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DA vs ECNL vs everything else
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Anonymous
same for 06 departures from mclean |
Anonymous
With so, so, so many Elite teams in the area it is soon going to be hard for any of them to fill them with truly elite players. |
Anonymous
| Lots of little ponds out there. All the fish never all play in the same pond anymore. |
Anonymous
Yep, these players would be 2nd team and not DA/ECNL two years ago. If you can pay, you can play ______ or at least warm a $200 collapsible bench. |
Anonymous
| Awww listen to these "my kid is a Star" parents crying about having to play with "common" kids now. "How will anyone know she is a Star now?" Whaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! |
Anonymous
|
Hi. I have one in GDA and one in ECNL (yes, that is true). So I hope both leagues continue to do well. After reading a ton of posts on this board (and there is huge amount of them), I decided to pull some data to answer a few questions that are often discussed. The first is what league (and teams) would be considered "better". There are lots of ways to determine that title (subjective and objective). I decided to be objective and look at the 2018 college placements by club. Another would be placements on the national teams (have not done that yet). I am sure there are others. And, there are ways to further analyze placement for value (D1 vs D2, ACC versus Big 12 etc.) I picked 2018 as it is the broadest and most complete data set, and it is the closest moment at which the DA / ECNL switch hit. Future graduating classes can be analyzed to determine how this balance of power migrates back and forth between ECNL and DA for college placements (yes, just one of many yard sticks).
I also was able to see the perceived value pulled over to DA from ECNL during the initial organization of clubs (another popular argument on the board). And, one can see the presumed value pulled back (or not) on recent departures from DA. Last, you can look region by region too, and see where power was pulled or not pulled by DA from ECNL club transfers (e.g. West Coast). I am not providing anything here but data and a basic interpretation. I dont care about who wins this argument going on because it hurts / helps both my kids. There were approximately 2,150 girls placed at the collegiate level (D1 and below) for the class 0f 2018 from about 375 clubs. Of that, 421 were placed by the top 15 clubs (top determined by volume only). That represents 20% of all placements from just 4% of the total clubs. Here is a snapshot of those clubs from top volume (#1 club in U.S. placing girls in college and below), and what percentage of the 421 placements they represented: PDA 11% Michigan Hawks 9% Sting (Austin / Dallas) 8% Ohio Premier 7% FC Boston Scorpions 7% Challenge SC 7% Real Colorado 7% Slammers FC 7% East Meadow SC 6% Colorado Storm 6% NTH Tophat 6% So Cal Blues 6% FC Stars of Massachusetts 5% LA Galaxy San Diego 5% Tennessee SC 5% During the inaugural year of the DA, 49% of these placements (207) were badged as DA (teams that left ECNL). Net, the power at the top was split 50/50 upon the divorce of ECNL and USSF. With the recent defections of PDA, Michigan Hawks, and FC Stars, the balance would in theory shift back to ECNL in a 75% / 25% split (103 players owned by DA clubs and 318 to ECNL clubs). This includes the top two producers of college placements for the class of 2018 - PDA and Michigan Hawks. Obviously, this does not project future shifts in future years and how "demand" from colleges may change by club or year. And, it does not reveal key regions that may be stronger than others in DA. For example, the West coast where several clubs (So Cal Blues, West Coast FC and SD Surf) double badge DA / ECNL with the concept of 1/2. I believe there the DA has a stronger hold on things. But, when looking at the top of the pyramid, after the recent re-migrations back, ECNL holds 10 of the 15 top producing clubs, with one double badged (So Cal Blues) and 4 DA badged. Based on this data, I would state that the migrations back are not immaterial or insignificant as some have suggested. I would state that the balance of power between the two leagues is in great flux, that ECNL has not lost as much strength as suggested especially after the move back of those clubs, but that the DA has very strong footholds in regions such as CA and Texas when looking deeper at the data that they will build from. I would also state that the data would suggest that college coaches will continue to look at both leagues for talent in the foreseeable future as their is a strong talent pool in both based on club prowess to warrant going to both sets of showcases with equal interest. I also believe that the DA / ECNL question will be answered on a geographic by geographic basis. Some areas allow for easy switching (NOVA) based on proximity of clubs. Other areas in the US do not. A few more notes: Any more big defections of clubs one direction or the other will have a big impact on the landscape. If any big Texas or California club moves to ECNL or choses ECNL only, this would massively change things and possible trigger a domino affect. At present, I dont see that occurring based on the pace of announcements and the timeline of where folks are at for recruiting teams for the next season under ECNL or DA badge. On the other hand, if a new big ECNL club departs to DA, the same can be said. At present, I would state that the likelihood of a longer term stalemate seems higher than prior to the moves of the big 3 clubs back to ECNL. Only time will tell. I am quite confident there will be some sarcastic responses to this post based on how this board seems to work, so I am going to leave it here and just ignore that. |
Anonymous
Some of us actually care about the state of the sport in this country and being globally competitive. There is a lot wrong with the DA but a lot more wrong with the rest of youth soccer. |
Anonymous
This matters only if the clubs actually develop whoever shows up at U9. But the truth is it is all dependent on where the actual talent migrates towards. As many have stated the rubber really hits the road at 05 and 06. By 07/08 the picture will be a bit more clear. But, Top, Top talent will obviously migrate to DA for the NTC potential that ECNL will struggle to fight against. Kids/parents will want their kids to play with the best possible talent, all things being equal. ECNL is mostly in a position to fight for those "might be kids", late bloomers etc. Isolated clubs like the Hawks can do what they want and it will not matter. They chose the path that was easiest for the club because they are large enough to get away with it. PDA may find that talent does in fact begin to drift to Cedar Stars. But these two clubs, regardless of platform have a long tradition and rich history of developing players. The platform they chose is based more on what is best for the club as a whole and less because the platform actually matters to them. Other smaller clubs need to chose the platform far more wisely as the golden ticket is the draw versus the club. But if Cedar Stars develops well on their own AND they can pull 3-4 top PDA players a year that is all that really matters. Beyond the top 5 players there isn't a significant difference between a PDA roster or a Cedar Star roster. It is all about where those top 4 players end up. |
Anonymous
| Problem is the kids after those top 3. They are strong players and not going pro or going to NT duty. They will choose GDA if it suits them or ECNL if it suits them. IF the GDA teams are top players and then a big drop off, that is not a great situation. |
Anonymous
| Roster disparity and league disparity are both a problem. Traveling for a multiple goal blow out is very frustrating all around. |
Anonymous
If the country can support two competing leagues like DA and ECNL and expose kids to quality coaching and competition then the state of the sport is actually better than you realize. Having these two leagues actually do more to keep quality players engaged and playing the sport longer than they would be otherwise. The leagues may not be as concentrated in talent as you would like for your Star but if our national game is going to grow it is going to do so by being as inclusive to quality opportunity as possible. Telling kids at 13, who are not perfect but still very strong players with room to grow that you are done, go play NCSL and HS, simply because they might be late bloomers is everything that is wrong with the sport here. The two leagues also allow for a greater diversity of player type instead of a bunch of athletic clones that cast away some really strong players. I mean the one thing that Pipeline Guy is right about is there are a number of strong teams outside of the DA and ECNL circles. And even with DA and ECNL there are still kids who belong on either roster. So talent is there and having to compete for every scrap of quality player means coaches have to look harder, and actually scout potential versus size and speed. The clubs that will now be successful will actually have to work harder to see the intangible qualities in players. What you want is simply lazy. |
Anonymous
If the country can support two competing leagues like DA and ECNL and expose kids to quality coaching and competition then the state of the sport is actually better than you realize. Having these two leagues actually do more to keep quality players engaged and playing the sport longer than they would be otherwise. The leagues may not be as concentrated in talent as you would like for your Star but if our national game is going to grow it is going to do so by being as inclusive to quality opportunity as possible. Telling kids at 13, who are not perfect but still very strong players with room to grow that you are done, go play NCSL and HS, simply because they might be late bloomers is everything that is wrong with the sport here. The two leagues also allow for a greater diversity of player type instead of a bunch of athletic clones that cast away some really strong players. I mean the one thing that Pipeline Guy is right about is there are a number of strong teams outside of the DA and ECNL circles. And even with DA and ECNL there are still kids who belong on either roster. So talent is there and having to compete for every scrap of quality player means coaches have to look harder, and actually scout potential versus size and speed. The clubs that will now be successful will actually have to work harder to see the intangible qualities in players. What you want is simply lazy. |
Anonymous
NP here. It is all about the top players at any given time. No one cares about PP's common kid, and she is simply one of the Big Net fans living the dream that her DD is a late bloomer. Her DD may very well be, but her purse and her dreams for her DD are what is responsible for why there are so many Elite options in this area, watering it down. Everyone knows parents will pay in this area. For the top players, it would be much to their advantage to train with the other top players in the region, and offer some real competition to the California and Texas teams. Unfortunately the market out here loves parents like her, and all the literature and zippy websites play right into her dreams for DD of going from reserve player to starter someday. With all the elite options, making a starting XI is far easier in this area now, and if her DD is not good enough to make that group, then I don't understand the logic of parents like her paying for their common kid to play so they can now feel she is elite and gets the badge. If the options were cut in half, then being a reserve player, or even a DP or Discovery Player, might mean something and be a worthwhile "investment." She should look at her elite team next year. Everyone already knows the players that wouldn't have made it but for the fact we have 9 elite options in the DMV. Is not a bad thing to be common, most of us are, and parents should focus on other things then worrying about these expensive options unless your player is exceptional and has that promise. |
Anonymous
Again, those common kids are capable of playing and growing as players. If they choose ECNL to do so versus a DP so what? They are not keeping the elite kids from getting their Top D1 roster spots and they are in a better situation to find a college program that best fits them. Your Star will still make their big D1 school and sit the first year or just as she would have with just good old fashion ECNL. |
Anonymous
This. As some posts mentioned maybe 100 pages ago, the most recent NTC call-ups in DMV were 2 girls from Richmond United. They are staying in ECNL for the obvious reasons and they are the only game in town. Even if the parents preferred GDA over ECNL, they had no other places to go. |