Westside

[Guest]

Actually COVID is the most successful thing in the last two years. Jus sayin.

lame excuse. Just sayin.

[Guest]

Success is defined over the long haul. The nonsense you wrote could have been written by an ADF or FC honk in prior years, and it would have been equally pointless strutting.

Looking at the boys side of things, in the 11v11 age groups: WT is clearly better in 08, 09, and 03. uPDX better in 04, 06, 07. 05 is probably a wash (WT won the winter league matches, but it's widely suspected that uPDX entered two roughly equal teams in Winter league, but will not do that during state cup). Both clubs stink at U12, neither was in the top 2 at U11 (though they don't publish standings for that age).

On the girls side, the top girls' teams are in ECNL, and the top girls' program this year has been Thorns Academy, which, depending on the argument you want to make, is either a Westside operation in toto, or is a Peregrine operation that WT manages because Peregrine doesn't want to be in the business of pay-to-play youth soccer. (I can see why). uPDX has had some success at the younger age groups for girls, but not at the older ones.

What does that all mean? Not a heck of a lot. TA has taken over WSM's old role as the pro pipeline (though sucks royally at it). and now there's a handful of clubs basically vying for the top of the podium with whoever is left. uPDX has had some success by a) being a large club, b) poaching (lots of former WT 04s and FC 06s), and c) recruiting TA washouts en masse. That, and trying to bill itself as a boys' travel team, despite no BECNL or MLS Next presence (other than TA) here in Oregon. If anything, it's the new FC Portland, now that the old FC Portland no longer, you know, plays in Portland.

But it hasn't shown it's any good at player development.

I agree with most of this.

The time where WST dominated has past and we are heading towards a club having a good age group sprinkled with some bad ones. I do wish that WST or UPDX or ? team made the decision to do ECNL. I bet a bunch of the TA rejects would gather on the team and play some good ball.

[Guest]

The TA belongs in ECNL

[Guest]

The TA belongs in ECNL

MLS Next > ECNL. Unless you're saying that the TA isn't good enough for MLS Next.

(They seem to be improving in academy league performance. Whether or not they'll start producing prospects that are better than Farfan is another matter).

[Guest]

I agree with most of this.

The time where WST dominated has past and we are heading towards a club having a good age group sprinkled with some bad ones. I do wish that WST or UPDX or ? team made the decision to do ECNL. I bet a bunch of the TA rejects would gather on the team and play some good ball.

Problem is that boys HS season is different between Oregon (fall) and Washington (spring), so a combined OR/WA league isn't possible on the boys' side.

Nobody wants to fly to CA multiple times a year for soccer.

Things like EAL, PRO, etc. are of limited use because other than a few Seattle BECNL clubs, nothing else in the Northwest is really better than the local competition.

[Guest]

If you had a large enough roster and some creative scheduling, an OR team could play in ECNL. A couple of OR kids play both high school and ECNL in the fall.

[Guest]

If you had a large enough roster and some creative scheduling, an OR team could play in ECNL. A couple of OR kids play both high school and ECNL in the fall.

Potentially you could field a team of kids willing to forego HS soccer. There's lots of kids who are a) highly competitive players, and b) stuck at high schools whose boys' soccer programs are garbage, who might find a BECNL team that plays up in Seattle preferable to playing boot scoot and shoot for a team coached by the math teacher.

[Guest]

Potentially you could field a team of kids willing to forego HS soccer. There's lots of kids who are a) highly competitive players, and b) stuck at high schools whose boys' soccer programs are garbage, who might find a BECNL team that plays up in Seattle preferable to playing boot scoot and shoot for a team coached by the math teacher.

Well CFC or UPDX are going to announce they joined the ECNL RCL league.

[Guest]

Well CFC or UPDX are going to announce they joined the ECNL RCL league.

Sigh. Are there any travel leagues those two WON'T try and join?

[Guest]

Why not create a ECNL league for HS Boys in Oregon?

[Guest]

Since the USDA model in Oregon was such a high value platform of quality. wink..wink..nedge..nudge.

.

[Guest]

Why not create a ECNL league for HS Boys in Oregon?

Because the teams aren't good enough. You could make two mid-table ECNL teams or 1 top table-ish team.

Keep all these teams and you have the same thing you do now. Calling it ECNL won't make any of these OR teams better.

[Guest]

Why not create a ECNL league for HS Boys in Oregon?

As others have noted, it would either be something like the DA or the old OPL--essentially OYSA Premier playing with different cards, but the same teams.

Or it would be one or two "special" teams, playing most of their games out of state, and for HS boys, not being able to play high school soccer.

The first is pointless, unless your goal is to derive the Timbers of a bit of loose change, or not have to play winter league games in Medford.

The second would also be pointless, if the teams in question are mostly receiving the same training. IF they could corner the market on "top" players that might make practices more worthwhile (steel sharpens steel), but that gives the game away--it would be mainly about recruiting more than anything else.

[Guest]

As others have noted, it would either be something like the DA or the old OPL--essentially OYSA Premier playing with different cards, but the same teams.

Or it would be one or two "special" teams, playing most of their games out of state, and for HS boys, not being able to play high school soccer.

The first is pointless, unless your goal is to derive the Timbers of a bit of loose change, or not have to play winter league games in Medford.

The second would also be pointless, if the teams in question are mostly receiving the same training. IF they could corner the market on "top" players that might make practices more worthwhile (steel sharpens steel), but that gives the game away--it would be mainly about recruiting more than anything else.

Create a Crossfire WA equivalent in OR. Three teams per age group. Top plays ECNL or MLS Next..2nd plays Elite 64 or whatever other lower tier league and the 3rd plays OYSA Premier. The rest is recreational soccer here in Oregon. And HS soccer? Garbage in Oregon. Another game that has nothing to do with soccer.

[Guest]

You would have to create a league similar to the girls ECNL and only allow certain boys clubs in Oregon to be part of the league. This would drive the top talent to a few clubs making it a true premier level. The advantage Oregon girls have is they play high school soccer in the same season as the Washington girls. Allows the girls to consolidate girls ECNL in both Oregon and Washington. Since there are way more boys playing then girls having a Washington boys ECNL and Oregon Boys ECNL does make sense.