ENCL Nationals - Girls

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What I've noticed in other areas versus this area is a more clearly defined hierarchy of clubs. There are many ECNL cubs in Dallas, for example, but everyone there knows Solar is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there year after year. In NY/NJ, there are many ECNL clubs but everyone knows PDA is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there. In this area, you have 5+ ECNL teams all claiming to be the best but our talent is more spread out. When there were only two ECNL teams in the area, the top talent did consolidate and those teams had more success at that national level than we typically see today....

Exactly, we have too many ECNL teams. Brave/Union merger was great imo but we need at least one more merger/consolidation of ECNL teams in the area. We need 1 team for Prince William, 1 team for Loudoun and western Fairfax and 1 team for Fairfax/Alexandria and Arlington. Then teams will be competitive.

Agree with this but we need teams where it is purely based on performance. Not whose mom/dad is on the board, who the coach likes personally, which family donates the most to the club or anything other than soccer ability. That I not the case in this area.

Dumb argument. Less teams will not lead to better players moving. Many at the youger ages would just play travel. People are not going to drive far to get to soccer.

Do you see what happens in the other areas of the country in the "top" teams?

Give it a rest. NOVA is diluted. We get it.

NOVA is not diluted. We could use 1-2 more teams. Likely will have them when ECNL takes whatever GA teams (other than FCV) that seem to make headway.

[Anonymous]

For the people that take issue with ECNL playoffs and what other people spend, what are the alternatives? kid loves soccer with the hopes of playing beyond high school age. Legit asking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I've noticed in other areas versus this area is a more clearly defined hierarchy of clubs. There are many ECNL cubs in Dallas, for example, but everyone there knows Solar is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there year after year. In NY/NJ, there are many ECNL clubs but everyone knows PDA is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there. In this area, you have 5+ ECNL teams all claiming to be the best but our talent is more spread out. When there were only two ECNL teams in the area, the top talent did consolidate and those teams had more success at that national level than we typically see today....

Exactly, we have too many ECNL teams. Brave/Union merger was great imo but we need at least one more merger/consolidation of ECNL teams in the area. We need 1 team for Prince William, 1 team for Loudoun and western Fairfax and 1 team for Fairfax/Alexandria and Arlington. Then teams will be competitive.

Agree with this but we need teams where it is purely based on performance. Not whose mom/dad is on the board, who the coach likes personally, which family donates the most to the club or anything other than soccer ability. That I not the case in this area.

Dumb argument. Less teams will not lead to better players moving. Many at the youger ages would just play travel. People are not going to drive far to get to soccer.

Do you see what happens in the other areas of the country in the "top" teams?

Give it a rest. NOVA is diluted. We get it.

NOVA is not diluted. We could use 1-2 more teams. Likely will have them when ECNL takes whatever GA teams (other than FCV) that seem to make headway.

More "elite" teams is the LAST thing we need in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I've noticed in other areas versus this area is a more clearly defined hierarchy of clubs. There are many ECNL cubs in Dallas, for example, but everyone there knows Solar is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there year after year. In NY/NJ, there are many ECNL clubs but everyone knows PDA is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there. In this area, you have 5+ ECNL teams all claiming to be the best but our talent is more spread out. When there were only two ECNL teams in the area, the top talent did consolidate and those teams had more success at that national level than we typically see today....

Exactly, we have too many ECNL teams. Brave/Union merger was great imo but we need at least one more merger/consolidation of ECNL teams in the area. We need 1 team for Prince William, 1 team for Loudoun and western Fairfax and 1 team for Fairfax/Alexandria and Arlington. Then teams will be competitive.

Agree with this but we need teams where it is purely based on performance. Not whose mom/dad is on the board, who the coach likes personally, which family donates the most to the club or anything other than soccer ability. That I not the case in this area.

Dumb argument. Less teams will not lead to better players moving. Many at the youger ages would just play travel. People are not going to drive far to get to soccer.

Do you see what happens in the other areas of the country in the "top" teams?

Give it a rest. NOVA is diluted. We get it.

NOVA is not diluted. We could use 1-2 more teams. Likely will have them when ECNL takes whatever GA teams (other than FCV) that seem to make headway.

ummmm no…. Respectfully. We dont need any more ecnl teams w watered down talent just to get a patch. The folks in Richmond know what they are doing. Even in their backyard they have kept teams to a minimal which ensured enough talent to get them to seattle.


You guys really like participation trophies…. Gross

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the people that take issue with ECNL playoffs and what other people spend, what are the alternatives? kid loves soccer with the hopes of playing beyond high school age. Legit asking.

Attend college camps and follow up with coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I've noticed in other areas versus this area is a more clearly defined hierarchy of clubs. There are many ECNL cubs in Dallas, for example, but everyone there knows Solar is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there year after year. In NY/NJ, there are many ECNL clubs but everyone knows PDA is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there. In this area, you have 5+ ECNL teams all claiming to be the best but our talent is more spread out. When there were only two ECNL teams in the area, the top talent did consolidate and those teams had more success at that national level than we typically see today....

Exactly, we have too many ECNL teams. Brave/Union merger was great imo but we need at least one more merger/consolidation of ECNL teams in the area. We need 1 team for Prince William, 1 team for Loudoun and western Fairfax and 1 team for Fairfax/Alexandria and Arlington. Then teams will be competitive.

Agree with this but we need teams where it is purely based on performance. Not whose mom/dad is on the board, who the coach likes personally, which family donates the most to the club or anything other than soccer ability. That I not the case in this area.

Dumb argument. Less teams will not lead to better players moving. Many at the youger ages would just play travel. People are not going to drive far to get to soccer.

Do you see what happens in the other areas of the country in the "top" teams?

Other areas of the country are not the DMV. Different people here. A PP said an ECNL team they were on had 5 biglaw partners, 2 doctors and a CEO. They are not travelling further. Not my team but I fit into one of those catagories and we would not do it.

These comments refer to consolidating strong players in the area into fewer great teams. Just being on an ECNL doesn't mean you are a good individual player. Nor does having a big law, doctor or CEO parent. If there were such a team, good players would travel. But alas it won't happen because clubs are making lots of money under the current set up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the people that take issue with ECNL playoffs and what other people spend, what are the alternatives? kid loves soccer with the hopes of playing beyond high school age. Legit asking.

Attend college camps and follow up with coaches.

Exactly. Don’t listen to the sheep who tell you that you must spent $10,000+ per year. Most of them are trying to justify it to themselves, unsuccessfully.

[Anonymous]

It's a mystery why people come to these threads to say others are wasting their money, DMV soccer sucks and blah blah blah.

At minimum these events are creating lifelong memories for the players. Fun times hanging out with their teammates in hotels, traveling with family, playing the sport you love in different locations across the country.

If you/your player doesn't value that, just scroll on.

Some people are just miserable

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ya’ll missing the forest. The purpose of ECNL is for college recruiting. It helps colleges find players and players find colleges. That’s why there are 44 teams in a “playoff”. Think of it like a job fair. If a player comes back from Seattle with several coach emails and invites (job leads and interviews), it’s a success. If the team wins but no coach interest it’s a failure. To the extent that winning is a goal it is only because it might enhance the true goal and give more chances for college interest. Those of you arguing over playing styles and tactics and national championships are so naive.

And what have you won?

College soccer is terrible. Seriously, next time you see it on TV watch for a while. Especially women's college soccer. Wait until the end of the game and the coaches will start subbing like crazy completely slowing down the game. This will kill any kind of pressure that normally happens coaches have to sit back and watch the players they've picked work like crazy until the game is over. This is when goals generally happen because everyone is tired and likely to make mistakes.

I’m not trying to win anything. My kid enjoys playing college soccer. I enjoy supporting her. If she enjoyed acting in plays or singing or debating I would support her there too. To us soccer is just an activity like any of these others. The entire ECNL ecosystem exists for people like me. It does what it’s supposed to. You want it to be something else. Fine, but maybe you’d be better off starting a whole new ecosystem that was catered for what you want

I think this is right. What ECNL does is provide a platform for those that want to go pro or play national team mostly from the top teams AND provides a platform for college soccer recruitment for the rest. Most of the girls being recruited could have devoted themselves to any number of other sports and been recruited. They chose soccer. Sorry it does not meet your standards but it is a system that works. But they have fun, will enjoy playing in college and without them there would be no grass roots support for women's soccer in the US. It also can get them some money D1 or a leg up in what is hard college admissions process. This is what the stakeholders (kids, parents, coaches, colleges) want.

My DD would love to win a national chamionship. DD went with the mindset that they could advance. They did not. Would have been great. Winning is a goal but not the goal. The goal is college recruitment to a college she wants to go to that fits what she is looking for.

Local team can win a championship the day that coaches end sabotaging the skilled players. Some players are not fully committed to the team e.g attend all practices, do individual training on their own, watch and analyze games, etc. yet coaches grant these players the full game, fixed positions, players never go out their confort zone, they miss practices and still get rewarded with playin time. Coaches never move players to different positions, different formations, etc. Coaches are more committed to these families because of their donations or other incentives than committed to the performance of the team. This is why there are so many players in the transfer portal.

Don't worry, your kid will be a starter one day. In all seriousness, coaches have always granted exceptions for their favorites. Sometimes coaches are being told by club management to play certain players because of who the parents are. And you're right, this is why players move clubs, to get more playing time and find the right fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I've noticed in other areas versus this area is a more clearly defined hierarchy of clubs. There are many ECNL cubs in Dallas, for example, but everyone there knows Solar is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there year after year. In NY/NJ, there are many ECNL clubs but everyone knows PDA is the "best" and the top talent consolidates there. In this area, you have 5+ ECNL teams all claiming to be the best but our talent is more spread out. When there were only two ECNL teams in the area, the top talent did consolidate and those teams had more success at that national level than we typically see today....

Exactly, we have too many ECNL teams. Brave/Union merger was great imo but we need at least one more merger/consolidation of ECNL teams in the area. We need 1 team for Prince William, 1 team for Loudoun and western Fairfax and 1 team for Fairfax/Alexandria and Arlington. Then teams will be competitive.

Agree with this but we need teams where it is purely based on performance. Not whose mom/dad is on the board, who the coach likes personally, which family donates the most to the club or anything other than soccer ability. That I not the case in this area.

Dumb argument. Less teams will not lead to better players moving. Many at the youger ages would just play travel. People are not going to drive far to get to soccer.

Do you see what happens in the other areas of the country in the "top" teams?

Give it a rest. NOVA is diluted. We get it.

NOVA is not diluted. We could use 1-2 more teams. Likely will have them when ECNL takes whatever GA teams (other than FCV) that seem to make headway.

ummmm no…. Respectfully. We dont need any more ecnl teams w watered down talent just to get a patch. The folks in Richmond know what they are doing. Even in their backyard they have kept teams to a minimal which ensured enough talent to get them to seattle.


You guys really like participation trophies…. Gross

DP lol waters down talent. The goal of ECNL is college not putting together a winning team. Hell the players on these teams are making decisions and acting for college not “winning” meaningless showcase/nationals. Those things are the participation trophies. Getting crushed in front of a bunch of no name college coaches with 15 years of a losing record is joke. Those losing coaches are watching the other teams players.

Here the thing. Every player(and parent) would rather be the “outstanding” player while your team loses 10-0 vs win nationals and not standing out.

[Anonymous]

I was at nationals in Seattle for the first time and I was awestruck by the number of college coaches there. They were not watching younger teams AT ALL; I didn’t see a single college coach at the round of 16 Arlington vs Richmond game but someone correct me if I’m wrong. The younger kids have time to develop and get better and then hopefully impress coaches at U16. It should be every ECNL clubs goal to get their U16 teams there - that’s the best bang for your buck if you’re talking about where parents should spend money - at U16 nationals. But the USYNT scouts were at U14 games. I did see college coaches at U17 games where most of the players were already committed so I was scratching my head at that one. Why watch a U17 game with mostly commits?

[Anonymous]

Is it true that 92 of 127 teams made it to playoffs?
Many with losing season records?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the people that take issue with ECNL playoffs and what other people spend, what are the alternatives? kid loves soccer with the hopes of playing beyond high school age. Legit asking.

Attend college camps and follow up with coaches.

Exactly. Don’t listen to the sheep who tell you that you must spent $10,000+ per year. Most of them are trying to justify it to themselves, unsuccessfully.

You do realize that these college camps are the real money makers for the schools, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was at nationals in Seattle for the first time and I was awestruck by the number of college coaches there. They were not watching younger teams AT ALL; I didn’t see a single college coach at the round of 16 Arlington vs Richmond game but someone correct me if I’m wrong. The younger kids have time to develop and get better and then hopefully impress coaches at U16. It should be every ECNL clubs goal to get their U16 teams there - that’s the best bang for your buck if you’re talking about where parents should spend money - at U16 nationals. But the USYNT scouts were at U14 games. I did see college coaches at U17 games where most of the players were already committed so I was scratching my head at that one. Why watch a U17 game with mostly commits?

For U17s, some coaches are looking at the uncommitted players (might be some 2025s, but also some trapped 2026s). Could also be the future coach of a committed player on the team and came out to support/watch. Like you said, none of the coaches are out there to watch the little ones. U15 to some extent would be the lowest age bracket watched this time around. U16 (2026s) is the primary age group being looked at right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at nationals in Seattle for the first time and I was awestruck by the number of college coaches there. They were not watching younger teams AT ALL; I didn’t see a single college coach at the round of 16 Arlington vs Richmond game but someone correct me if I’m wrong. The younger kids have time to develop and get better and then hopefully impress coaches at U16. It should be every ECNL clubs goal to get their U16 teams there - that’s the best bang for your buck if you’re talking about where parents should spend money - at U16 nationals. But the USYNT scouts were at U14 games. I did see college coaches at U17 games where most of the players were already committed so I was scratching my head at that one. Why watch a U17 game with mostly commits?

For U17s, some coaches are looking at the uncommitted players (might be some 2025s, but also some trapped 2026s). Could also be the future coach of a committed player on the team and came out to support/watch. Like you said, none of the coaches are out there to watch the little ones. U15 to some extent would be the lowest age bracket watched this time around. U16 (2026s) is the primary age group being looked at right now.

I find it interesting that most of the noise you hear on this forum is from the parents of younger ages U13-15 who don’t know how this all works yet. By the time they reach U16 they realize what really matters at the young ages. Hint: it isn’t winning or club social media accounts.