Opl

[Unregistered]

This is great

I think it is great to be an Oregon youth soccer player right now.

OYSA 5 or so years ago was failing. The OPC asked OYSA to make changes and they did not, so the OPL was created with many promises. There was no need to fulfill any of those promises because almost every club moved to the OPL.

For the last several years you (soccer player) met very little as a consumer, where are you going to go. With two league both desperate for cash they will have to up their offering or go out of business.

Not only does the individual soccer player matter, but clubs wheel major buying power.

Also in case you haven't noticed Crossfire has moved to Oregon. Their presence and the threat of them bringing ENCL or DA to Portland has made the Timbers very nervous, but up in Seattle the dual DA teams have consistently been pretty good.

Competition is good. The OPL and OYSA/Timbers are used to a monopoly. I think things will get better, not when the dust settles but as the dust settles.

[Unregistered]

You make a great point

Comparing Seattle. Wa youth soccer to Portland. Or. youth soccer.
I would like to bring up a discussion about apples and oranges.
Too late you already did.


Reality take one really parity ridden, not to mention lesser end soccer talent state and divide it's state competition into two different leagues not based on geography but based on nothing more than a brand. Nike vs Adidas.

I see it's getting better.

[Slow Xavi]

Speaking from personal experiences, 2 leagues competing for the same teams in a middle market has some real downsides for reasons pointed out by others on this forum (dispersing the stronger teams) as well as some others (adding further to confusion and conflict around field and referees assignments; just some stuff on the backend that becomes a lot harder).

Having said that, I have seen it lead to innovation and customer focus. One thing if each league decide to focus on piece more than the other (maybe the adidas league becomes a little more boys focused and the Nike league a little more girl focused) . . . but 2 relatively weak leagues competing over the same teams . . . not pretty.

[Unregistered]

Oregon

I agree the leagues will be weaker, historically Oregon has struggled a little compared to WA and NorCal. The issue has always been playing against other 2nd teir Oregon teams. The leagues splitting has forced the OYSA teams to compete in the FarWest Regional Leagues and the OPL team to compete in a NorCal SEA US club league or something.

The Oregon soccer player will benefit from that.

Also refs are finally going to have to step it up. The leagues will certainly choose different groups. May the best refs win clubs.

[Unregistered]

I agree the leagues will be weaker, historically Oregon has struggled a little compared to WA and NorCal. The issue has always been playing against other 2nd teir Oregon teams. The leagues splitting has forced the OYSA teams to compete in the FarWest Regional Leagues and the OPL team to compete in a NorCal SEA US club league or something.

The Oregon soccer player will benefit from that.

Also refs are finally going to have to step it up. The leagues will certainly choose different groups. May the best refs win clubs.

I'll bet field scheduling is going to be a bugger, too.

[Slow Xavi]

The Oregon soccer player will benefit from that.

Also refs are finally going to have to step it up. The leagues will certainly choose different groups. May the best refs win clubs.

When I have seen split leagues before it actually gives referees some leverage in negotiating with the leagues - they don't like the way they are being treated and they go to another league. Really don't see that as a benefit to players, parents, or teams.

Think reconciling disputes over field time at the Rec Center is tough now . . .

[Unregistered]

Can you explain

... Also refs are finally going to have to step it up. The leagues will certainly choose different groups. May the best refs win clubs.

I'm not following you. Would you mind explaining the last two sentences?

[Unregistered]

I'm not following you. Would you mind explaining the last two sentences?

Meaning the two organizations can set standards with regards to who can self assign to each game. (If you dont know how it works, then Im not going to explain it to you).

If one league say you must have a certain license level to work for us, then that is what it is. If they say you cannot have any complaints against you, then that is what it is.

Do you understand it now ?

[Unregistered]

In Oregon

we have a very shallow pool of quality players.

when it comes to referees we don't even have a 'pool'.

The behind the scene operation of the referee's is handled by non soccer people and their performances on the field reveal that they too have no oversight, no standard of performance to reach for.. Merely like all the other jokers in this charade just reaching for the cash.

Oregon's great Soccer Cash Grab...

[Unregistered]

I think it is great to be an Oregon youth soccer player right now.

OYSA 5 or so years ago was failing. The OPC asked OYSA to make changes and they did not, so the OPL was created with many promises. There was no need to fulfill any of those promises because almost every club moved to the OPL.

For the last several years you (soccer player) met very little as a consumer, where are you going to go. With two league both desperate for cash they will have to up their offering or go out of business.

Not only does the individual soccer player matter, but clubs wheel major buying power.

Also in case you haven't noticed Crossfire has moved to Oregon. Their presence and the threat of them bringing ENCL or DA to Portland has made the Timbers very nervous, but up in Seattle the dual DA teams have consistently been pretty good.

Competition is good. The OPL and OYSA/Timbers are used to a monopoly. I think things will get better, not when the dust settles but as the dust settles.

Help a noob understand. What is the DA and ENCL? I await your laughter and derision but I do not understand these as they relate to the Timbers academy and the ODP. Any advice would be truly appreciated.

[Unregistered]

Help a noob understand. What is the DA and ENCL? I await your laughter and derision but I do not understand these as they relate to the Timbers academy and the ODP. Any advice would be truly appreciated.

The DA is the Timbers Development Academy teams. Currently there is a u15/16 and u17/18 team, there is talk about creating a u13/14 team. There is not really a connection between this and ODP except the OPL folks are trying to stoke up fear that the Timbers will exclude folks...seems more like fear mongering than anything.

ECNL is a national league for girls clubs that several Portland teams have aspired to join, although none have been accepted. This was another of the OPL promises that never seemed to materialize. Because it is solely a girls league there is no connection to the academy.