Is GDA going away?

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Totally agree on this everyone should play everyone and have a true relegation system. top 20 teams one league and than on down. Bottom three move down and top 3 move up

O yes... That is my dream:)

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Totally agree on this everyone should play everyone and have a true relegation system. top 20 teams one league and than on down. Bottom three move down and top 3 move up

Sounds like AAU basketball. The absolute worst youth sporting league in the world.

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LOL, A little bitter are we. Bernie will be fine, my money is on him. If you think the "best" kids are at Sounders you really haven't been paying attention. The Sounders Academy does virtually nothing for local kids, very few are doing anything that isn't happening at Xfire. If you'd like to talk about the worst USL team in the nation, I am happy to.
US soccer is burning to the ground and we shall see what happens if the DA goes away. It will not be great for the MLS academies if that is what you are thinking.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/...outh-academies

Laff. Ok, smart guy. Nah, no bitterness. My kid is in a good place. Saw this trainwreck coming. Shiny badges and money grabs for all. Like I said, Crossfire is just like any other club in WA. Free travel and club fees? LOL. With what money??? Sorry, parents there will be no Crossfire summer money grab tournaments. With losing the ECNL monopoly by going GDA, effects of COVID-19, the sinking economy, and last nail, losing boy's DA, the once mighty Crossfire aka Berndawg has finally mismanaged and regulated themselves into like every other club in WA. Once again, it is the parents and the kids get screwed by poor leadership. But again, the parents should be paying attention and not get tricked by charlatans and accented supposedly soccer gurus.

With COVID-19 and the economy, clubs need to hire smarter and be more efficient in their operations. Fat times are gone. They need wartime leadership and board members. Daddy and mommy coaches need to go. Old and dated coaches need to go. Smart scheduling and traveling local when soccer opens up again. No more political players who do not contribute to the team. Focus on college recruit and using soccer as a tip or scholarship to get into college. Laser focus on the players in the real recruitment pipeline. Sophomores and up. Parents, really demand more. You are in the driver's seat. The clubs CAN NOT replace a soccer girl or boy who has been playing soccer since 5 years old and made it to the top team at U16, especially if they are impact players. Don't let the clubs play games with you. Be honest and direct.

I am so glad that my kid is almost done and we can escape this nonsense since we are too far in to stop. College, soccer dads and moms, college, but again, I would not be surprised if many colleges closed down some of their sports programs, especially if D1 football schools don't play this season. So, best bet is to get good grades, test scores, and good ECs. Also, learn some new skills, like baking, sewing, and gardening, like most of us are doing. :)
Good luck and stay safe.

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/...outh-academies

Laff. Ok, smart guy. Nah, no bitterness. My kid is in a good place. Saw this trainwreck coming. Shiny badges and money grabs for all. Like I said, Crossfire is just like any other club in WA. Free travel and club fees? LOL. With what money??? Sorry, parents there will be no Crossfire summer money grab tournaments. With losing the ECNL monopoly by going GDA, effects of COVID-19, the sinking economy, and last nail, losing boy's DA, the once mighty Crossfire aka Berndawg has finally mismanaged and regulated themselves into like every other club in WA. Once again, it is the parents and the kids get screwed by poor leadership. But again, the parents should be paying attention and not get tricked by charlatans and accented supposedly soccer gurus.

With COVID-19 and the economy, clubs need to hire smarter and be more efficient in their operations. Fat times are gone. They need wartime leadership and board members. Daddy and mommy coaches need to go. Old and dated coaches need to go. Smart scheduling and traveling local when soccer opens up again. No more political players who do not contribute to the team. Focus on college recruit and using soccer as a tip or scholarship to get into college. Laser focus on the players in the real recruitment pipeline. Sophomores and up. Parents, really demand more. You are in the driver's seat. The clubs CAN NOT replace a soccer girl or boy who has been playing soccer since 5 years old and made it to the top team at U16, especially if they are impact players. Don't let the clubs play games with you. Be honest and direct.

I am so glad that my kid is almost done and we can escape this nonsense since we are too far in to stop. College, soccer dads and moms, college, but again, I would not be surprised if many colleges closed down some of their sports programs, especially if D1 football schools don't play this season. So, best bet is to get good grades, test scores, and good ECs. Also, learn some new skills, like baking, sewing, and gardening, like most of us are doing. :)
Good luck and stay safe.

You sir are a true moron if you think the Sounders are going to take care of your son. That league you are touting will likely not have a U-19 division. Most of the MLS teams don't want it, they want the top players to play USL. Unless your son is one of the chosen few who would like to give up college to make Chipoltle wages and play USL you too will be scrambling to find a place to play.
ECNL will be a step back on the boys side this year, but many DA teams will have no choice but join. If not for what is going on globally another league will likely be created and I expect that to happen in the coming years, but for now this is the only realistic option. There is so much unknown with regard to travel in the fall that who knows what will happen.
Best of luck to your future Pro. I am happy to have my son play in college and Xfire is without a doubt the best place for that to happen.

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You sir are a true moron if you think the Sounders are going to take care of your son. That league you are touting will likely not have a U-19 division. Most of the MLS teams don't want it, they want the top players to play USL. Unless your son is one of the chosen few who would like to give up college to make Chipoltle wages and play USL you too will be scrambling to find a place to play.
ECNL will be a step back on the boys side this year, but many DA teams will have no choice but join. If not for what is going on globally another league will likely be created and I expect that to happen in the coming years, but for now this is the only realistic option. There is so much unknown with regard to travel in the fall that who knows what will happen.
Best of luck to your future Pro. I am happy to have my son play in college and Xfire is without a doubt the best place for that to happen.

Where did the person you're insulting ever mention Sounders?

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You sir are a true moron if you think the Sounders are going to take care of your son. That league you are touting will likely not have a U-19 division. Most of the MLS teams don't want it, they want the top players to play USL. Unless your son is one of the chosen few who would like to give up college to make Chipoltle wages and play USL you too will be scrambling to find a place to play.
ECNL will be a step back on the boys side this year, but many DA teams will have no choice but join. If not for what is going on globally another league will likely be created and I expect that to happen in the coming years, but for now this is the only realistic option. There is so much unknown with regard to travel in the fall that who knows what will happen.
Best of luck to your future Pro. I am happy to have my son play in college and Xfire is without a doubt the best place for that to happen.

Numbnuts. College. I know a foreign concept for your cacahuète brain, XF coach. Is that you Rich, you fat ass turd? Bernie fcked up and you know it. Everyone knows it. Fork. Done. Ok? Like I said, we are almost done and playing in college is a goal as long as it matches my kid's college education goals. Laff. Going pro? That's the story that azzhats like you at Crossfire tried to sell but really fell short. Now, meaningless without DA.

Your son playing college? I do not consider playing at Highline College a meaningful goal.

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Numbnuts. College. I know a foreign concept for your cacahuète brain, XF coach. Is that you Rich, you fat ass turd? Bernie fcked up and you know it. Everyone knows it. Fork. Done. Ok? Like I said, we are almost done and playing in college is a goal as long as it matches my kid's college education goals. Laff. Going pro? That's the story that azzhats like you at Crossfire tried to sell but really fell short. Now, meaningless without DA.

Your son playing college? I do not consider playing at Highline College a meaningful goal.

Are you drunk? There's no coach named Rich at Xfire anymore and hasn't been for years. If you're talking about RR, he's on his second youth coaching job since Xfire days. Keep up.

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Numbnuts. College. I know a foreign concept for your cacahuète brain, XF coach. Is that you Rich, you fat ass turd? Bernie fcked up and you know it. Everyone knows it. Fork. Done. Ok? Like I said, we are almost done and playing in college is a goal as long as it matches my kid's college education goals. Laff. Going pro? That's the story that azzhats like you at Crossfire tried to sell but really fell short. Now, meaningless without DA.

Your son playing college? I do not consider playing at Highline College a meaningful goal.

WOW, you really don't have any idea at all what you are talking about. You might check some college rosters once in awhile. SU and UW alone have 9-10 players on them from XF. The funny irony is one of last years Sounders kids is going to Highline this year, lol.

Bernie only messed up by beating the MLS teams so much that they (specifically MN) at Sounders said they would leave the DA if they had to play XF any longer. One year later the tiered system is so broken that the whole thing folded. Here is an article that might shed some light on just how little you seem to know. Already 13 of the non-MLS teams have joined ECNL.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-s...s-youth-league
If your son is U-19 next year, I truly hope he is going to get a chance to play for the Defiance. If not good luck.

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Numbnuts. College. I know a foreign concept for your cacahuète brain, XF coach. Is that you Rich, you fat ass turd? Bernie fcked up and you know it. Everyone knows it. Fork. Done. Ok? Like I said, we are almost done and playing in college is a goal as long as it matches my kid's college education goals. Laff. Going pro? That's the story that azzhats like you at Crossfire tried to sell but really fell short. Now, meaningless without DA.

Your son playing college? I do not consider playing at Highline College a meaningful goal.

Which part of going Pro is confusing to you? That is the job of the MLS teams, to develop Pro players. I'd love to hear you tell me different or are you saying that Pizza school is going to help your son get to college?

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Are you drunk? There's no coach named Rich at Xfire anymore and hasn't been for years. If you're talking about RR, he's on his second youth coaching job since Xfire days. Keep up.

Based off what I could find And this could be wrong but don’t think so.... RR is on his 1st job since leaving XF. He was hired as girls DOC & GK Director for SU and simultaneously worked as a Reign coach in their partnership in the 02/03 age group and the SU Gk. He still oversaw SU girls during this time and did the hiring of girls staff and whatever tasks comes with it. His track record of jobs in WA is longer standing than most coaches except maybe the veterans. UW for 15+ years as a GK coach and an amazing history of putting god into the MLS and Before that he was XF for 10 years and now SU for 3 years and going. I would say the OP has no idea what he is talking about thinking he has a son in college as he clearly doesn’t know who Rich is seeing that he doesn’t even have a son unless you call all the college soccer players he has mentored along the way.

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Christian Lavers on the prospects of ECNL-MLS synergy and working with new U.S. Soccer leadership

Mike Woitalla
That the ECNL would solidify its claim as the top girls league in the nation in the wake the Development Academy's demise comes as no surprise. After all, the Girls ECNL launched in 2009 and U.S. Soccer didn't start its Girls DA until 2017. The Boys ECNL is only its third season but before U.S. Soccer made official the DA collapse, Boys DA clubs in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington started committing teams to the ECNL. Within hours of those moves, MLS announced its intentions of creating a development league that would include amateur clubs. Some of the clubs that committed to the Boys ECNL would be obvious candidates for the MLS's leagues. Christian Lavers has been ECNL president since its inception.


SOCCER AMERICA: Can clubs that committed to the Boys ECNL also field teams in the league that MLS is planning?

CHRISTIAN LAVERS: We really don't have any information on what this new MLS league is going to look like, so it is hard to answer much about it. Quite honestly, we were told that many of the MLS clubs themselves were surprised to see this release yesterday and they didn't know much either.

My previous understanding was that MLS was going to operate a U-15 and U-17 league of MLS clubs only, and that each club would fill in gaps in their calendar as they saw fit, based on their unique market. I think that actually makes a lot of sense, and in that environment I could see a lot of positive synergy between ECNL and MLS, and in the youth community generally and MLS.

SA: Do you envision a future in which there is no longer an acrimonious relationship between the ECNL and U.S. Soccer? If so, what makes you hopeful?

CHRISTIAN LAVERS: Absolutely. I have tremendous respect for Cindy Parlow as a person and leader, and I think she will do a great job in her role. It is a really difficult moment to become a new President, and we will support her through all this change and challenge in any way we can. I have known Kate Markgraf for years and respect her greatly, and I think Carlos Bocanegra has shown great leadership in his role on the Technical Committee. I think there are a lot of ways that U.S. Soccer and ECNL could work together to make the game better, and I know that leadership at US Club and US Youth would want to do the same. I am very optimistic.

SA: In the wake of massive frustration from club directors because of the lack of communication from U.S. Soccer, one DOC told me that it prompted "countless" hours of talks between directors of DA, non-DA, and MLS clubs. He came out of it saying that "the country is very united right now." And he said, "I hope MLS talks to ECNL." Are you talking to MLS and are you confident of a future of collaboration between youth soccer governing bodies?

CHRISTIAN LAVERS: We have had some dialogue with some individual MLS clubs in the last few days, and it has been generally positive. I would love to see that continue and grow into something bigger -- because there is a huge need for a positive relationship between youth and professional soccer.

The wider the pathway is into professional soccer, the more fans will grow, and the better the level of play in the country will be at the top. I think finding the right connection and relationship between youth and professional soccer is one of the most important things to get right in moving this country further forward at many levels.

Youth and professional soccer are very different, each with incredible complexity and challenge. Creating a path and model that respects the unique values and attributes of both, that creates real pathways from youth to pro for the very best players, and that recognizes the unique strengths of the American culture -- in sport and in general -- is really important.

SA: Anything else you'd like to add?

CHRISTIAN LAVERS: The ECNL has always been about enabling clubs to define what is best for the development of their players. We are prepared to work collaboratively with as many clubs and organizations that we can who embrace the vision, values and mission of the league. Aligning everyone in the country will not happen overnight, or even in one playing season, but we are committed to moving in that direction as best we can in the uncertain times we are all dealing with.

[Unregistered]

So with this mls league. When will teams know or start. This season or will it take a year??

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With the below teams joining the ecnl will there be this many new girls clubs added. Right now on the two from south cal but will more come from the Bay Area or Washington. Will Spokane and what timbers get in as they have boys teams

Boys ECNL

Pateadores SC

Arsenal FC (CA)

FC Golden State

San Diego Surf

Strikers FC (Link)

Crossfire Premier joins ECNL

Virginia Development Academy

Richmond United



Charlotte Independence

North Carolina FC Academy

North Carolina Fusion

Charlotte Soccer Academy (Link)

Concorde Fire

United Futbol Academy (Link)

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So with this mls league. When will teams know or start. This season or will it take a year??

I personally don't think there will be much plane travel this year for soccer tournaments. Only a guess, but one of the reasons that many DA teams are joining ECNL so quickly. The hope of regional game within driving range.
I think the MLS league is in the very early planning phase.

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I don’t see anyone wanting to travel even if soccer returns in 2020

With all this talk the big picture is with the DA gone and the Below info of USYNT suspended till 2021 do we really see soccer returning in 2020.. great that MLS and ECNL talk about expanding but does anyone see national league soccer being played this side of January?
Not only has the United States Soccer Federation formally ended its development academy, it is also shuttering most of its youth national teams until at least 2021 because of the financial problems caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.

The decision impacts nine national teams on both the men’s and women’s sides. Only the under-17 and U-20 programs will continue for the women, as will the men’s U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams. The men’s U-23 squad was scheduled to compete in CONCACAF’s Olympic qualifying tournament last month in Guadalajara, Mexico before the event was postponed indefinitely because of the ongoing health crisis. The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have since been moved to 2021.

FIFA organizes World Cups at the U-17 and U-20 levels for both men and women, although the 2020 U-17 women’s World Cup in India, scheduled for November, has also been postponed.