Why are we traveling this much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

No one is forcing your kid to play ECNL. If you don't like it, drop your kid to a lower level. RL teams usually stay within 2-4 hours. We knew what we signed up for when we accepted the offers. Get over it or get out.

The real issue is this dynamic is not contributing to the development of the players relative to their international peers. It is so much American status-seeking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a concerted effort in the DMV to stop the madness of the gerrymandering of leagues? There is zero need for any teams, including top teams in this area to be traveling five-plus hours one way. Teams in ECNL at the older age group are playing each other once all year while traveling to New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina several times a year. It just doesn't make sense. Nobody is developing talent by spending $800 a weekend and ten hours in the car. Stop the silliness. Parents should demand that there be a high level DMV extended league that stays within a two-hour radius.

No one is forcing your kid to play ECNL. If you don't like it, drop your kid to a lower level. RL teams usually stay within 2-4 hours. We knew what we signed up for when we accepted the offers. Get over it or get out.

The real issue is this dynamic is not contributing to the development of the players relative to their international peers. It is so much American status-seeking.

Important point --- no one cares about the international peers. No one cares about international development. These are not points that 98% of the US soccer playing world cares at all about.

[Anonymous]

America first will lead to america last, and here is example number one. Keep your head in the ground with these important points.

[Anonymous]

This is the best advice I can give to parents of young players. Try a different sport, hockey, swimming, lacrosse, other. Playing soccer in college is a hoax, for boys, college spots are filled by internationals. Girls side is now mirroring boys’ now and there are fewer spots. International students pay higher tuition. Avoid trashing your $ and effort and time. When your kid turns 15 it’s going to be late to go back in time. Invest your kids time in different sports or on improving SAT scores this will help more if you are looking for a scholarship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is the best advice I can give to parents of young players. Try a different sport, hockey, swimming, lacrosse, other. Playing soccer in college is a hoax, for boys, college spots are filled by internationals. Girls side is now mirroring boys’ now and there are fewer spots. International students pay higher tuition. Avoid trashing your $ and effort and time. When your kid turns 15 it’s going to be late to go back in time. Invest your kids time in different sports or on improving SAT scores this will help more if you are looking for a scholarship.

Or how about not choosing sports in order to maximize scholarships? It’s an activity not an investment. Spend time and money on things you enjoy doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is the best advice I can give to parents of young players. Try a different sport, hockey, swimming, lacrosse, other. Playing soccer in college is a hoax, for boys, college spots are filled by internationals. Girls side is now mirroring boys’ now and there are fewer spots. International students pay higher tuition. Avoid trashing your $ and effort and time. When your kid turns 15 it’s going to be late to go back in time. Invest your kids time in different sports or on improving SAT scores this will help more if you are looking for a scholarship.

Or how about not choosing sports in order to maximize scholarships? It’s an activity not an investment. Spend time and money on things you enjoy doing.

Precisely. That removed all the pressure and made them enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MLS Next, ECNL, GA, NA and ECNLR all travel. The first two travel more, as this is expected. If you are not willing to travel, then don't commit.

I guess the point those who respond like this are missing is this unnecessary travel is bad for the sport. It's bad for talent retention and it's bad for morale is the families who are supposed to support their child. So yes we could just stop the madness and play EDP, but it's not going to change anything for the players with a lot of potential who simply give up on high level soccer.

This. People who accept the existing excessive travel of mlsn and ecnl are part of the problem.

Yes but how does a person stuck in the system change it? If I make a stand and not participate there will be another all too ready to take our place. It’s capitalism and the free market. This isn’t just a youth soccer problem. It’s the same in youth volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, etc.

You need leadership from the top us soccer organization to initiate the change. Keep the leagues structured by metro areas. Connect these metro areas to smaller country side areas from the states forming that metro area. Keep that way until u17. Use national ID sessions to recruit across the country for the us national team for u15 and above. Otherwise a kid with much more talent but living in a family with less financial conditions won't beat the try hard wealthier family that can invest 10k on their kid per year on club fees, out state trips and extra private training.

[Anonymous]

Lol, try living in a western state where 10 hours round trip is in-state league play.

Denver to Dallas for ECNL league games. Boise or SLC for RL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MLS Next, ECNL, GA, NA and ECNLR all travel. The first two travel more, as this is expected. If you are not willing to travel, then don't commit.

I guess the point those who respond like this are missing is this unnecessary travel is bad for the sport. It's bad for talent retention and it's bad for morale is the families who are supposed to support their child. So yes we could just stop the madness and play EDP, but it's not going to change anything for the players with a lot of potential who simply give up on high level soccer.

This. People who accept the existing excessive travel of mlsn and ecnl are part of the problem.

Yes but how does a person stuck in the system change it? If I make a stand and not participate there will be another all too ready to take our place. It’s capitalism and the free market. This isn’t just a youth soccer problem. It’s the same in youth volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, etc.

You need leadership from the top us soccer organization to initiate the change. Keep the leagues structured by metro areas. Connect these metro areas to smaller country side areas from the states forming that metro area. Keep that way until u17. Use national ID sessions to recruit across the country for the us national team for u15 and above. Otherwise a kid with much more talent but living in a family with less financial conditions won't beat the try hard wealthier family that can invest 10k on their kid per year on club fees, out state trips and extra private training.

It’s a nice dream but US soccer has no authority to structure the leagues or tell clubs how to run their business. It’s a free market. And why should the entire system be structured for the benefit of a national team that only helps a handful of players. I’d rather see each metro area do what works best in that area and not force a one size fits all.

[Anonymous]

Our friend is a D1 head coach and agrees with you OP. He thinks American travel soccer is not productive, unnecessary, wasteful and does not lead to the best results. He says the best opportunities from a recruiting perspective come from abroad. But he has recruited several kids from the DMV and understand it’s the system kids here grow up in. You do what you have to within it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is the best advice I can give to parents of young players. Try a different sport, hockey, swimming, lacrosse, other. Playing soccer in college is a hoax, for boys, college spots are filled by internationals. Girls side is now mirroring boys’ now and there are fewer spots. International students pay higher tuition. Avoid trashing your $ and effort and time. When your kid turns 15 it’s going to be late to go back in time. Invest your kids time in different sports or on improving SAT scores this will help more if you are looking for a scholarship.

Best post in the thread. Why on earth would you bust your hump and spend all that money for your kid to maybe play at Elon?

Soccer should be fun but it's not a path to college. Stay home!

[Anonymous]

Youth soccer in US is ridiculous. Nothing else to say. There is so many more opportunities and potential in Europe. It’s sad we are stuck here and paying premium for this low level soccer experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Youth soccer in US is ridiculous. Nothing else to say. There is so many more opportunities and potential in Europe. It’s sad we are stuck here and paying premium for this low level soccer experience.

In other countries, they tell kids at early ages they aren’t good enough so most kids quit very few push through.

In America, everyone is “Elite” and everyone who pays feels entitled. Most of the kids playing youth soccer here would have been told at an early age to quit soccer in Europe.

In Europe each country, everyone is under the same pyramid but our problem is we too big of a country to be under one pyramid. That’s we have so many shitty leagues and governing bodies

[Anonymous]

Whether you like the excessive traveling or you don't, it doesn't change the fact that there is no need for excessive travel when so many similar performing teams are in the same area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Youth soccer in US is ridiculous. Nothing else to say. There is so many more opportunities and potential in Europe. It’s sad we are stuck here and paying premium for this low level soccer experience.

In other countries, they tell kids at early ages they aren’t good enough so most kids quit very few push through.

In America, everyone is “Elite” and everyone who pays feels entitled. Most of the kids playing youth soccer here would have been told at an early age to quit soccer in Europe.

In Europe each country, everyone is under the same pyramid but our problem is we too big of a country to be under one pyramid. That’s we have so many shitty leagues and governing bodies

They would still be playing, just not at so-called elite level