MLS for boys ECNL for girls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a son get them to a MLS next HG team if they can make it. Outside of that right now ECNL and AD are a toss up but seems like ECNL boys is will die out over the next couple of years if the ecnl clubs can't pull players away from the AD clubs. For girls ECNL is still the bigger draw in the DMV but with so many of the clubs switching to GA over the past couple of years the landscape is quickly changing. Its great for the girls overall by increasing the pool of kids that could potentially play college when older but it does dilute the pool of players so regionally and nationally it will be tougher for either to really compete over the long term.

I can see a scenario where it will raise the overall level of players in the area but that will remain to been seen. It certainly seems to have raised the competitive fervor among parents lol

Somebody showed on DCUM earlier that on boys side ECNL and MLS1 not including actual MLS academies has similar numbers playing in college and similar numbers of top teams. No reason to chase an MLS badge.

100%. Very significant number of ECNL boys players play in college - 30% of D1 and 50% of D3. AD (former EDP and NAL) can’t pull those numbers despite the badge - that’s because they are second teams of former EDP NAL and eCRL players- it will take 5-7 years for AD to make inroads - and the presence of HG AND academy isnt helping as they are essentially tier 3. There is a significant delta between AD and ECNL 1st teams. Especially in this area.

yet in this area Boys ECNL teams have lost to AD teams.

In my area, an ECNL RL team beat HG and AD teams. Another two RL teams beat AD teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny ... in one thread ECNL gets to talk all tough/high and might about girls which are the very same arguments/points MLS people make here while ECNL folks here make the same arguments GA people do in the other thread.

🤣 Spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MLS Next and ECNL both suck for boys. They’re both recreational and designed to earn fees from parents and not to develop players. The level is very low.

If a kid really wants to be a top player, he has to train on his own in the European way, find real opportunities to train in Europe, and chase a European academy. Some MLS academies are good, but most also suck.

Anything else is just fluff and a waste of time unless you’re doing it for fun (recreational).

We are in Barcelona this week for trials with a top 15-20 academy in Spain (Divisio d’Honor, the top flights in Spain) and a very good Catalan regional academy (Preferent, the second level in Spain).

The Preferent team is superior to all of the MLS Next teams in our huge metro area in the U.S. The DH team would murder every single academy in the state (very large state with top soccer pedigree within the US). The speed of play is insane.

Americans are enamored with fast, strong, and big players, but little do they know that playing fast requires a quick brain, top technique, stamina, and elastic strength combined with decent speed for 5 m to 15 meter sprints.

You all are deluding yourselves into thinking there is a difference between MLS Next and ECNL.

Both are recreational.

I feel like you posted this so you can brag about your kid. But read the room. Most parents on this forum and thread only care about maximizing their kids opportunities to play in college.

Any parent with a kid with potential to go pro already knows what you know.

MLS and ECNL are not very different. For college, the specific club, player quality and relationships matter more than the platform. There is no automatic in anywhere because of the badge.

Sure, I don’t disagree on that point. Your player should play at the highest level where they can shine the most regardless of league. And then do all the work to reach out and get recruited.

💯

There is a lot of work to do to get recruited or go pro or go to a big professional academy (here or anywhere else). It’s not just a question of talent or skill.