ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://theecnl.com/news/2025/5/1/real-colorado-academy-colorado-rapids-youth-join-ecnl-texas-conference.aspx

Please discuss.....

Bottom line:

1. ECNL and MLS Next are at war with each other.

2. Colorado was a proxy battle and ECNL won this one (but does Colorado even matter except for Real Colorado on the girls' side?).

3. MLS Next added a bunch of smaller or less-successful clubs to their platform in Colorado, but very likely won't be enough for it to matter without Real Colorado and Colorado Rapids Youth not involved.

4. Colorado Rapids *Academy* and Colorado Rapids *Youth* are distinct organizations. Academy is part of the actual MLS Rapids organization and Rapids Youth just shares branding (maybe they will change their branding or be forced to?) but does not have any official connection to the MLS organization.

5. This decision by ECNL, Real Colorado, and Colorado Rapids Youth is a consolidation and likely will negatively affect all of the other clubs and the state association. These were probably the two big players in the state and they just built a moat around themselves. They may be 'rivals' on the pitch, but they seem to have viewed the smaller clubs and state associations as the greater foe here.

6. Colorado is likely a lag indicator and not a lead indicator. Places like Colorado and DC don't set the tone for youth soccer, only California and Texas really can, do, and will

7. Again, this was just a proxy war that doesn't really matter anyways. ECNL won this one, but loyalties are fickle.

You’re an idiot. ECNL put out announcement that an ECNL team stayed in ECNL

The boys teams were in MLSN the girls were ECNL.

The boys were in ECNL Mountain. You’re confusing the academy with the club.

You're lost and confusing everyone.

Here's the facts:

The boys' top teams for both Colorado Rapids Youth and Real Colorado were in MLS Next.

For Rapids Youth, yes, they switch to the Academy at U15. For Real Colorado, they stayed MLS Next through U19.

Starting in Fall '25, both Rapids YOUTH and Real Colorado are switching to ECNL completely and their top teams that previously competed in MLS Next are competing in ECNL Texas and their second teams will be competing ECNL Mountain.

Here's the real facts...

Colorado Rapids Academy teams will continue to play in MLS Next. They will be placing their SECOND teams in boys ECNL.

REAL Colorado.gave up on playing at the MLSN level and is going all in on the league Rapids are putting their 2nd teams in.

REAL Colorado players likely won't get considered for college anymore.

So confident, yet so uninformed.

You’re an idiot or a propagandist.

PP is correct.

Mouth breathing moron, what PP typed IS propaganda. Do you know what that means or are you just typing word salad again.

Will Colorado Rapids continue to have an MLS Next Academy Team. Please respond with Yes or No.

Will Colorado Rapids be playing their top players on MLSN team or the ECNL team? Please respond with MLSN or ECNL

The responses provided will tell you everything people need to know. Which is that top players are in MLSN and the 2nd tier is ECNL.

Facts:

1. Colorado Rapids (MLS team) and Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Association (CRYSA) are separate organizations.

2. Colorado Rapids will maintain their MLS Academy (U15 and up). CRYSA will no longer have an MLSN program. Instead, their top team will play ECNL-Texas and their second team will play ECNL-Mountain.

3. ECNL got the biggest boys’ programs in Colorado.

Understand yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well USCS finally posted their age ranges for next year which had been blank for some time.

Should be the same? BY for 25/26? I was told no changes for next year as ECNL has a lot their plate trying to get league policy changes together for all their new RL leagues. They did not want to deal with a full age group change early.

There’s a bunch Wes chance they do make updates to their trapped player cause that would allow for games and showcases 2 per team. But that’s still tbd and at the bottom of their list.

Did I miss something? What is this new RL league?

I hope they add 2 or more per team

They are referring to the new RL league which is for all ECNL 2nd teams only. No relegation.

Is there any info out there to see this? For this year or next?

Yes I think on the ECNL website. They have essentially two RL leagues now. One for ECNL team 2 and one for 1st team non ECNL teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well USCS finally posted their age ranges for next year which had been blank for some time.

Should be the same? BY for 25/26? I was told no changes for next year as ECNL has a lot their plate trying to get league policy changes together for all their new RL leagues. They did not want to deal with a full age group change early.

There’s a bunch Wes chance they do make updates to their trapped player cause that would allow for games and showcases 2 per team. But that’s still tbd and at the bottom of their list.

Did I miss something? What is this new RL league?

I hope they add 2 or more per team

They are referring to the new RL league which is for all ECNL 2nd teams only. No relegation.

Is there any info out there to see this? For this year or next?

Starts next year 25/26.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://theecnl.com/news/2025/5/1/real-colorado-academy-colorado-rapids-youth-join-ecnl-texas-conference.aspx

Please discuss.....

Bottom line:

1. ECNL and MLS Next are at war with each other.

2. Colorado was a proxy battle and ECNL won this one (but does Colorado even matter except for Real Colorado on the girls' side?).

3. MLS Next added a bunch of smaller or less-successful clubs to their platform in Colorado, but very likely won't be enough for it to matter without Real Colorado and Colorado Rapids Youth not involved.

4. Colorado Rapids *Academy* and Colorado Rapids *Youth* are distinct organizations. Academy is part of the actual MLS Rapids organization and Rapids Youth just shares branding (maybe they will change their branding or be forced to?) but does not have any official connection to the MLS organization.

5. This decision by ECNL, Real Colorado, and Colorado Rapids Youth is a consolidation and likely will negatively affect all of the other clubs and the state association. These were probably the two big players in the state and they just built a moat around themselves. They may be 'rivals' on the pitch, but they seem to have viewed the smaller clubs and state associations as the greater foe here.

6. Colorado is likely a lag indicator and not a lead indicator. Places like Colorado and DC don't set the tone for youth soccer, only California and Texas really can, do, and will

7. Again, this was just a proxy war that doesn't really matter anyways. ECNL won this one, but loyalties are fickle.

You’re an idiot. ECNL put out announcement that an ECNL team stayed in ECNL

The boys teams were in MLSN the girls were ECNL.

The boys were in ECNL Mountain. You’re confusing the academy with the club.

You're lost and confusing everyone.

Here's the facts:

The boys' top teams for both Colorado Rapids Youth and Real Colorado were in MLS Next.

For Rapids Youth, yes, they switch to the Academy at U15. For Real Colorado, they stayed MLS Next through U19.

Starting in Fall '25, both Rapids YOUTH and Real Colorado are switching to ECNL completely and their top teams that previously competed in MLS Next are competing in ECNL Texas and their second teams will be competing ECNL Mountain.

Here's the real facts...

Colorado Rapids Academy teams will continue to play in MLS Next. They will be placing their SECOND teams in boys ECNL.

REAL Colorado.gave up on playing at the MLSN level and is going all in on the league Rapids are putting their 2nd teams in.

REAL Colorado players likely won't get considered for college anymore.

So confident, yet so uninformed.

You’re an idiot or a propagandist.

PP is correct.

Mouth breathing moron, what PP typed IS propaganda. Do you know what that means or are you just typing word salad again.

Will Colorado Rapids continue to have an MLS Next Academy Team. Please respond with Yes or No.

Will Colorado Rapids be playing their top players on MLSN team or the ECNL team? Please respond with MLSN or ECNL

The responses provided will tell you everything people need to know. Which is that top players are in MLSN and the 2nd tier is ECNL.

Facts:

1. Colorado Rapids (MLS team) and Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Association (CRYSA) are separate organizations.

2. Colorado Rapids will maintain their MLS Academy (U15 and up). CRYSA will no longer have an MLSN program. Instead, their top team will play ECNL-Texas and their second team will play ECNL-Mountain.

3. ECNL got the biggest boys’ programs in Colorado.

Understand yet?

So Rapids...
1st team = MLSN
2nd team = ECNL

[Anonymous]

The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

Hahahahahah, another one from this thread for the dumb quote board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just wait until ECNL announces an amendment to their rules that will allow for Grad Year teams for Juniors and seniors. Its already in the works. They will slip it into their league rules summer 2026.

My club has already had ECNL tryouts for next year and solidified the teams. My guess is they're not blind to a change if it was happening for next year. Everything is staying the same. As someone above said, CA has tryouts for younger kids in January and that's when the SY team selections start.

"Your club" had tryouts at the end of April or beginning of May, so therefore "everything is staying the same." You may be right - but like you said it is your "guess."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

Most boys regardless of league are not getting recruited to D1 schools.

Going back to the league, I thought they were making it a 10-month program to compete with MLS next? It almost seemed like they were playing in two leagues and that the leagues were different seasons?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

Hahahahahah, another one from this thread for the dumb quote board.

You’re obviously a girl dad that’s part of the ECNL cult. Sorry this is not how things work for boys. It’s not worth explaining to you because you wouldn’t understand or listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

Most boys regardless of league are not getting recruited to D1 schools.

Going back to the league, I thought they were making it a 10-month program to compete with MLS next? It almost seemed like they were playing in two leagues and that the leagues were different seasons?

Most likely since colleges mostly recruit from MLSN Acadamies the non Academy MLSN clubs decided to stop trying to compete at that level. They can dominate ECNL and make a bunch of money forcing players to travel to Texas for league games. ECNL probably gave them significant discounts for switching over. ECNL also likely threatened to take girls ECNL away.

[Anonymous]

How is the BY crowd going to react when MLSN announces they are going SY?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is the BY crowd going to react when MLSN announces they are going SY?

They can’t. It doesn’t align with international norms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the BY crowd going to react when MLSN announces they are going SY?

They can’t. It doesn’t align with international norms.

Exactly, the problem is pay to play + college has allowed players and parents that should have been filtered out by u12 to still be pushing for things in the sport.

MLS wants to appear as a professional league (even though it’s more of franchise network that works as a group and splits the profits) If MLSN adopted SY internationally they’d be laughed at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue with "ECNL getting" boys teams in Colorado is that for boys college recruiters don't look much beyond MLSN Acadamies for players. By downgrading to ECNL the clubs will likely make more $$$ but the players won't get looked at by college recruiters.

Most boys regardless of league are not getting recruited to D1 schools.

Going back to the league, I thought they were making it a 10-month program to compete with MLS next? It almost seemed like they were playing in two leagues and that the leagues were different seasons?

Here’s another reason Rapids switched to ECNL for their non Academy teams.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinbirnbaum/2025/02/21/the-most-valuable-mls-teams-2025/

They made the least amount of money out of every MLS club last year. It’s almost like poorly run clubs have a tendency to make stupid decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is the BY crowd going to react when MLSN announces they are going SY?

Just a big shrug, I guess.