DA vs ECNL vs everything else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the boys never had a pilot U16 DA. They did have the U15s combined with the U14s (or the aging equivalent since it used to be a little different). The boys have a U16 EDP type situation. But parents of boys handle this whole process differently.

The window for recruiting boys is much later than it is for girls. Girls tend to mature physically sooner than boys so their prime recruiting years are earlier than boys. This would account for the difference in how parents react to their kids teams getting cut in half at the most critical recruitment window.

This is probably some of it, but there are a couple other factors too I think. First, there are fewer boys' college spots. Also, a lot more boys seriously consider going pro than girls do. Boys in this situation want/expect the concentration of talent so they are playing with and against better competition and can see if they stand out at higher levels.

This was dealt with earlier. Girls do consider going pro, but right now, in the US, they can't go pro directly without going to college first. That's the pathway. However, I know of a few players who want to go pro, have the talent for it, and may head overseas since the US has fewer opportunities (only 8 teams), plus let's be honest. If you aren't competing in the Women's UEFA, then you aren't seeing the best competition available. The NWSL is a very physical league, but the technical work overseas is tremendous. And England alone is able to support 3 divisions of Women's soccer. Then there's France, Spain, etc.

I think perhaps the ambition of these girls may be at times stepped on. This is where I do say WS is falling short, because that connection to the pro team has been mostly nominal, and when she expressed an interest in going pro, WS sadly didn't show her the support I would have expected. (and I'm a WS fan). But they just aren't there yet to support these young girls in their ranks, and that's the bottom line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Next year will definitely be an upgrade for all the age groups at WS VA. U19s will gain a very strong group of girls from the U17s (who made the play offs). Half the 03s and 04s are being cut because they just weren't at that level. The U17s will take the stronger with the new combination, not to mention some ECNL pick ups and some DA pick ups. Same goes for the 04 team.

So recruiting is ok if it happens at WS? Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Next year will definitely be an upgrade for all the age groups at WS VA. U19s will gain a very strong group of girls from the U17s (who made the play offs). Half the 03s and 04s are being cut because they just weren't at that level. The U17s will take the stronger with the new combination, not to mention some ECNL pick ups and some DA pick ups. Same goes for the 04 team.

So recruiting is ok if it happens at WS? Lol.

Well, considering Spirit VA had no developmental pipeline to speak of until this upcoming season and at all for players older than 07 this is just a stupid false equivalence.

A majority of Spirit MD kids came from their pipeline clubs of Baltimore Armour and Pipeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Next year will definitely be an upgrade for all the age groups at WS VA. U19s will gain a very strong group of girls from the U17s (who made the play offs). Half the 03s and 04s are being cut because they just weren't at that level. The U17s will take the stronger with the new combination, not to mention some ECNL pick ups and some DA pick ups. Same goes for the 04 team.

So recruiting is ok if it happens at WS? Lol.

Who said anything about recruiting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is also an elephant in the room for the 03 and 04 age groups. They had 4 gks this year. 2 clearly are DA quality and 2 are not there yet. 1 of the 2 will drop down to the ECNL, which is probably a better fit). The other has gotten a lot better, but still isn't ready. She is going to try a year of EDP and continue to get the training.

But WS gave them their starts, gave them plenty of game time, and yes, it hurt score lines...sometimes by 6+ goals a game.

You are referring to WS specifically, right? Interesting to contrast to FCV, who kept only one keeper at each age group. It burned them late in the year.

Yes, WS VA side. They will have two 04 keepers, an 03 keeper will be in EDP as a resource (and who knows what another year of keeper training might do for her), and there are two good 02 keepers (one very good, but the other is still a strong DA keeper). It seems they may have picked up an ECNL 03 keeper too, but I'm not 100% sure on that score. Either way, I don't see there being a deficit for the U15s on up, as they have options.

Just 1 keeper can burn you, but carrying more when they aren't there yet hasn't been that great either. And besides, it can devastate the confidence of a goalie who is in the wrong environment. In any case, it was certainly a big factor in scorelines for both teams as well.

Goalkeeper situations on the girls side seem strange across the board. It doesnt seem to be a popular position the way it is on the boys teams, and girls team keepers seem to be either great or kinda placeholders. I find it hard to gauge whether a goalkeeper is any good when they’re touching the ball once or twice in a game. Is the goalkeeper recruiting timeline and showcasing the same as for field players, or is there a difference because of the lack of in-game information at showcases? I’ve heard a lot of positives about the FCV and Arlington GKs, but their score lines are often so skewed in those teams’ favor that I have no idea if their keepers are really good or just backing up good teams that don’t let the ball stay in the defensive third.

GK recruiting happens on the same schedule as other positions sometimes earlier. Colleges may not always need a keeper every year however so it is more hit or miss for a given school / class depending on the year. Scouts evaluate what GKs do when they don’t have the ball too. Not just about 1-2 touches.

I know of an 8th grade GK with 5-6 colleges recruiting her so if the player is good the position gets recruiting early. Probably a shame though as GKs take longer to develop than other positions. At the pro ranks the GKs are often the oldest on the team. It takes time and experience to become good at it.

[Anonymous]

Tryouts is not recruiting. People leaving their team for another without staff influence is not recruiting.

We all know what recruiting is...and only one person did it that I know of...but she'll be fine...because you are allowed to recruit from outside the league....just not inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is also an elephant in the room for the 03 and 04 age groups. They had 4 gks this year. 2 clearly are DA quality and 2 are not there yet. 1 of the 2 will drop down to the ECNL, which is probably a better fit). The other has gotten a lot better, but still isn't ready. She is going to try a year of EDP and continue to get the training.

But WS gave them their starts, gave them plenty of game time, and yes, it hurt score lines...sometimes by 6+ goals a game.

You are referring to WS specifically, right? Interesting to contrast to FCV, who kept only one keeper at each age group. It burned them late in the year.

Yes, WS VA side. They will have two 04 keepers, an 03 keeper will be in EDP as a resource (and who knows what another year of keeper training might do for her), and there are two good 02 keepers (one very good, but the other is still a strong DA keeper). It seems they may have picked up an ECNL 03 keeper too, but I'm not 100% sure on that score. Either way, I don't see there being a deficit for the U15s on up, as they have options.

Just 1 keeper can burn you, but carrying more when they aren't there yet hasn't been that great either. And besides, it can devastate the confidence of a goalie who is in the wrong environment. In any case, it was certainly a big factor in scorelines for both teams as well.

Goalkeeper situations on the girls side seem strange across the board. It doesnt seem to be a popular position the way it is on the boys teams, and girls team keepers seem to be either great or kinda placeholders. I find it hard to gauge whether a goalkeeper is any good when they’re touching the ball once or twice in a game. Is the goalkeeper recruiting timeline and showcasing the same as for field players, or is there a difference because of the lack of in-game information at showcases? I’ve heard a lot of positives about the FCV and Arlington GKs, but their score lines are often so skewed in those teams’ favor that I have no idea if their keepers are really good or just backing up good teams that don’t let the ball stay in the defensive third.

GK recruiting happens on the same schedule as other positions sometimes earlier. Colleges may not always need a keeper every year however so it is more hit or miss for a given school / class depending on the year. Scouts evaluate what GKs do when they don’t have the ball too. Not just about 1-2 touches.

I know of an 8th grade GK with 5-6 colleges recruiting her so if the player is good the position gets recruiting early. Probably a shame though as GKs take longer to develop than other positions. At the pro ranks the GKs are often the oldest on the team. It takes time and experience to become good at it.

Technically the new recruiting rules should put that 8th grade goalie on the back burner for the next few years. My guess is that recruiting will slow down before players sophomore years of high school if things work out the way that the rules makers seem to have intended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the boys never had a pilot U16 DA. They did have the U15s combined with the U14s (or the aging equivalent since it used to be a little different). The boys have a U16 EDP type situation. But parents of boys handle this whole process differently.

The window for recruiting boys is much later than it is for girls. Girls tend to mature physically sooner than boys so their prime recruiting years are earlier than boys. This would account for the difference in how parents react to their kids teams getting cut in half at the most critical recruitment window.

This is probably some of it, but there are a couple other factors too I think. First, there are fewer boys' college spots. Also, a lot more boys seriously consider going pro than girls do. Boys in this situation want/expect the concentration of talent so they are playing with and against better competition and can see if they stand out at higher levels.

This was dealt with earlier. Girls do consider going pro, but right now, in the US, they can't go pro directly without going to college first. That's the pathway. However, I know of a few players who want to go pro, have the talent for it, and may head overseas since the US has fewer opportunities (only 8 teams), plus let's be honest. If you aren't competing in the Women's UEFA, then you aren't seeing the best competition available. The NWSL is a very physical league, but the technical work overseas is tremendous. And England alone is able to support 3 divisions of Women's soccer. Then there's France, Spain, etc.

I think perhaps the ambition of these girls may be at times stepped on. This is where I do say WS is falling short, because that connection to the pro team has been mostly nominal, and when she expressed an interest in going pro, WS sadly didn't show her the support I would have expected. (and I'm a WS fan). But they just aren't there yet to support these young girls in their ranks, and that's the bottom line.

You made the point I was going to on college recruiting. It's not about getting recruited because of physical maturity in female human species, it's the fact that there are 4 times as many scholarships available for girls than boys in the NCAA system. College coaches are racing each other to the bottom of the age groups at showcases. The recent changes to the rules might help, but doubt much.

What do you mean girls have to go to college before pro? Mallory Pugh didn't. Of course not as many girls are going pro than boys, but unless I'm missing something, it's not restricted as you suggest. Lost me on the reference to "she" in showing support for going pro? Is "she" your DD? I would hope a pro academy would show support for a player that is ready to go pro. It would be stupid not to, so perhaps whomever you are referring to just wasn't ready? WS has a couple of D1 college super stars they drafted that aren't even making the pro roster. Not a lot of academy age kids who aren't already full national team players are going to be good enough to sign a contract in a 9 (not 8) team league that is the most physical in the world as you pointed out. One thing WS does to show support is have academy players train with the pro team in the summer and they have a reserves team (just saw article on their website) that hasn't lost a game in a couple years. If DD is good enough, it seems like there are ways to get her shot.

[Anonymous]

Mal Pugh is an exception because she is on already an established member of the WNT.

[Anonymous]

9 teams then (maybe I deducted Boston Breakers twice).

[Anonymous]

What I was referring to is currently the women's side of things doesn't support players going pro directly, unless a player is already on the WNT.

There is a way to do it: it's called going overseas, and I have talked to some other WS families with daughters with similar ambitions. Which is probably better for my DD anyways.

And yes, I agree with you: it's stupid that being in a NWSL academy doesn't help with that.

[Anonymous]

Here's a good question: how many DA players playing for MLS academy teams get recruited by their home DA from non-NT players?

And how many this year from the women's side?

Did WS sign any players from either the VA or MD side to join either the pro team or the reserves?

[Anonymous]

^^^

That's a good indicator of support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a good question: how many DA players playing for MLS academy teams get recruited by their home DA from non-NT players?

And how many this year from the women's side?

Did WS sign any players from either the VA or MD side to join either the pro team or the reserves?

Why are you people so ignorant?

If your child isn't pro level she will not get a pro contract. Nothing to do with who they are associated with.

99.5 percent of kids never make it out of youth pro academy's in Europe. Its competition at the highest level. The higher you go up, the more compressed the space gets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a good question: how many DA players playing for MLS academy teams get recruited by their home DA from non-NT players?

And how many this year from the women's side?

Did WS sign any players from either the VA or MD side to join either the pro team or the reserves?

Are you asking how many MLS DA academy players get called up to first team training who are not already in the youth national team pool? Or how many actually end up with pro offers from the MLS club?