How long will the ECNL last?

[Unregistered]

Keep sucking on that pipe so you can keep having these pipe dreams.

Keep telling yourself this isn't happening. Perhaps that will help you in the process.

[Unregistered]

The question is now how many of the top ECNL players will turncoat to GDA. Might be a hard pill to swallow as they and their parents have been bragging for years about how the ECNL league is best.

I think most sane people would have agreed that ECNL is and now maybe was the best league.

It is TBD on which league will be the best league next year. ECNL will for sure not be as strong considering some (not all) of the top ECNL club will be doing DA.

It is TBD on whether the Thorns DA will be any good next year. Thorns will for sure be stronger than they were last year considering they are in a real league now.

[Unregistered]

I think most sane people would have agreed that ECNL is and now maybe was the best league.

It is TBD on which league will be the best league next year. ECNL will for sure not be as strong considering some (not all) of the top ECNL club will be doing DA.

It is TBD on whether the Thorns DA will be any good next year. Thorns will for sure be stronger than they were last year considering they are in a real league now.

ECNL is a US Club Soccer League.

GDA is US Soccer Development Academy program and a US Soccer league.

That distinction makes all the difference moving forward.

USYS had the best leagues and tournaments for decades until the US Soccer Boys DA came along now it's happening to the girls and the US Club Soccer league (ECNL) & USYS Leagues are being marginalized with the USGDA.

[Unregistered]

The question is now how many of the top ECNL players will turncoat to GDA. Might be a hard pill to swallow as they and their parents have been bragging for years about how the ECNL league is best.

Ecnl has been the top option for several years. It may well get replaced as the top option in a few years. No pill to swallow. Top players will simply switch to better options when they become available. That's the reality of youth soccer.

The Thorns GDA will be cheaper than ECNL but the ECNL league will be much stronger than the weak GDA league the Thorns will play in - at least until the top NorCal teams leave ECNL for GDA. ECNL players can also play HS and multisports. Local premier team players have the cheapest option and don't have nearly as much travel & practice time so they have more time for everything, including studies. Their saved money & better grades might do better for them come college too. All pathways have pros & cons and all pathways work and will continue to work. Our player & coaching pools remain the same as ever. End results will be the same as ever. No reason to panic. If your dd is a good player, she can take whichever path works best for her. The path might be different but the endpoint will be the same. The more options the better. I support Ecnl, GDA & local clubs too.

[Unregistered]

ECNL is a US Club Soccer League.

GDA is US Soccer Development Academy program and a US Soccer league.

That distinction makes all the difference moving forward.

USYS had the best leagues and tournaments for decades until the US Soccer Boys DA came along now it's happening to the girls and the US Club Soccer league (ECNL) & USYS Leagues are being marginalized with the USGDA.

The distinction makes a difference, yes. But not in the way you pretend. ECNL is an established league with a track record of placing almost all graduating seniors in college soccer. US Soccer has no track record of anything other than winning games using bootball against such top teams as Honduras. NO ONE is opting for the GDA that has a choice. NO ONE. Of course, there are those that have NO choice, like all the TA girls that got cut by the ECNL clubs...

[Unregistered]

I think most sane people would have agreed that ECNL is and now maybe was the best league.

It is TBD on which league will be the best league next year. ECNL will for sure not be as strong considering some (not all) of the top ECNL club will be doing DA.

It is TBD on whether the Thorns DA will be any good next year. Thorns will for sure be stronger than they were last year considering they are in a real league now.

This "real league" has one good club in their conference - Crossfire Washington. Other than that it's completely populated with clubs that are no better than NEU or Southside. Just look up their records.

[Unregistered]

The distinction makes a difference, yes. But not in the way you pretend. ECNL is an established league with a track record of placing almost all graduating seniors in college soccer. US Soccer has no track record of anything other than winning games using bootball against such top teams as Honduras. NO ONE is opting for the GDA that has a choice. NO ONE. Of course, there are those that have NO choice, like all the TA girls that got cut by the ECNL clubs...

USYS leagues: state, regional and national had a 30 year track record of placing every graduating senior who went onto college coming from their league & cups.

So should we all go back to the USYS model since it's fullproof and guarantees all players from it's league will go on to college?

Nope, US Soccer is instead implementing a new top shelf of competition crafted around the notion of proper player development for girls, just like they have for boys.

It's really quite simple.

Clubs produce players--leagues provide a platform for clubs to play in.

Change was hard for the boys, now change will be hard for the girls as well with DA.

The bigger question is what your local club is doing in attempt to remain relevant and how will you adjust to this new landscape.

[Unregistered]

The distinction makes a difference, yes. But not in the way you pretend. ECNL is an established league with a track record of placing almost all graduating seniors in college soccer. US Soccer has no track record of anything other than winning games using bootball against such top teams as Honduras. NO ONE is opting for the GDA that has a choice. NO ONE. Of course, there are those that have NO choice, like all the TA girls that got cut by the ECNL clubs...

Many clubs across the county along with a handful of NWSL/MLS Youth Academies have chosen the GDA as the best option going forward. Sorry you didn't realize this is happening.

[Unregistered]

Clubs produce players--leagues provide a platform for clubs to play in.

Change was hard for the boys, now change will be hard for the girls as well with DA.

Players do most of the heavy lifting

Change was hard for the boys but they had no options. Girls have options. Free to play and a pro path isn't a factor with GDA either. It's not going to be the same - GDA will be #1 but not by a wide margin. It may become the a clear winner in some areas while ECNL will remain extremely strong in others.

[Unregistered]

Players do most of the heavy lifting

Change was hard for the boys but they had no options. Girls have options. Free to play and a pro path isn't a factor with GDA either. It's not going to be the same - GDA will be #1 but not by a wide margin. It may become the a clear winner in some areas while ECNL will remain extremely strong in others.

Nail in the coffin for ECNL will be price. No one will want to fork over $8k-$10k a year for a second tier league. Those players may be better off finding a good coach at a regular club that takes his/her teams to college showcases and can help navigate the college ID camp waters.

[Unregistered]

Nail in the coffin for ECNL will be price. No one will want to fork over $8k-$10k a year for a second tier league. Those players may be better off finding a good coach at a regular club that takes his/her teams to college showcases and can help navigate the college ID camp waters.

There's talk of eliminating one national event and doing more regional events. This makes sense as most kids will go to schools within a driveable distance from home. No need for kids from NJ to fly to AZ to showcase in front of CA coaches. Just cutting out one flying trip alone would help a lot.

Also, GDA will cost plenty. The cost difference isn't that big for the average soccer family with disposable income. If Suzy wants to play HS they'll shell out the extra money.

[Unregistered]

Nail in the coffin for ECNL will be price. No one will want to fork over $8k-$10k a year for a second tier league. Those players may be better off finding a good coach at a regular club that takes his/her teams to college showcases and can help navigate the college ID camp waters.

I am all for the girls DA, but completely disagree with your statement about ECNL. It has proven to be an effective college recruiting platform and still will be. Certainly moreso than playing local OYSA club soccer.

[Unregistered]

I am all for the girls DA, but completely disagree with your statement about ECNL. It has proven to be an effective college recruiting platform and still will be. Certainly moreso than playing local OYSA club soccer.

From another thread. ECNL is s well oiled college recruiting machine. That won't change


Take a look at recruiting from last year by school. Look the resumes of players at a school like USC (top D1)) vs schools like LaSalle (excellent D3 academics) or UNC Ashville (low level D1). That is what will be the difference with GDA vs ECNL - top D players with lengthy resumes vs lower D1 and D2 and D3 with mostly just club experience, maybe the odd ODP player.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...LpMcc/pubhtml#

Looking from 30,000 feet there are over 1000 D1, D2 and D3 women's teams out there with over 25,000 women playing. Add in JUCO or other and it's over 38,000. ECNL isn't going away. Plenty of places for girls to play at all different levels. For families that can pay to play ECNL will still be seen as a good pathway to college soccer and often times admission to better academic schools because of soccer. That's why they will continue to pay for GDA and ECNL. Cost won't be a differentiator because overall they're not that different. The difference will be skill and for some the non HS sport issue.

http://www.scholarshipstats.com/soccer.html

[Unregistered]

From another thread. ECNL is s well oiled college recruiting machine. That won't change


Take a look at recruiting from last year by school. Look the resumes of players at a school like USC (top D1)) vs schools like LaSalle (excellent D3 academics) or UNC Ashville (low level D1). That is what will be the difference with GDA vs ECNL - top D players with lengthy resumes vs lower D1 and D2 and D3 with mostly just club experience, maybe the odd ODP player.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...LpMcc/pubhtml#

Looking from 30,000 feet there are over 1000 D1, D2 and D3 women's teams out there with over 25,000 women playing. Add in JUCO or other and it's over 38,000. ECNL isn't going away. Plenty of places for girls to play at all different levels. For families that can pay to play ECNL will still be seen as a good pathway to college soccer and often times admission to better academic schools because of soccer. That's why they will continue to pay for GDA and ECNL. Cost won't be a differentiator because overall they're not that different. The difference will be skill and for some the non HS sport issue.

http://www.scholarshipstats.com/soccer.html

I don't disagree, but it is ridiculous to spend $40,000 during the high school years before college to play club soccer. I understand people pay it, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. The girls DA is capped at $2,000 per year and they will get equal exposure to college recruiting. The good news is there are a lot of choices for girls who want to play college soccer.

[Unregistered]

From another thread. ECNL is a well oiled college recruiting machine.
Looking from 30,000 feet there are over 1000 D1, D2 and D3 women's teams out there with over 25,000 women playing.

But from 31,000 feet, ECNL is digressing, especially in Oregon. The younger teams are falling behind. The first year 2003 teams are ranked 116th and 170th in the nation. I don't see how this will improve over time. On another thread, someone was arguing for ECNL vs GDA. They were talking about the unattractive manner in which the US team plays (bootball) and stated that those behind GDA were to blame. The fact is, ECNL is responsible for the development, or lack thereof, of many of our national team players. GDA in Oregon also seems to be recycling the failed coaches and models we see. The problem is in appeasing the "win now and at all costs" parents. Dad's trophy shelf is full, but at what cost?