term, the development chain that created the players they would recruit will likely dry up. They will need to find how to ID players on a statewide level.
This will raise costs.

If the goal is to raise the competitive level across the state, this goes in the opposite direction. If it is about creating a few super clubs that will change the long term picture in soccer, this won't work. What it will create is a pool of three who will feed off themselves and eventually implode.

As for you concern about competition you need to look to the other areas that have gone through this consolidation. Their top teams do go out of the area more (ENCL, NWCL, FWRL) but their B & C teams have the dame ole completion as before its just that some times they are from the same club.

[Unregistered]

Not fighting change just being realistic...

As for you concern about competition you need to look to the other areas that have gone through this consolidation. Their top teams do go out of the area more (ENCL, NWCL, FWRL) but their B & C teams have the dame ole completion as before its just that some times they are from the same club.

If you consider a full roster of 18,2-3 players will be the high end elite players, another 5 will love the game and be pretty good, 5-7 will be hoping to grow and develop into the upper groups, and the rest will be there to hang with their friends, but likely without particularly strong allegiance to the sport. Numbers are just averages, but this holds pretty true.

If you siphon off the top three from every team you really upset the natural developmental flow. To grow great players you are better off with three even teams in a club, rather than a strong A, a Good B, and a passable C.

If you don't beleive this ask a coach who has experienced both situations.

The purest development situation you would have a pool of players that all train together, and the team would be established before each competition.

The super team concept only really benefits the coach (makes him look good) and the resume building player. Sure the parents of resume builders will pay more to get their child on "the" team, but this disrupts any real concept of competition.