The posted was asking about U14...why give the roster size of some other random team? There are lots of ECNL roster out there with 18 or less players. |
+1 the bottom of the national team and top of regional are pretty much interchangeable. |
Why would they even say 'only 18' as though it's a bad thing, too? Having a full stacked bench of kids who hardly ever play is not a sign of a great team. |
You’re saying teams with 18 players have kids that barely play? |
+1 |
This is one of the dumbest, yet oft repeated, idea. No one cares about wins and losses in ECNL girls. It simply does not matter like you think it does. BRYC (BRAVE) 05/06 girls were a terrrrrrrrible team, got beat by basically everybody. Guess what? Most of the kids found spots in College. Because individually they had things to offer. They had several go to decent D1 schools, and some nice academic D3. Arlington 06 was a consistently mid-table team, and yet that recruiting class is insane - especially when you add the trapped players. I’m not sure how they did it, because when we played Arlington they were good but not great. Wins and losses matter very little. If your kid is getting minutes on an ECNL team, college coaches will be there at the showcases. Yes, if you are on a top team you get seen by more of them, but don’t overvalue the wins for recruiting purposes. |
This is correct. College coaches don’t recruit based on how good or bad a team’s record is. Absent maybe 100 players in the country in any given graduation class coaches are looking for; 1. A kid who really wants to come to the coach’s college; 2. A kid who, in the view of the coach, can play at the needed level immediately, or on a very good college team, within a year. 3. A kid who has the academic ability to do okay at the college. And, intends to pursue a degree program offered by the college (at least in a general sense). Grades usually are not an issue with soccer girls. But, majors can be. Certainly it helps the coach know if you want to be there. College coaches are all certain they can pick out talent. You do not have to be on an ECNL team. But, it is a huge help in getting seen. And, that is the sole purpose of ECNL. Getting seen for recruiting. There is no reason at all to play all over the country if you are not interested in getting seen for recruiting. And, there barely is a reason even with that goal. And, by the way, other than keepers, college coaches are recruiting talented players. They are not recruiting specific players. We saw that one with my kid. Every college coach who recruited her saw her as a forward or maybe right mid. Positions she had never played in club from u9 to u18. They all loved her speed. Turned out that she ended up as a defensive center mid. You grab playing time where you can get it. Do not get welded to a particular position. The job of a player (and parents) in the recruiting process is to assess colleges that can work. Athletically, academically, socially and financially. That’s not simple. And, women soccer college coaches do not have big travel budgets for recruiting. The goal is to get the coach to a game to see you play once or twice. Whether your team wins or loses does not matter at all. It is literally all about “how you play the game”. Yes teams have quite a few kids at the beginning of the year. Rest assured injuries will take out 2-4. Loss of kids to recruiting or academic requirements (testing etc) will take out another 2-4 per game. And, frankly, lack of interest in paying for travel once the college decisions are made. |
This isn't rec where players get 50% playing time. Coaches reputations/jobs are on the line. Would the coach prefer player #1 or #18 getting minutes? |
Coaches play everyone. It may break down differently on a per game basis. But, everyone gets playing time. Why? Because the team needs everyone to always be ready. Because no one would play for the club if they didn’t get playing time. Try playing with 12 kids on a roster. It doesn’t work. Incidentally, the injury stats say that a typical 18 member girls team is going to have a blown knee each year. |
This should be pinned to the top!! Been through the whole process from my DD playing rec ball as a 4/5 grader all the way to being on the best team in the area and now committing to a great D1 college. ECNL wins and losses do matter only if you are playing for a higher playoff spot and that team has national championship aspirations. If you are a higher ranked national team, you will tend to have more coaches and high level D1 coaches at your showcase events. Instead of playing against a mediocre ECNL you will be playing against a high level (higher ranked team). Coaches are drawn to those games. I remember plenty of games where over a hundred coaches at all three showcase games. This was primarily because we were playing against top teams from around the country. They want to see the best go against the best. All that being said, generally speaking wins and losses do not matter. |
| Yes |
| College coaches cannot identify talent that’s why college rosters balloon to 40 hopefully some of the kids can play |