Two WA clubs join ECNL

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This effectively kills Reign GDA and probably kills Crossfire GDA also as the kids from SU and PacNW that were populating those programs now have something better to do closer to home.

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Note that the two rules aren't comparable.

DA's position for PLAYERS is that they have a full-time program, therefore a given player should not play both for GDA and for someone else (including HS) in the same season. Fair enough. DA doesn't, however, insist that a club may not enter teams into both leagues.

ECNL, though, is apparently trying to force clubs to choose--at least not to put the A team in GDA and the B team in ECNL. Which is their right, I guess, but it's a policy change that reeks of desperation.

Honestly, though, I don't see why the two leagues can't co-exist. GDA for the truly elite players with USWNT potential and who don't need recruiting help should they choose to play college soccer, and who are willing to forgo HS soccer; ECNL for the next tier of player who won't likely be playing professionally, and need a platform to expose themselves to college scouts. (And possibly for elite players in geographies without an GDA option).

If ECNL re-orients itself as a college prep league (which is what it really is anyway), it should have continued success, though I'd recommend they dial back on the travel. Kids who are dreaming of a 0.2FTE ride at a D3 school shouldn't have to shell out thousands and thousands of dollars on air travel.

Unfortunately, the US Country Club League doesn't want any competition from US Soccer for the very best, and so rather than making peace with GDA and accepting their rightful place as the next tier down in the pyramid, have spent the past year trying to sabotage the Federation. Which likely means ECNL will eventually go down in flames, replaced with some other program for the college-bound players, that hopefully won't have such high financial barriers to entry.

The soccer market has spoken. GDA is broken and unfixable. ECNL is the past, the present, and the future. Reign GDA will fold at the end of this season as their pipeline of talent is now gone. Crossfire GDA will also fold for a similar reason, and the fact that everyone else in the NW of any quality is playing in the ECNL so they might as well re-focus on that too.

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Meanwhile, Clackamas United just turned down an offer to join GDA.

Eastside Timbers powerhouse girls program would be a shining talisman for the GDA.

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The soccer market has spoken. GDA is broken and unfixable. ECNL is the past, the present, and the future. Reign GDA will fold at the end of this season as their pipeline of talent is now gone. Crossfire GDA will also fold for a similar reason, and the fact that everyone else in the NW of any quality is playing in the ECNL so they might as well re-focus on that too.

Now we know what Sean Spicer has been doing all these months...

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ECNL rule, although they exempted Crossfire and a couple of other clubs who performed super well.

Crossfire premiere going back to ecnl next year. Heard it here first.

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Who made that policy--GDA or ECNL?

ECNL is making them choose, it’s one or the other next year. Should be interesting.

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Crossfire premiere going back to ecnl next year. Heard it here first.

They already chose DA, which is how Seattle and PacNW got in.

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They already chose DA, which is how Seattle and PacNW got in.

false.. there will be 4 ECNL teams in WA and 2 in OR. ECNL will become more regionalized to cut down on the travel costs. Watch for an 8 team NW division next year.

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This is perfect!
The DA has done its job. It has changed the way people think which was its sole purpose. Getting people to think about travel and amount of games being played. Great job!

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They already chose DA, which is how Seattle and PacNW got in.

Crossfire Premier has their B teams in ECNL already.

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Eastside Timbers powerhouse girls program would be a shining talisman for the GDA.

#Greshamforthewin

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false.. there will be 4 ECNL teams in WA and 2 in OR. ECNL will become more regionalized to cut down on the travel costs. Watch for an 8 team NW division next year.

This is true and ECNL and EPNL have acknowledged the tier two status for Regional play and it’s a good thing they are appointing more clubs, and expanding/watering down the conferences a bit to make travel costs more reasonable. DA will be top Regional/National level; ECNL second tier Regional play. ECNL needs to be much cheaper!!

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Crossfire premiere going back to ecnl next year. Heard it here first.

PacNW & SU are great additions to ecnl. Makes sense for Crossfire to put A teams back in ecnl and get to play many more local games, high school & other sports.

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PacNW & SU are great additions to ecnl. Makes sense for Crossfire to put A teams back in ecnl and get to play many more local games, high school & other sports.

Sorry honey but Crossfire is keeping A teams in DA. The B teams will be in ECNL. Same as this year.

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Did US Club hire a bunch of Russian trolls to spam soccer message boards all around the country with the same nonsense?

All around the 'net, one reads the same nonsense. Girls Rather Would Do High School Soccer. GDA Is Failing And Likely To Fold Any Second. GDA Competition Is Inferior And College Recruiters Don't Care. US Soccer's Interference Is Ruining Youth Soccer. Yadda yadda yadda.

Gotta admire the message discipline, but this grassroots campaign is as phony as the grass at Clive Charles Field. In the real world, many ECNL clubs (particularly those who have no shot at getting a GDA team) are terrified of a US Soccer sponsored academy setting up shop in their town.

It's sad, because there's room for both programs.