DA vs ECNL vs everything else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are too caught up in ECNL and DA. Without these silly leagues, colleges will change how they recruit. Maybe there are 4-5 natiional showcases that attract the top teams so the coaches attend those showcases and send their assistants to the regional showcases. Maybe they just focus on attending the reginal or national playoffs of the top division. It does not make sense to have three natiional leagues/tournaments with kids spending $10,000 to travel every weekend.

It is all about the money. Pre-2009, players were recruited. ECNL saw a way to package players together and make recruiting easier for scouts, but they did it because they saw a $ opportunity and knew parents will pay. DA wants that slice and knows parent will pay. It is an arms race. It will never go back to pre-2009, so now it is even harder if you don't pay to play. Because it is so easy to pay to play if you have any skill, the quality of girls making ECNL or DA this year is nowhere what it used to be. Is basically now just a club's first team. Half of those first teams should be nowhere near DA or ECNL, but no they can now pay and wear the patches too. It was said before that this is no different to the watering down in travel soccer where now almost every single Rec level player can find a white or gold team somewhere to pay to play on.

Coming from a person whose child plays what exactly?

DA/ECNL - top half

Which one..ECNL or DA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are too caught up in ECNL and DA. Without these silly leagues, colleges will change how they recruit. Maybe there are 4-5 natiional showcases that attract the top teams so the coaches attend those showcases and send their assistants to the regional showcases. Maybe they just focus on attending the reginal or national playoffs of the top division. It does not make sense to have three natiional leagues/tournaments with kids spending $10,000 to travel every weekend.

It is all about the money. Pre-2009, players were recruited. ECNL saw a way to package players together and make recruiting easier for scouts, but they did it because they saw a $ opportunity and knew parents will pay. DA wants that slice and knows parent will pay. It is an arms race. It will never go back to pre-2009, so now it is even harder if you don't pay to play. Because it is so easy to pay to play if you have any skill, the quality of girls making ECNL or DA this year is nowhere what it used to be. Is basically now just a club's first team. Half of those first teams should be nowhere near DA or ECNL, but no they can now pay and wear the patches too. It was said before that this is no different to the watering down in travel soccer where now almost every single Rec level player can find a white or gold team somewhere to pay to play on.

Coming from a person whose child plays what exactly?

DA/ECNL - top half

Which one..ECNL or DA?

this is the signature response of this poster. I am not sure it even matters..

the original response is kind of off. you basically say The girls prior to this year were significantly better quality players in ECNL than the current crop. i mean "nowhere near it used to be"? Between pre2009 and now, the quality of players has significantly declined relatively?

or do you really believe that the DA teams this year stole all the talent from ECNL? if not, then the ECNL should have strong enough players.. if DA did steal the talent, the ECNL is pretty much second tier which correlates with your comment about the quality of players and ecnl. or just everyone sucks now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are too caught up in ECNL and DA. Without these silly leagues, colleges will change how they recruit. Maybe there are 4-5 natiional showcases that attract the top teams so the coaches attend those showcases and send their assistants to the regional showcases. Maybe they just focus on attending the reginal or national playoffs of the top division. It does not make sense to have three natiional leagues/tournaments with kids spending $10,000 to travel every weekend.

It is all about the money. Pre-2009, players were recruited. ECNL saw a way to package players together and make recruiting easier for scouts, but they did it because they saw a $ opportunity and knew parents will pay. DA wants that slice and knows parent will pay. It is an arms race. It will never go back to pre-2009, so now it is even harder if you don't pay to play. Because it is so easy to pay to play if you have any skill, the quality of girls making ECNL or DA this year is nowhere what it used to be. Is basically now just a club's first team. Half of those first teams should be nowhere near DA or ECNL, but no they can now pay and wear the patches too. It was said before that this is no different to the watering down in travel soccer where now almost every single Rec level player can find a white or gold team somewhere to pay to play on.

Coming from a person whose child plays what exactly?

DA/ECNL - top half

Which one..ECNL or DA?

It really doesn't matter, comment applies to both. Pick your poison and pay the big bucks if you can afford it. Pre-2009 is not coming back. If you have the dough and a top B teamer, you should be able to squeeze onto the bench of a 20 roster at an elite option near you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are too caught up in ECNL and DA. Without these silly leagues, colleges will change how they recruit. Maybe there are 4-5 natiional showcases that attract the top teams so the coaches attend those showcases and send their assistants to the regional showcases. Maybe they just focus on attending the reginal or national playoffs of the top division. It does not make sense to have three natiional leagues/tournaments with kids spending $10,000 to travel every weekend.

It is all about the money. Pre-2009, players were recruited. ECNL saw a way to package players together and make recruiting easier for scouts, but they did it because they saw a $ opportunity and knew parents will pay. DA wants that slice and knows parent will pay. It is an arms race. It will never go back to pre-2009, so now it is even harder if you don't pay to play. Because it is so easy to pay to play if you have any skill, the quality of girls making ECNL or DA this year is nowhere what it used to be. Is basically now just a club's first team. Half of those first teams should be nowhere near DA or ECNL, but no they can now pay and wear the patches too. It was said before that this is no different to the watering down in travel soccer where now almost every single Rec level player can find a white or gold team somewhere to pay to play on.

Coming from a person whose child plays what exactly?

DA/ECNL - top half

Which one..ECNL or DA?

It really doesn't matter, comment applies to both. Pick your poison and pay the big bucks if you can afford it. Pre-2009 is not coming back. If you have the dough and a top B teamer, you should be able to squeeze onto the bench of a 20 roster at an elite option near you.

True. Too many options and not enough talent to field truly elite teams in Nova atleast. It's just a fact. The board is full of people who don't understand this level of soccer. They truly don't.

At the DA showcase this weekend, there were teams from California that would blow you away. Most of you have never seen truly elite youth soccer like this. Top to bottom star studded teams.

PDA, the east coast mega club known for its high level of talent, got rocked 5-1 by a CA team.

And here we are, arguing about DA vs ECNL. The answer has already been giving. Some of you just dont want to hear it.

Until the talent is condensed, the gaps will be filled with kids who can not play at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are too caught up in ECNL and DA. Without these silly leagues, colleges will change how they recruit. Maybe there are 4-5 natiional showcases that attract the top teams so the coaches attend those showcases and send their assistants to the regional showcases. Maybe they just focus on attending the reginal or national playoffs of the top division. It does not make sense to have three natiional leagues/tournaments with kids spending $10,000 to travel every weekend.

It is all about the money. Pre-2009, players were recruited. ECNL saw a way to package players together and make recruiting easier for scouts, but they did it because they saw a $ opportunity and knew parents will pay. DA wants that slice and knows parent will pay. It is an arms race. It will never go back to pre-2009, so now it is even harder if you don't pay to play. Because it is so easy to pay to play if you have any skill, the quality of girls making ECNL or DA this year is nowhere what it used to be. Is basically now just a club's first team. Half of those first teams should be nowhere near DA or ECNL, but no they can now pay and wear the patches too. It was said before that this is no different to the watering down in travel soccer where now almost every single Rec level player can find a white or gold team somewhere to pay to play on.

Coming from a person whose child plays what exactly?

DA/ECNL - top half

Which one..ECNL or DA?

It really doesn't matter, comment applies to both. Pick your poison and pay the big bucks if you can afford it. Pre-2009 is not coming back. If you have the dough and a top B teamer, you should be able to squeeze onto the bench of a 20 roster at an elite option near you.

True. Too many options and not enough talent to field truly elite teams in Nova atleast. It's just a fact. The board is full of people who don't understand this level of soccer. They truly don't.

At the DA showcase this weekend, there were teams from California that would blow you away. Most of you have never seen truly elite youth soccer like this. Top to bottom star studded teams.

PDA, the east coast mega club known for its high level of talent, got rocked 5-1 by a CA team.

And here we are, arguing about DA vs ECNL. The answer has already been giving. Some of you just dont want to hear it.

Until the talent is condensed, the gaps will be filled with kids who can not play at that level.

Is California’s talent not spread out?

[Anonymous]

California has enough kids to fill the ranks. Northern Virginia does not. You must understand the market.

[Anonymous]

California has enough kids to fill the ranks. Northern Virginia does not. You must understand the market. NOVA can fill 2 elite teams per age group if condensed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:California has enough kids to fill the ranks. Northern Virginia does not. You must understand the market. NOVA can fill 2 elite teams per age group if condensed

The traffic is NoVA will NEVER allow for the concentration of talent that you desire so just pick the best spot for your kid or move back to California.

[Anonymous]

Lol. See the ignorance? Not only do you not know soccer...you don't know SoCal traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. See the ignorance? Not only do you not know soccer...you don't know SoCal traffic.

LOL, every time you say “in California we...” put a quarter in a jar. Please, either accept the landscape as it is or move back.

[Anonymous]

The jar would be empty because the term "in California we" has never been used. How can we have an intelligent conversation if mere words are so easily manipulated.

I, good person, am a Virginian. Born and raised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:California has enough kids to fill the ranks. Northern Virginia does not. You must understand the market. NOVA can fill 2 elite teams per age group if condensed

Yes, CA has some very good teams, but they also have some terrible ones too. Again, too many teams in a small area so talent is spread out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The jar would be empty because the term "in California we" has never been used. How can we have an intelligent conversation if mere words are so easily manipulated.

I, good person, am a Virginian. Born and raised.

Then explain how you can speak so authoritative about California soccer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The jar would be empty because the term "in California we" has never been used. How can we have an intelligent conversation if mere words are so easily manipulated.

I, good person, am a Virginian. Born and raised.

Then explain how you can speak so authoritative about California soccer?

Please explain to me how you don't know this? Are you trolling. You must be.

[Anonymous]

At the DA showcase this weekend, there were teams from California that would blow you away. Most of you have never seen truly elite youth soccer like this. Top to bottom star studded teams.

PDA, the east coast mega club known for its high level of talent, got rocked 5-1 by a CA team.

And here we are, arguing about DA vs ECNL. The answer has already been giving. Some of you just dont want to hear it.

Until the talent is condensed, the gaps will be filled with kids who can not play at that level.

So who cares? CA soccer will always be better than almost anywhere else. It is largely numbers that drive this.
Elite soccer is set up to feed into college, not to field national teams. There are about 27,500 women playing NCAA soccer, and about 6-7k turn over each year. There are about 3k players nation wide between GDA and ECNL.

If your point is we are producing too many elite players the numbers don't bear that out.

If your point is that players on the fringes of elite soccer are paying too much for it, that is probably true but once again who cares? If those families can afford it, fine. If not, there are other means.