Interesting Elite Soccer Perspective From Up North: Seattle

[Unregistered]

This. GDA and ECNL and Boys DA were created for the Clint Dempseys and Hope Solos - ultra talented kids who lived in very rural areas and didn't have a local option that could meet their needs. In Oregon, we can't even go to Crossfire and win (for the most part). There are plenty of challenging options available to local clubs, and plenty of showcase events that those local clubs can get into. Aside from that, the next Clint or Hope isn't even living in Oregon.

The only reason to do DA, GDA, or ECNL is to hang an "elite" tag on your kid. But know that you are doing it at the expense of their grades, mental health, social lives, and the quality of their high school experience and your family life. You only get so much time with them..and 99.99% of the current ECNL and DA families (and figure GDA families) are wasting that time chasing a dream that their child isn't remotely able to attain.

Wrong. If you are the best of the best, being on a mediocre team doing low level showcase tournaments will only get you discovered by mediocre schools. For the elite impact players, playing in GDA/ECNL showcases will get you in front of coaches from top conferences. And if you are a role player on one of these teams, the level of exposure will still exceed regular leagues. Take a look at the coaches attending Crossfire Challenge. Not impressive. And unless you are on a top flight team for Surf Cup coaches aren't watching. Being on a regular team playing in average leagues only makes it that much harder to be seen by top school schools.

If you are an elite player (and how many are there in Or?) you will probably be recruited but playing in a GDA will make it easier.

And what you you knuckleheads don't get, coaches recruit players not teams. Would rather play on a GDA or ECNL team and train and work hard than waste time and money playing OYSA in tournaments no one is watching.

[Unregistered]

Don't worry. There won't be very many top players trying out for Thorns, just like the last 3 years. You're division 4 DD should have no trouble making the roster.

What a roast! Boo yah!

[Unregistered]

Wrong. If you are the best of the best, being on a mediocre team doing low level showcase tournaments will only get you discovered by mediocre schools. For the elite impact players, playing in GDA/ECNL showcases will get you in front of coaches from top conferences. And if you are a role player on one of these teams, the level of exposure will still exceed regular leagues. Take a look at the coaches attending Crossfire Challenge. Not impressive. And unless you are on a top flight team for Surf Cup coaches aren't watching. Being on a regular team playing in average leagues only makes it that much harder to be seen by top school schools.

If you are an elite player (and how many are there in Or?) you will probably be recruited but playing in a GDA will make it easier.

And what you you knuckleheads don't get, coaches recruit players not teams. Would rather play on a GDA or ECNL team and train and work hard than waste time and money playing OYSA in tournaments no one is watching.

Keep spending money chasing that dream. Just be sure to put some aside for therapy for your kid.

[Unregistered]

This. GDA and ECNL and Boys DA were created for the Clint Dempseys and Hope Solos - ultra talented kids who lived in very rural areas and didn't have a local option that could meet their needs. In Oregon, we can't even go to Crossfire and win (for the most part). There are plenty of challenging options available to local clubs, and plenty of showcase events that those local clubs can get into. Aside from that, the next Clint or Hope isn't even living in Oregon.

The only reason to do DA, GDA, or ECNL is to hang an "elite" tag on your kid. But know that you are doing it at the expense of their grades, mental health, social lives, and the quality of their high school experience and your family life. You only get so much time with them..and 99.99% of the current ECNL and DA families (and figure GDA families) are wasting that time chasing a dream that their child isn't remotely able to attain.

Truer words have never been written.

[Unregistered]

This. GDA and ECNL and Boys DA were created for the Clint Dempseys and Hope Solos - ultra talented kids who lived in very rural areas and didn't have a local option that could meet their needs. In Oregon, we can't even go to Crossfire and win (for the most part). There are plenty of challenging options available to local clubs, and plenty of showcase events that those local clubs can get into. Aside from that, the next Clint or Hope isn't even living in Oregon.

The only reason to do DA, GDA, or ECNL is to hang an "elite" tag on your kid. But know that you are doing it at the expense of their grades, mental health, social lives, and the quality of their high school experience and your family life. You only get so much time with them..and 99.99% of the current ECNL and DA families (and figure GDA families) are wasting that time chasing a dream that their child isn't remotely able to attain.

Just like the NBA was created for the Michael Jordan's..LeBron James & Larry Bird's ...

The other guys are just filler.

[Unregistered]

Just like the NBA was created for the Michael Jordan's..LeBron James & Larry Bird's ...

The other guys are just filler.

Would be truth if they'd had an NBA Academy to feed the "USM Basketball Team"

[Unregistered]

Would be truth if they'd had an NBA Academy to feed the "USM Basketball Team"

They do it's called AAU..you are a tool..

[Unregistered]

They do it's called AAU..you are a tool..

My bad it does make me look like a tool

[Unregistered]

They do it's called AAU..you are a tool..

Any basketball parent will tell you that AAU is pay to play and involves a ton of traveling (unless you live in a talent rich area like So Cal).

What many NBA and college basketball experts will tell you (including Kobe Bryant and Greg Popovich to name a few) is that AAU is ruining college and pro basketball. It has created an entire generation of selfish, me first athletes who care more about their individual stats than they do about learning the game, playing as part of a team, and contributing to that team's success. AAU players jump from team to team the minute the grass looks a little greener. Then they go to college and the minute things get hard or a coach criticizes them, they bail.

What those who have investigated youth basketball will tell you is that AAU is a cesspool of corruption, with unqualified coaches raking in six figure salaries because they stumble upon a kid who, at age 14, is proclaimed the next Lebron. Shoe companies buying the rights to these kids by paying off the coaches. College boosters paying the coaches to steer the kids to certain schools. Coaches paying AAU "rankers" to list their players high on the annual "best of" lists that come out (where players as young as 8 are ranked nationally). Coaches who talk parents into holding kids back in school (so the kid can play "down" and look more dominant). Coaches who talk parents into transferring kids to certain high school programs (and then receive "donations" from boosters at elite schools like Finley Prep). And on and on.

If this is the model you are looking at for youth soccer, you have a serious problem. Our system is far from perfect and is very split and polarized right now. But at least there's some regulations in place, and the fact that there's no money to be made from discovering and promoting talent in women's soccer means we are immune from the corruption that exists in other sports.

[Unregistered]

Any basketball parent will tell you that AAU is pay to play and involves a ton of traveling (unless you live in a talent rich area like So Cal).

What many NBA and college basketball experts will tell you (including Kobe Bryant and Greg Popovich to name a few) is that AAU is ruining college and pro basketball. It has created an entire generation of selfish, me first athletes who care more about their individual stats than they do about learning the game, playing as part of a team, and contributing to that team's success. AAU players jump from team to team the minute the grass looks a little greener. Then they go to college and the minute things get hard or a coach criticizes them, they bail.

What those who have investigated youth basketball will tell you is that AAU is a cesspool of corruption, with unqualified coaches raking in six figure salaries because they stumble upon a kid who, at age 14, is proclaimed the next Lebron. Shoe companies buying the rights to these kids by paying off the coaches. College boosters paying the coaches to steer the kids to certain schools. Coaches paying AAU "rankers" to list their players high on the annual "best of" lists that come out (where players as young as 8 are ranked nationally). Coaches who talk parents into holding kids back in school (so the kid can play "down" and look more dominant). Coaches who talk parents into transferring kids to certain high school programs (and then receive "donations" from boosters at elite schools like Finley Prep). And on and on.

If this is the model you are looking at for youth soccer, you have a serious problem. Our system is far from perfect and is very split and polarized right now. But at least there's some regulations in place, and the fact that there's no money to be made from discovering and promoting talent in women's soccer means we are immune from the corruption that exists in other sports.

Okay thanks for pointing that out it's reassuring to know that US soccer had seen this trend developing with the ecnl and decided it was time to put them in the grave for the betterment of Youth Sports...

[Unregistered]

This. GDA and ECNL and Boys DA were created for the Clint Dempseys and Hope Solos - ultra talented kids who lived in very rural areas and didn't have a local option that could meet their needs. In Oregon, we can't even go to Crossfire and win (for the most part). There are plenty of challenging options available to local clubs, and plenty of showcase events that those local clubs can get into. Aside from that, the next Clint or Hope isn't even living in Oregon.

The only reason to do DA, GDA, or ECNL is to hang an "elite" tag on your kid. But know that you are doing it at the expense of their grades, mental health, social lives, and the quality of their high school experience and your family life. You only get so much time with them..and 99.99% of the current ECNL and DA families (and figure GDA families) are wasting that time chasing a dream that their child isn't remotely able to attain.

GDA kids will be just like any other extreem sport participant (Olympics driven). USA or any other country. They will be home schooled, live and breath their sport, get their social from others within their sport, snd be raised by their trainers. This has been going to for years in the Olympics. And for years no one even knows they exist until they win a metal in the olympics. No one even knew they lived in the same city/state as the one winning the metal.

[Unregistered]

Oregon is not big enough for two top teams. Specially when The two ECNL teams are located within miles of each other. What drives these kids to one club or another, and what stops them from bailing to the other team? Nothing.

It is smart for Portland Thorns to have the GDA. Now, if they can get good coaching in place. This will give all top players in all of Oregon and SW WA one common goal.

Seattle divides into 3 GDA teams all in NW Washington. Oregon may even draw that attention of some from Central WA, Spokane, or even Idaho (If they do not have an Idaho GDA team).

[Unregistered]

Why would CW, EW, or Idaho commit to driving to Portland 4x a week?