Any new ECNL teams?

[Anonymous]

They will acclimate once everyone leaves ECNL and goes to MLSNext.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you don’t think “travel” soccer is for you, there are many options in the area where your DC can play and not travel. I suggest you join one of those and stop bothering parents that signed their DC up for travel soccer about the trials of traveling. You sound like the person that signs their kid up for rec soccer and complains it is too recreational.

ECNL parent here. I do understand travel is travel. BUT making players and parents drive to Ashville, NC for weekend game is ridiculous.

I don't think that the HFC club that is out there should have been given NL or even RL status (because of remoteness and the fact that they are not competitive at all). One of the frustrating things about ECNL is that they will allow a club like that in (and let's be honest, HFC is mid-level town travel club, which is fine but it is/was no where near ready for more than that) but will veto much better/larger clubs because they happen to be close to existing ECNL/RL clubs. It is short-sited and drove a bunch of clubs to MLSN2.

When I saw a club in Asheville was joining the MA, my heart sank and then I was filled with joy when I saw it was only on the boys side. Asheville is a freaking haul, even from Richmond.

you are talking tournament. for Saturday game only and drving 6+ hours one way, that's ridiculous...
It is not bad for a weekend event. I used to coach a team and go out to HFC's fall tournament. It was a lot of fun (we really only traveled out of town for that tournament) so the trip wasn't too bad and the HFC teams were semi-competitive (but would still lose to the middle level travel club I was at). I was shocked when when I saw they got RL and was floored with I saw NL. Not sure who they paid or how connected they must be but it is crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On girls side, no new teams being added from Virginia, and not anticipating anyone leaving. They wanted to add one NC and one VA to keep it balanced and have travel partners, but had no applicants from VA that met standards. Richmond United setup their whole Strikers/Kickers merger to position for second ECNL team, but the Blue Teams that are supposed to be the strongest, didn't finish consistently high enough in the standings and sometimes were not the best Richmond United team overall.

That's true about RU and the merger. I'd hate to see teams get added just for the sake of adding teams. The NCFC teams consistently are finishing low in the league while the NC Courage teams do well. IIRC, I thought there were some rumblings that Charlotte SA was looking to expand. Time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you don’t think “travel” soccer is for you, there are many options in the area where your DC can play and not travel. I suggest you join one of those and stop bothering parents that signed their DC up for travel soccer about the trials of traveling. You sound like the person that signs their kid up for rec soccer and complains it is too recreational.

ECNL parent here. I do understand travel is travel. BUT making players and parents drive to Ashville, NC for weekend game is ridiculous.

I don't think that the HFC club that is out there should have been given NL or even RL status (because of remoteness and the fact that they are not competitive at all). One of the frustrating things about ECNL is that they will allow a club like that in (and let's be honest, HFC is mid-level town travel club, which is fine but it is/was no where near ready for more than that) but will veto much better/larger clubs because they happen to be close to existing ECNL/RL clubs. It is short-sited and drove a bunch of clubs to MLSN2.

When I saw a club in Asheville was joining the MA, my heart sank and then I was filled with joy when I saw it was only on the boys side. Asheville is a freaking haul, even from Richmond.

It is not bad for a weekend event. I used to coach a team and go out to HFC's fall tournament. It was a lot of fun (we really only traveled out of town for that tournament) so the trip wasn't too bad and the HFC teams were semi-competitive (but would still lose to the middle level travel club I was at). I was shocked when when I saw they got RL and was floored with I saw NL. Not sure who they paid or how connected they must be but it is crazy.

If you were shocked HFC got RL, you were probably even more shocked they won or finished top 3 in 5 of the 6 age groups (winning in 3) in RL last year. Their 09s won the RL national finals to boot.

So it was about as cut and dried obvious to promote them to NL based on RL success as any club that moved up LY, other than maybe Kansas Rush.

They have gotten shellacked in the early going, no doubt. But they'll be fine in NL over the long run, assuming players/families can tolerate the travel, which is patently absurd for them and really everyone else in MA. They're experiencing the growing pains of moving up a level, it happens, the kids eventually get acclimated to the speed of the game and they're fine. Won't be any different here, it's a solid club.

They also have to field RL teams now as well. They are going to get wrecked (their younger RL are already getting wrecked). They do not have the player or population base, in any aspect, to do this. They are an average mid-sized club. If they end up 'fine' in NL it is purely due to everyone else leaving. They were getting 'mercy-ruled' by most teams, there is no amount of acclimation to speed of play that is going to make a major difference there. This was a purely political decision by ECNL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you don’t think “travel” soccer is for you, there are many options in the area where your DC can play and not travel. I suggest you join one of those and stop bothering parents that signed their DC up for travel soccer about the trials of traveling. You sound like the person that signs their kid up for rec soccer and complains it is too recreational.

ECNL parent here. I do understand travel is travel. BUT making players and parents drive to Ashville, NC for weekend game is ridiculous.

I don't think that the HFC club that is out there should have been given NL or even RL status (because of remoteness and the fact that they are not competitive at all). One of the frustrating things about ECNL is that they will allow a club like that in (and let's be honest, HFC is mid-level town travel club, which is fine but it is/was no where near ready for more than that) but will veto much better/larger clubs because they happen to be close to existing ECNL/RL clubs. It is short-sited and drove a bunch of clubs to MLSN2.

When I saw a club in Asheville was joining the MA, my heart sank and then I was filled with joy when I saw it was only on the boys side. Asheville is a freaking haul, even from Richmond.

It is not bad for a weekend event. I used to coach a team and go out to HFC's fall tournament. It was a lot of fun (we really only traveled out of town for that tournament) so the trip wasn't too bad and the HFC teams were semi-competitive (but would still lose to the middle level travel club I was at). I was shocked when when I saw they got RL and was floored with I saw NL. Not sure who they paid or how connected they must be but it is crazy.

If you were shocked HFC got RL, you were probably even more shocked they won or finished top 3 in 5 of the 6 age groups (winning in 3) in RL last year. Their 09s won the RL national finals to boot.

So it was about as cut and dried obvious to promote them to NL based on RL success as any club that moved up LY, other than maybe Kansas Rush.

They have gotten shellacked in the early going, no doubt. But they'll be fine in NL over the long run, assuming players/families can tolerate the travel, which is patently absurd for them and really everyone else in MA. They're experiencing the growing pains of moving up a level, it happens, the kids eventually get acclimated to the speed of the game and they're fine. Won't be any different here, it's a solid club.

Their biggest problem in the short term is the economic and migration impacts post Hurricane Helene. Asheville was devastated right after they moved up to Boys ECNL. the economy has not recovered there, and there has been a resultant outmigration of population. That effects the talent available, and unfortunately HFC has lost talent due to people moving out of Asheville at the same time they entered ECNL. The teams they field this year just are not as strong as the teams that ran over ECNL RL last year.

[Anonymous]

The RL travel was also pretty reasonable, if not great. The NL travel is bonkers for them, I wouldn't do it.

[Anonymous]

Why can't MLS next and ECNL merge into one youth league so players in the DMV don't have to travel out of state? Makes no sense the way it is right now for customers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't MLS next and ECNL merge into one youth league so players in the DMV don't have to travel out of state? Makes no sense the way it is right now for customers.

That is happening in a way. Have you been tracking the news on US Soccer, USYS and Club Soccer? If not, may want to read up on it some. How, to what degree and when is subject to more information, but this appears to be the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't MLS next and ECNL merge into one youth league so players in the DMV don't have to travel out of state? Makes no sense the way it is right now for customers.

That is happening in a way. Have you been tracking the news on US Soccer, USYS and Club Soccer? If not, may want to read up on it some. How, to what degree and when is subject to more information, but this appears to be the case.

Where does one read up on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't MLS next and ECNL merge into one youth league so players in the DMV don't have to travel out of state? Makes no sense the way it is right now for customers.

That is happening in a way. Have you been tracking the news on US Soccer, USYS and Club Soccer? If not, may want to read up on it some. How, to what degree and when is subject to more information, but this appears to be the case.

Where does one read up on this?

This is the official press release. The last two ECNL podcasts talk about it. There are a few articles. I am still trying to piece it all together, but I think this change is very material.

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2026/01/us-club-soccer-launch-new-shared-services-partnership

[Anonymous]

interesting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On girls side, no new teams being added from Virginia, and not anticipating anyone leaving. They wanted to add one NC and one VA to keep it balanced and have travel partners, but had no applicants from VA that met standards. Richmond United setup their whole Strikers/Kickers merger to position for second ECNL team, but the Blue Teams that are supposed to be the strongest, didn't finish consistently high enough in the standings and sometimes were not the best Richmond United team overall.

Richmond United never had any intention of making Blue teams a 2nd NL team. It was most likely something they told parents to stop losing kids to other clubs. Those teams are in 1st or 2nd place so the excuse that they didn't finish high enough in the standings is bs. most of their NL teams are at the bottom of their age groups, what's going on down there. The MA is middle tier at best and Richmond United NL doesn't produce.

[Anonymous]

One application pending.....not for ECNL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On girls side, no new teams being added from Virginia, and not anticipating anyone leaving. They wanted to add one NC and one VA to keep it balanced and have travel partners, but had no applicants from VA that met standards. Richmond United setup their whole Strikers/Kickers merger to position for second ECNL team, but the Blue Teams that are supposed to be the strongest, didn't finish consistently high enough in the standings and sometimes were not the best Richmond United team overall.

Richmond United never had any intention of making Blue teams a 2nd NL team. It was most likely something they told parents to stop losing kids to other clubs. Those teams are in 1st or 2nd place so the excuse that they didn't finish high enough in the standings is bs. most of their NL teams are at the bottom of their age groups, what's going on down there. The MA is middle tier at best and Richmond United NL doesn't produce.

The RU Blue teams have the multi-sport athletes. On the boys side the NL teams can't play school sports. The better athletes are succeeding against weaker talent in RL while the more technical NL teams struggle against better talent. Richmond is also getting diluted. There are three other clubs recruiting for the RL/NL type player.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One application pending.....not for ECNL

Another MLS Next academy club?