IMYS Guy

[Anonymous]

I was getting Frozen Yogurt just last week and I was behind the IMYS Guy. When he saw my daughter’s GA team getting FROYO, he ambushed the kids outside the yogurt shop and threw all their yogurts on the ground!

-I couldn’t believe it! He just drove off, and shouted, “ECNL Rules!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, ECNL is still king in girl's soccer right now, in terms of placement to the higher end college programs. Doesn't mean this will always be the case, but it is certainly true today. And no, this doesn't mean any given ECNL team is better than any given GA team. There are plenty of bad teams within both leagues. Where you choose to send your kid should be a local decision (soccer landscape where you live, coaching, training, etc.) for you. You can be recruited from both, depending on the coach/team to some extent, and the player to the most extent. The endless fight over which league is "better" is exhausting.

The problem with the statement "better" is its not true. There is a small number of clubs in all leagues that consistently win and place players in college. They are the same clubs every year and it wouldnt matter which league they played in. This is why people make fun of ECNL hats. If your kid isnt playing at one of the clubs that win youre a crash test dummy.

While the bolded part is true to some extent, it's about a 4:1 ratio in favor of ECNL when it comes to high end college soccer placements, across a pool of relatively same number of teams (within GA vs. ECNL). That ratio may change over time for sure, no one can predict the future. Just pick the spot for your kid that's the right fit, and let them enjoy the ride along the way. The college recruiting process will be more stressful than you think it will be, regardless of the league you're in.

This is where people don’t understand what the data means. 4:1 placement ratio does NOT mean your daughter has a 4 times better chance of playing D1 simply by being in ECNL. That’s obviously what this IMYS guy and ECNL coaches want to sell you. But it’s not how it works. It’s funny how many idiot parents I hear quoting this number on the sidelines.

Then what does the data mean to you? Serious question - not trying to be snarky. If the number of teams is relatively equal between the two leagues, and the ratio is true, does that mean that there are just four times the talent (concentrated at the top) in ECNL than GA?

I'm not the PP that you were asking the question of, but I'll take my own stab because I tend to agree...I do think that there is a ton of talent concentrated a certain clubs within ECNL. You look year over year and see certain clubs in CA and TX just placing tons of players at D1 level programs. And then you get certain clubs in MI, NJ, etc that just seem to collect talent as well. I think that folks see what's going and and if they can, they flock to those clubs. And it's cyclical too. At one point in time, there was a VA club that was the place to be. People come and go and it shifts to a different club. Even some of it based on the year. One club in my area had a handful of players on their now senior year team end up in D1 programs, but then their junior year team ended up getting D1 commits from their entire roster. The bottom line is folks need to decide what is the best fit and experience for their kid and I realize it's not easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, ECNL is still king in girl's soccer right now, in terms of placement to the higher end college programs. Doesn't mean this will always be the case, but it is certainly true today. And no, this doesn't mean any given ECNL team is better than any given GA team. There are plenty of bad teams within both leagues. Where you choose to send your kid should be a local decision (soccer landscape where you live, coaching, training, etc.) for you. You can be recruited from both, depending on the coach/team to some extent, and the player to the most extent. The endless fight over which league is "better" is exhausting.

The problem with the statement "better" is its not true. There is a small number of clubs in all leagues that consistently win and place players in college. They are the same clubs every year and it wouldnt matter which league they played in. This is why people make fun of ECNL hats. If your kid isnt playing at one of the clubs that win youre a crash test dummy.

While the bolded part is true to some extent, it's about a 4:1 ratio in favor of ECNL when it comes to high end college soccer placements, across a pool of relatively same number of teams (within GA vs. ECNL). That ratio may change over time for sure, no one can predict the future. Just pick the spot for your kid that's the right fit, and let them enjoy the ride along the way. The college recruiting process will be more stressful than you think it will be, regardless of the league you're in.

This is where people don’t understand what the data means. 4:1 placement ratio does NOT mean your daughter has a 4 times better chance of playing D1 simply by being in ECNL. That’s obviously what this IMYS guy and ECNL coaches want to sell you. But it’s not how it works. It’s funny how many idiot parents I hear quoting this number on the sidelines.

Then what does the data mean to you? Serious question - not trying to be snarky. If the number of teams is relatively equal between the two leagues, and the ratio is true, does that mean that there are just four times the talent (concentrated at the top) in ECNL than GA?

Yes that’s exactly what it means. The ECNL players get better placements because they are better players, not because the exposure is better. If your daughter is that caliber a player she has the same chance for D1 in ECNL or GA. And conversely, if your daughter is not D1 material she won’t make it whether she plays ECNL or GA. There is plenty of exposure in both. It’s what the player does with the exposure that determines her fate. Not the league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, ECNL is still king in girl's soccer right now, in terms of placement to the higher end college programs. Doesn't mean this will always be the case, but it is certainly true today. And no, this doesn't mean any given ECNL team is better than any given GA team. There are plenty of bad teams within both leagues. Where you choose to send your kid should be a local decision (soccer landscape where you live, coaching, training, etc.) for you. You can be recruited from both, depending on the coach/team to some extent, and the player to the most extent. The endless fight over which league is "better" is exhausting.

The problem with the statement "better" is its not true. There is a small number of clubs in all leagues that consistently win and place players in college. They are the same clubs every year and it wouldnt matter which league they played in. This is why people make fun of ECNL hats. If your kid isnt playing at one of the clubs that win youre a crash test dummy.

While the bolded part is true to some extent, it's about a 4:1 ratio in favor of ECNL when it comes to high end college soccer placements, across a pool of relatively same number of teams (within GA vs. ECNL). That ratio may change over time for sure, no one can predict the future. Just pick the spot for your kid that's the right fit, and let them enjoy the ride along the way. The college recruiting process will be more stressful than you think it will be, regardless of the league you're in.

This is where people don’t understand what the data means. 4:1 placement ratio does NOT mean your daughter has a 4 times better chance of playing D1 simply by being in ECNL. That’s obviously what this IMYS guy and ECNL coaches want to sell you. But it’s not how it works. It’s funny how many idiot parents I hear quoting this number on the sidelines.

Then what does the data mean to you? Serious question - not trying to be snarky. If the number of teams is relatively equal between the two leagues, and the ratio is true, does that mean that there are just four times the talent (concentrated at the top) in ECNL than GA?

Its because when you get to the highest levels for better or worse coach and club relationships get players onto college teams. With MLS1 you see all kinds of players going to college teams. With GA and ECNL you see top clubs placing most of their players per top team in colleges.

One thing to dont see behind all the top clubs is most have multiple feeder clubs that filter talent up. Because of this by the time you get to recruitment ages all players on the team are recruitable by college coaches.

This same process happens every year at top clubs. This is why clubs matter more than league if you're looking to play in college. Its ideal to play at the highest level but its also smart to know when you're just entering a gladiator pit. Being the last one standing isnt helpful when both ACLs are blown out by Senior year in HS. But nobody is going to tell you that. Coaches will just cut you and find someone else that can deliver results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see IMYS guy on twitter and IG is back in full ECNL mode. Last year he seemed to start to not be so blatantly ECNL, but he's back in full ECNL this spring. He is going away from full D1 for 2027 and now only focusing on P4 D1 (as it makes the ECNL argument easier). Regardless, even using 2026 data that 1816 players committed to D1, almost 50% of the commits come from 45 total clubs (ENCL and GA, obviously ENCL is leading).

The entire notion is ECNL gets you to D1 - but it's truly a bunch of clubs that do. The top 80 clubs (all leagues) in the country account for 1186 of the 1816 commits.

The class of 2027 would be a step up in total D1 commits for GA (thus the reason IMYS is only doing P4 for 2027) and it would grow by every class. ECNL will be still be the best overall as they have the big, big clubs. But the fake unbiased opinion of IMYS is an old shtick at this point.

Where do I see the top
80 clubs according to this ranking???

It's not a ranking - i believe the OP is saying if you take the Top 80 clubs that had recruits (from all the leagues) that they account for 1186 of the 1816 commits. just adding up all the commits from the first 80 clubs. some clubs have 18 D1 kids in a class, some have 15, 14, etc. 1186 of the commits (or 65%) come from 80 clubs. The other 630 commits come from 170 clubs (if they were using ENCL and GA only). As it has been said many times on this thread and others - not all clubs are the same. If those 80 clubs broke off and started a SUPER ENCL/GA they would then be the best league. It's the clubs, not the leagues. Leagues help, but the coaches and programs are going to find where those 80 clubs are regardless and find their players. they have a history of production.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see IMYS guy on twitter and IG is back in full ECNL mode. Last year he seemed to start to not be so blatantly ECNL, but he's back in full ECNL this spring. He is going away from full D1 for 2027 and now only focusing on P4 D1 (as it makes the ECNL argument easier). Regardless, even using 2026 data that 1816 players committed to D1, almost 50% of the commits come from 45 total clubs (ENCL and GA, obviously ENCL is leading).

The entire notion is ECNL gets you to D1 - but it's truly a bunch of clubs that do. The top 80 clubs (all leagues) in the country account for 1186 of the 1816 commits.

The class of 2027 would be a step up in total D1 commits for GA (thus the reason IMYS is only doing P4 for 2027) and it would grow by every class. ECNL will be still be the best overall as they have the big, big clubs. But the fake unbiased opinion of IMYS is an old shtick at this point.

Where do I see the top
80 clubs according to this ranking???

It's not a ranking - i believe the OP is saying if you take the Top 80 clubs that had recruits (from all the leagues) that they account for 1186 of the 1816 commits. just adding up all the commits from the first 80 clubs. some clubs have 18 D1 kids in a class, some have 15, 14, etc. 1186 of the commits (or 65%) come from 80 clubs. The other 630 commits come from 170 clubs (if they were using ENCL and GA only). As it has been said many times on this thread and others - not all clubs are the same. If those 80 clubs broke off and started a SUPER ENCL/GA they would then be the best league. It's the clubs, not the leagues. Leagues help, but the coaches and programs are going to find where those 80 clubs are regardless and find their players. they have a history of production.

This btw SUPER GA/ECNL league is what I think is going to eventually happen for girls. NWSL doesnt have much competition for players so they dont need to get involved with the youth game. But US Soccer wants an easier way to identify players and college coaches are frustrated that they need to attend multiple leagues showcases to find talent. Now that US Soccer controls all the different leagues back office processes they can actually create combined NPL/USYS/GA/ECNL events. This is all for the girls. For boys because MLS has contracts I doubt it will happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see IMYS guy on twitter and IG is back in full ECNL mode. Last year he seemed to start to not be so blatantly ECNL, but he's back in full ECNL this spring. He is going away from full D1 for 2027 and now only focusing on P4 D1 (as it makes the ECNL argument easier). Regardless, even using 2026 data that 1816 players committed to D1, almost 50% of the commits come from 45 total clubs (ENCL and GA, obviously ENCL is leading).

The entire notion is ECNL gets you to D1 - but it's truly a bunch of clubs that do. The top 80 clubs (all leagues) in the country account for 1186 of the 1816 commits.

The class of 2027 would be a step up in total D1 commits for GA (thus the reason IMYS is only doing P4 for 2027) and it would grow by every class. ECNL will be still be the best overall as they have the big, big clubs. But the fake unbiased opinion of IMYS is an old shtick at this point.

Where do I see the top
80 clubs according to this ranking???

It's not a ranking - i believe the OP is saying if you take the Top 80 clubs that had recruits (from all the leagues) that they account for 1186 of the 1816 commits. just adding up all the commits from the first 80 clubs. some clubs have 18 D1 kids in a class, some have 15, 14, etc. 1186 of the commits (or 65%) come from 80 clubs. The other 630 commits come from 170 clubs (if they were using ENCL and GA only). As it has been said many times on this thread and others - not all clubs are the same. If those 80 clubs broke off and started a SUPER ENCL/GA they would then be the best league. It's the clubs, not the leagues. Leagues help, but the coaches and programs are going to find where those 80 clubs are regardless and find their players. they have a history of production.

This btw SUPER GA/ECNL league is what I think is going to eventually happen for girls. NWSL doesnt have much competition for players so they dont need to get involved with the youth game. But US Soccer wants an easier way to identify players and college coaches are frustrated that they need to attend multiple leagues showcases to find talent. Now that US Soccer controls all the different leagues back office processes they can actually create combined NPL/USYS/GA/ECNL events. This is all for the girls. For boys because MLS has contracts I doubt it will happen.

Yeah. Consolidation of top teams into a common league is probably a good thing overall. It's not next year, but as things continue to evolve, I can see that happening eventually. At least getting them into common events would be good overall for everyone. It's interesting to see where it shakes out with the whole GA/MLSN "partnership" in the long term. To date, it hasn't been more than some all-star teams playing at Gen. Adidas and then girls teams at MLS Next Fest, right? As far as NWSL goes, they are pushing to get the 2nd team league going, but not until 2027. I don't see them starting their own academy type teams any time soon. They may form affiliations, but I'm not sure they need to do even that.

It will be interesting to see if the USL Gainbridge league can sustain itself over time and then there's WPSL Pro launching as a D2 league also in 2027. Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see IMYS guy on twitter and IG is back in full ECNL mode. Last year he seemed to start to not be so blatantly ECNL, but he's back in full ECNL this spring. He is going away from full D1 for 2027 and now only focusing on P4 D1 (as it makes the ECNL argument easier). Regardless, even using 2026 data that 1816 players committed to D1, almost 50% of the commits come from 45 total clubs (ENCL and GA, obviously ENCL is leading).

The entire notion is ECNL gets you to D1 - but it's truly a bunch of clubs that do. The top 80 clubs (all leagues) in the country account for 1186 of the 1816 commits.

The class of 2027 would be a step up in total D1 commits for GA (thus the reason IMYS is only doing P4 for 2027) and it would grow by every class. ECNL will be still be the best overall as they have the big, big clubs. But the fake unbiased opinion of IMYS is an old shtick at this point.

Where do I see the top
80 clubs according to this ranking???

It's not a ranking - i believe the OP is saying if you take the Top 80 clubs that had recruits (from all the leagues) that they account for 1186 of the 1816 commits. just adding up all the commits from the first 80 clubs. some clubs have 18 D1 kids in a class, some have 15, 14, etc. 1186 of the commits (or 65%) come from 80 clubs. The other 630 commits come from 170 clubs (if they were using ENCL and GA only). As it has been said many times on this thread and others - not all clubs are the same. If those 80 clubs broke off and started a SUPER ENCL/GA they would then be the best league. It's the clubs, not the leagues. Leagues help, but the coaches and programs are going to find where those 80 clubs are regardless and find their players. they have a history of production.

This btw SUPER GA/ECNL league is what I think is going to eventually happen for girls. NWSL doesnt have much competition for players so they dont need to get involved with the youth game. But US Soccer wants an easier way to identify players and college coaches are frustrated that they need to attend multiple leagues showcases to find talent. Now that US Soccer controls all the different leagues back office processes they can actually create combined NPL/USYS/GA/ECNL events. This is all for the girls. For boys because MLS has contracts I doubt it will happen.

The problem for any super league is over time some top clubs will get disenchanted and break away. That's how we got ECNL in the first place.

[Anonymous]

I have no skin in the game as I have a male player (and IMYS only covers girls). But he seems to have the best data out there on recruiting for girls, and I think its incredibly useful as your player gets to the recruiting stage. Being able to know which camps to not attend or which classes are full is incredible and gives players the upper hand in a way they haven't had in the past. I wish he did it for boys but he doesn't. There is no equivalent on the boys side. I've followed him for a while because the inisights are decent and sometimes there are helpful tips that cut across gender in particular because he has intel into college coach mindset. He's not trying to sell anything which provides a lot of credibility vis a vis the recruiting services and platforms that are trying to suck money. It does sound like from post a few years back that a few companies offered money to take over his site/data (similar to what happened with the soccer rankings app a few years ago where the purchasing company destroyed the data and rigor of the analytics--luckily he rebuilt under a new name). Like it or not, the data is the data. It may not convey the narrative you like but you have to admire the ability to not speak from a place of gut feeling. I feel like all his detractors rely on gut, emotion and feeling. And sadly, that doesnt really matter in the game of college recruiting...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no skin in the game as I have a male player (and IMYS only covers girls). But he seems to have the best data out there on recruiting for girls, and I think its incredibly useful as your player gets to the recruiting stage. Being able to know which camps to not attend or which classes are full is incredible and gives players the upper hand in a way they haven't had in the past. I wish he did it for boys but he doesn't. There is no equivalent on the boys side. I've followed him for a while because the inisights are decent and sometimes there are helpful tips that cut across gender in particular because he has intel into college coach mindset. He's not trying to sell anything which provides a lot of credibility vis a vis the recruiting services and platforms that are trying to suck money. It does sound like from post a few years back that a few companies offered money to take over his site/data (similar to what happened with the soccer rankings app a few years ago where the purchasing company destroyed the data and rigor of the analytics--luckily he rebuilt under a new name). Like it or not, the data is the data. It may not convey the narrative you like but you have to admire the ability to not speak from a place of gut feeling. I feel like all his detractors rely on gut, emotion and feeling. And sadly, that doesnt really matter in the game of college recruiting...

Sorry, I disagree. It *looks* good, but usually when you start to dig in you find missing data and inconsistencies that suggest a bias and an agenda. In the days since his post, I've noticed already the top ECNL club (which now has to compete with 2 other ECNL and GA teams) has shared that. The timing also was during one of the GA's biggest events. All very interesting, given ECNL is all about the FOMO.

If he wants credibility, he needs to at least raise his standards and do some real journalism by interviewing people in the industry who can provide actual context. Also, get GA's take. What they've shared publicly might be incomplete (as some have pointed out). Data can be spun so many different ways. He could get even more credibility by revealing who he/she is. At least we all know the I Hate Soccer guy is Jason Collinsworth.

[Anonymous]

P.S. ... The social media share was in my area (not DC).

[Anonymous]

All this from the "I Hate Soccer Podcast" guy, just trying to make a buck? Ugh. There is nothing official about any of this data. Just a guy trying to figure out how to monetize his information.

It would be great if there was some official reference from the NCAA or from ECNL and GA combined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no skin in the game as I have a male player (and IMYS only covers girls). But he seems to have the best data out there on recruiting for girls, and I think its incredibly useful as your player gets to the recruiting stage. Being able to know which camps to not attend or which classes are full is incredible and gives players the upper hand in a way they haven't had in the past. I wish he did it for boys but he doesn't. There is no equivalent on the boys side. I've followed him for a while because the inisights are decent and sometimes there are helpful tips that cut across gender in particular because he has intel into college coach mindset. He's not trying to sell anything which provides a lot of credibility vis a vis the recruiting services and platforms that are trying to suck money. It does sound like from post a few years back that a few companies offered money to take over his site/data (similar to what happened with the soccer rankings app a few years ago where the purchasing company destroyed the data and rigor of the analytics--luckily he rebuilt under a new name). Like it or not, the data is the data. It may not convey the narrative you like but you have to admire the ability to not speak from a place of gut feeling. I feel like all his detractors rely on gut, emotion and feeling. And sadly, that doesnt really matter in the game of college recruiting...

Sorry, I disagree. It *looks* good, but usually when you start to dig in you find missing data and inconsistencies that suggest a bias and an agenda. In the days since his post, I've noticed already the top ECNL club (which now has to compete with 2 other ECNL and GA teams) has shared that. The timing also was during one of the GA's biggest events. All very interesting, given ECNL is all about the FOMO.

If he wants credibility, he needs to at least raise his standards and do some real journalism by interviewing people in the industry who can provide actual context. Also, get GA's take. What they've shared publicly might be incomplete (as some have pointed out). Data can be spun so many different ways. He could get even more credibility by revealing who he/she is. At least we all know the I Hate Soccer guy is Jason Collinsworth.

Dude. The guy runs a twitter account, not a real journalistic endeavor (which there are less and less of today) that needs to be held to a certain ethical standard. People need to be able to digest his data and realize that, yes, there may be a bias in his reporting. Even with that, there is a value to the information that is published. Like, the actual recruits that are attending these colleges isn't made up. They are really going there. If he has an ECNL tilt, so be it, but having a DD that plays at an ECNL club, the information that he shares is useful. The whole ECNL v. GA narrative can be annoying, but the information that is there is still useful to me. Monetize his operation if you think that there needs to be more journalistic standards for what is probably an interesting hobby for the publisher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no skin in the game as I have a male player (and IMYS only covers girls). But he seems to have the best data out there on recruiting for girls, and I think its incredibly useful as your player gets to the recruiting stage. Being able to know which camps to not attend or which classes are full is incredible and gives players the upper hand in a way they haven't had in the past. I wish he did it for boys but he doesn't. There is no equivalent on the boys side. I've followed him for a while because the inisights are decent and sometimes there are helpful tips that cut across gender in particular because he has intel into college coach mindset. He's not trying to sell anything which provides a lot of credibility vis a vis the recruiting services and platforms that are trying to suck money. It does sound like from post a few years back that a few companies offered money to take over his site/data (similar to what happened with the soccer rankings app a few years ago where the purchasing company destroyed the data and rigor of the analytics--luckily he rebuilt under a new name). Like it or not, the data is the data. It may not convey the narrative you like but you have to admire the ability to not speak from a place of gut feeling. I feel like all his detractors rely on gut, emotion and feeling. And sadly, that doesnt really matter in the game of college recruiting...

Sorry, I disagree. It *looks* good, but usually when you start to dig in you find missing data and inconsistencies that suggest a bias and an agenda. In the days since his post, I've noticed already the top ECNL club (which now has to compete with 2 other ECNL and GA teams) has shared that. The timing also was during one of the GA's biggest events. All very interesting, given ECNL is all about the FOMO.

If he wants credibility, he needs to at least raise his standards and do some real journalism by interviewing people in the industry who can provide actual context. Also, get GA's take. What they've shared publicly might be incomplete (as some have pointed out). Data can be spun so many different ways. He could get even more credibility by revealing who he/she is. At least we all know the I Hate Soccer guy is Jason Collinsworth.

Dude. The guy runs a twitter account, not a real journalistic endeavor (which there are less and less of today) that needs to be held to a certain ethical standard. People need to be able to digest his data and realize that, yes, there may be a bias in his reporting. Even with that, there is a value to the information that is published. Like, the actual recruits that are attending these colleges isn't made up. They are really going there. If he has an ECNL tilt, so be it, but having a DD that plays at an ECNL club, the information that he shares is useful. The whole ECNL v. GA narrative can be annoying, but the information that is there is still useful to me. Monetize his operation if you think that there needs to be more journalistic standards for what is probably an interesting hobby for the publisher.

The problem is just running a twitter account IS the journalism we get, so we debate the bias and the agenda rather than finding out what's actually going on -- with is what you get with real journalism. You may find his info helpful but perhaps that's only because it's comforting/confirming (which also is fine of course if it's actually true -- but when the info is skewed a certain way, well, that's another problem in society today).

[Anonymous]

With the amount of work and time to compile that information, the person who runs that account does a service to players and families. He definitely promotes ECNL more, but he has also posted stuff to promote GA.

Give him a medal