Westside Metro's won 1 state cup. All time team low?

[Guest]

Last year OPFC and UPDX had good years and essentially matched WSM state cup title. WSM were the creme of the crop for many years

This year OPFC and WSM both only had one title. Huge drop off.

UPDX had 8 continuing their ascent. We will see what they do at regionals.

Is WSM done? Will they regain their footing or continue to sink down to the likes of so many other cubs in the metro?

Only time will tell.

[happydad]

I feel like the ECNL recruiting chip is going to give UPDX a talent advantage, especially at the high school ages where kids are looking to play at showcases that maximize college coach eyeballs. The other clubs will either have to step up their recruiting game, or go with the development approach where they can poach frustrated United players who are either relegated to the B team or stuck at the bottom of the ECNL pool, and turn around and develop them into better players with more playing time and chemistry.

[Guest]

WSM is going through a bit of a transition, as Cony slowly heads off into the sunset and Steven Evans basically takes over as club director, at least on the boys' side. Cony, let's be honest, pissed off a lot of people over his career, and that probably has done some damage, especially in some of the middle-school age groups where WSM didn't even make the quarterfinals. His my-way-or-the-highway approach only works when you are the alpha dog in town, once people started having other choices, it backfired spectacularly, and for many parents, hearing wild stories about his coaching antics (many of them exaggerated, but not all), he became a liability. And neither he nor the club ever quite adjusted to it. SE, a nice guy who gets along well with everyone and is a FAR more skilled politician, will have some work to rebuild relationships with the rec community, the Timbers, etc.

On the plus side, the club still s a leading incubator of talent, and players going to TA (and then to travel-league clubs when they get cut from TA) has cut into their state cup haul. Especially at 08 and 09, where they were going up against quite a few of their former players. Even though they lost to OPFC, their presence in the 07 state cup final is a fairly big deal--this is an age group in which a couple years ago they were essentially left for dead. And the state cup they did win was in U11, which represents a reversal of the decline that we've been seeing in the 10s, 11s, and 12s.

If it turns out that ECNL is a persistent recruiting advantage for UPDX, I don't think that this situation will be allowed to continue for much longer. Seattle clubs really don't want to come play UPDX in Portland, and ECNL slowly want to take over more and more of the premier soccer market in large cities, so I expect "full ECNL" to come to Oregon sooner or later, at which point UPDX will be booted out of the Washington league. Perhaps I'm wrong--and ECNL will only continue to have a single Oregon club in their top division, but participation in ECNL-R should be seen as basically an audition for the real thing. If the other Oregon clubs don't get full ECNL, I expect them to ditch the travel nonsense altogether, and not accept sloppy seconds from the US Club league.

And the other wild card is--UPDX is huge, much bigger than Westside. Two large clubs, one of them with an associated rec program, merged to essentially become a megaclub overnight. If it becomes necessary to compete, I could easily see WSM merging with other clubs in the metro area. Thirty years ago, it split off from THUSC, and then soon after that, it spun of its rec programs (Westside Warriors and much of the rest of the THJSL). I don't know if getting back involved in rec would be necessary, but not having a rec side that only refers talented children to it is a disadvantage as well.

SE, like I said, has his work cut out for him. But in an environment in which the Timbers, not any nonprofit youth club, are the undisputed alphas of the youth soccer community, this is a different world than 20 years ago.

Last two year OPFC was full of their oats after they suddenly won a pile of State Cups after being essentially shut out. This year, they regressed. In the current environment, there aren't any permanent advantages.

[happydad]

WSM is going through a bit of a transition, as Cony slowly heads off into the sunset and Steven Evans basically takes over as club director, at least on the boys' side. Cony, let's be honest, pissed off a lot of people over his career, and that probably has done some damage, especially in some of the middle-school age groups where WSM didn't even make the quarterfinals. His my-way-or-the-highway approach only works when you are the alpha dog in town, once people started having other choices, it backfired spectacularly, and for many parents, hearing wild stories about his coaching antics (many of them exaggerated, but not all), he became a liability. And neither he nor the club ever quite adjusted to it. SE, a nice guy who gets along well with everyone and is a FAR more skilled politician, will have some work to rebuild relationships with the rec community, the Timbers, etc.

On the plus side, the club still s a leading incubator of talent, and players going to TA (and then to travel-league clubs when they get cut from TA) has cut into their state cup haul. Especially at 08 and 09, where they were going up against quite a few of their former players. Even though they lost to OPFC, their presence in the 07 state cup final is a fairly big deal--this is an age group in which a couple years ago they were essentially left for dead. And the state cup they did win was in U11, which represents a reversal of the decline that we've been seeing in the 10s, 11s, and 12s.

If it turns out that ECNL is a persistent recruiting advantage for UPDX, I don't think that this situation will be allowed to continue for much longer. Seattle clubs really don't want to come play UPDX in Portland, and ECNL slowly want to take over more and more of the premier soccer market in large cities, so I expect "full ECNL" to come to Oregon sooner or later, at which point UPDX will be booted out of the Washington league. Perhaps I'm wrong--and ECNL will only continue to have a single Oregon club in their top division, but participation in ECNL-R should be seen as basically an audition for the real thing. If the other Oregon clubs don't get full ECNL, I expect them to ditch the travel nonsense altogether, and not accept sloppy seconds from the US Club league.

And the other wild card is--UPDX is huge, much bigger than Westside. Two large clubs, one of them with an associated rec program, merged to essentially become a megaclub overnight. If it becomes necessary to compete, I could easily see WSM merging with other clubs in the metro area. Thirty years ago, it split off from THUSC, and then soon after that, it spun of its rec programs (Westside Warriors and much of the rest of the THJSL). I don't know if getting back involved in rec would be necessary, but not having a rec side that only refers talented children to it is a disadvantage as well.

SE, like I said, has his work cut out for him. But in an environment in which the Timbers, not any nonprofit youth club, are the undisputed alphas of the youth soccer community, this is a different world than 20 years ago.

Last two year OPFC was full of their oats after they suddenly won a pile of State Cups after being essentially shut out. This year, they regressed. In the current environment, there aren't any permanent advantages.

thanks for the write-up...this is informative. I agree that nothing is permanent , the sands will shift year to year as players on the ECNL bubble weigh the advantages of playing on that platform versus more playing time with ECRL clubs. And if there eventually is a full ECNL Oregon league, all bets are off.

[Guest]

WSM is going through a bit of a transition, as Cony slowly heads off into the sunset and Steven Evans basically takes over as club director, at least on the boys' side. Cony, let's be honest, pissed off a lot of people over his career, and that probably has done some damage, especially in some of the middle-school age groups where WSM didn't even make the quarterfinals. His my-way-or-the-highway approach only works when you are the alpha dog in town, once people started having other choices, it backfired spectacularly, and for many parents, hearing wild stories about his coaching antics (many of them exaggerated, but not all), he became a liability. And neither he nor the club ever quite adjusted to it. SE, a nice guy who gets along well with everyone and is a FAR more skilled politician, will have some work to rebuild relationships with the rec community, the Timbers, etc.

On the plus side, the club still s a leading incubator of talent, and players going to TA (and then to travel-league clubs when they get cut from TA) has cut into their state cup haul. Especially at 08 and 09, where they were going up against quite a few of their former players. Even though they lost to OPFC, their presence in the 07 state cup final is a fairly big deal--this is an age group in which a couple years ago they were essentially left for dead. And the state cup they did win was in U11, which represents a reversal of the decline that we've been seeing in the 10s, 11s, and 12s.

If it turns out that ECNL is a persistent recruiting advantage for UPDX, I don't think that this situation will be allowed to continue for much longer. Seattle clubs really don't want to come play UPDX in Portland, and ECNL slowly want to take over more and more of the premier soccer market in large cities, so I expect "full ECNL" to come to Oregon sooner or later, at which point UPDX will be booted out of the Washington league. Perhaps I'm wrong--and ECNL will only continue to have a single Oregon club in their top division, but participation in ECNL-R should be seen as basically an audition for the real thing. If the other Oregon clubs don't get full ECNL, I expect them to ditch the travel nonsense altogether, and not accept sloppy seconds from the US Club league.

And the other wild card is--UPDX is huge, much bigger than Westside. Two large clubs, one of them with an associated rec program, merged to essentially become a megaclub overnight. If it becomes necessary to compete, I could easily see WSM merging with other clubs in the metro area. Thirty years ago, it split off from THUSC, and then soon after that, it spun of its rec programs (Westside Warriors and much of the rest of the THJSL). I don't know if getting back involved in rec would be necessary, but not having a rec side that only refers talented children to it is a disadvantage as well.

SE, like I said, has his work cut out for him. But in an environment in which the Timbers, not any nonprofit youth club, are the undisputed alphas of the youth soccer community, this is a different world than 20 years ago.

Last two year OPFC was full of their oats after they suddenly won a pile of State Cups after being essentially shut out. This year, they regressed. In the current environment, there aren't any permanent advantages.

Can have more of this on Talking Soccer? A well thought out, genuine response. Thank you

[happydad]

Can have more of this on Talking Soccer? A well thought out, genuine response. Thank you

agree, sorely needed

[Guest]

WSM is going through a bit of a transition, as Cony slowly heads off into the sunset and Steven Evans basically takes over as club director, at least on the boys' side. Cony, let's be honest, pissed off a lot of people over his career, and that probably has done some damage, especially in some of the middle-school age groups where WSM didn't even make the quarterfinals. His my-way-or-the-highway approach only works when you are the alpha dog in town, once people started having other choices, it backfired spectacularly, and for many parents, hearing wild stories about his coaching antics (many of them exaggerated, but not all), he became a liability. And neither he nor the club ever quite adjusted to it. SE, a nice guy who gets along well with everyone and is a FAR more skilled politician, will have some work to rebuild relationships with the rec community, the Timbers, etc.

On the plus side, the club still s a leading incubator of talent, and players going to TA (and then to travel-league clubs when they get cut from TA) has cut into their state cup haul. Especially at 08 and 09, where they were going up against quite a few of their former players. Even though they lost to OPFC, their presence in the 07 state cup final is a fairly big deal--this is an age group in which a couple years ago they were essentially left for dead. And the state cup they did win was in U11, which represents a reversal of the decline that we've been seeing in the 10s, 11s, and 12s.

If it turns out that ECNL is a persistent recruiting advantage for UPDX, I don't think that this situation will be allowed to continue for much longer. Seattle clubs really don't want to come play UPDX in Portland, and ECNL slowly want to take over more and more of the premier soccer market in large cities, so I expect "full ECNL" to come to Oregon sooner or later, at which point UPDX will be booted out of the Washington league. Perhaps I'm wrong--and ECNL will only continue to have a single Oregon club in their top division, but participation in ECNL-R should be seen as basically an audition for the real thing. If the other Oregon clubs don't get full ECNL, I expect them to ditch the travel nonsense altogether, and not accept sloppy seconds from the US Club league.

And the other wild card is--UPDX is huge, much bigger than Westside. Two large clubs, one of them with an associated rec program, merged to essentially become a megaclub overnight. If it becomes necessary to compete, I could easily see WSM merging with other clubs in the metro area. Thirty years ago, it split off from THUSC, and then soon after that, it spun of its rec programs (Westside Warriors and much of the rest of the THJSL). I don't know if getting back involved in rec would be necessary, but not having a rec side that only refers talented children to it is a disadvantage as well.

SE, like I said, has his work cut out for him. But in an environment in which the Timbers, not any nonprofit youth club, are the undisputed alphas of the youth soccer community, this is a different world than 20 years ago.

Last two year OPFC was full of their oats after they suddenly won a pile of State Cups after being essentially shut out. This year, they regressed. In the current environment, there aren't any permanent advantages.

Good summary. Only one clarification: all WSM 09B players invited (7 or 8) but one declined joining the TA. That's why they are still a very good team. The other two WSM 09s were playing up in the WSM 08s. WSM 09B could play in ECNL no problem.

[Guest]

Good summary. Only one clarification: all WSM 09B players invited (7 or 8) but one declined joining the TA. That's why they are still a very good team. The other two WSM 09s were playing up in the WSM 08s. WSM 09B could play in ECNL no problem.

I would say this is a rare situation that we see at random clubs every few years. Another good example could be the Saints 2010’s or even the occasional ADF squad. A group of players and that could (not necessarily should) be playing at a higher level - in modern times ECNL/TA. All that being said I believe it’s a reflection of the coaches ability to keep a team together rather than a clubs overall trajectory. It is however nice to see teams continuing to find paths to success through OYSA and regional/national play.

[Guest]

Good summary. Only one clarification: all WSM 09B players invited (7 or 8) but one declined joining the TA. That's why they are still a very good team. The other two WSM 09s were playing up in the WSM 08s. WSM 09B could play in ECNL no problem.

One of those 09s who was playing up with WSM's 08s (EDW) is now killing it with the TA U15s. He was a damn good, talented player when he was little, and now he's a beast. Not having him on the roster has hurt John Bain's side tremendously.

One good thing about WSM--they encourage their players to move to TA, rather than try and keep them in the club to run up the trophies. Even with the breakdown in the relationship between them and Peregrine, largely having to do with how the Thorns Academy was being managed. (Peregrine essentially thought Westside should run the backoffice for free).

[Guest]

One of those 09s who was playing up with WSM's 08s (EDW) is now killing it with the TA U15s. He was a damn good, talented player when he was little, and now he's a beast. Not having him on the roster has hurt John Bain's side tremendously.

One good thing about WSM--they encourage their players to move to TA, rather than try and keep them in the club to run up the trophies. Even with the breakdown in the relationship between them and Peregrine, largely having to do with how the Thorns Academy was being managed. (Peregrine essentially thought Westside should run the backoffice for free).

Yes wsm does promote and advocate their very best tobthe TA.

EDW spent 3 years playing with coach Monty & John at wsm, both coaches reached out to the TA and advised them to pick EDW for their 08 team, when was only an 09. Thankfully they listened. EDW didn't play.for Cony at u15 or John at u16. No surprise he is on fire with the TA today.

[Guest]

happydad, how did you register so as to not be an anonymous “guest”? This site could stand a lot more people doing that.

[happydad]

happydad, how did you register so as to not be an anonymous “guest”? This site could stand a lot more people doing that.

haha yeah its a little head spinning to see everyone post as "Guest" and have no idea who is talking to who. there should be a log in function at the top right of the site where you can create an account.

[Guest]

Good summary. Only one clarification: all WSM 09B players invited (7 or 8) but one declined joining the TA. That's why they are still a very good team. The other two WSM 09s were playing up in the WSM 08s. WSM 09B could play in ECNL no problem.

What’s up with WSM 09s? Seems like they can’t win the games that really matter.

Lost to OPFC in game that would have sent them to Nationals, lost a multi goal lead in semis of Regionals (which again would have sent them to Nationals), didn’t do well at ProLeague.

[Guest]

WSM took a huge hit with tryouts this year. Kids with talent bailing out of their programs at multiple age groups.

[Guest]

WSM took a huge hit with tryouts this year. Kids with talent bailing out of their programs at multiple age groups.

Do you have specifics? It appeared they had more kids than ever trying out.