VDA - Mike Cullina is on board of US Soccer + didn't they already have a girls ECNL team. Plus they struggled to compete in the DA as well. Don't know about Richmond. |
I would guess Arlington will be in. They have competitive teams in most of the age groups this year, and well respected coaching. |
If MLS is the Roadrunner, Arlington and other non-MLS wannabes are . . . Wile E. Coyote United. Good luck with all that and don’t change a thing. |
| In another thread Arlington girls coaches said they were blocked by neighboring club for ECNL. Arlington wound have to be all in to have a chance for ECNL. I would not assume they are included in the new MLS plan. |
You sound like you are hoping that other clubs, children and parents suffer a misfortune. That doesn't seem kind. |
I don’t think it’s a misfortune at all. It’s a choice. It may be right for you. It is not the one I’d make. But I certainly don’t think it matters for the kids one way or another. Which is kind of the point. |
Especially as DCU was not to keen on them of having the DA extension in the first place. |
There will be MLS only youth league. Arlington will have to apply to a new league whether it is NCSL, EDP or ECNL. They will be fine. |
| High school and local club soccer can’t fill the void of losing DA soccer. Those teams simply aren’t on the same level of DA soccer and, actually, harm the development of elite players. Hopefully, this new MLS League can fill the void and improve upon the DA model, including fully funding the teams. That’s the best path for player development. |
I understand from a good source that Bethesda's (former) DA will be joining the new MLS league, with an announcement to that effect coming soon. The individual I spoke with was unsure about which other teams from the greater DC area would be joining. |
Absolutely. If there's one good thing the DA did, it was removing the temptation of playing high school garbage-ball. |
Do promise to update the board please when that decision is final. Awfully close to DCU. |
| ^ how so? DCU is moving to Loudoun. |
“ MLS teams felt that the level of competition provided by non-MLS clubs wasn't high enough, resulting in too many easy games. Todd Durbin, MLS executive vice president for competition and player relations, was diplomatic in his assessment of the level, though he admitted that MLS had been in discussions with the USSF for the past 12 to 18 months about its concerns relating to the DA. "What was really lacking for us was there was a need for a more robust role of international games, to allow us to really benchmark ourselves and compete against top clubs, both regionally and internationally," Durbin said. "We're in a worldwide market and our players are competing against players from around the world. So that was one area that we had been having conversations in the background about trying to grow." The non-MLS youth clubs had their own set of complaints, including that the USSF was organizing the competition in a manner that favored MLS academies. One example is when the USSF opted to implement a tiered system at the under-18/19 level that resulted in Crossfire Premier, based in Redmond, Washington, being demoted to a lower tier, despite the club having successfully competed against MLS academy teams.” https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4085801/us-soccer-ends-development-academy-as-mls-announces-youth-league |
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So this is going to be a $hit show. Kids scrambling clubs to get to the pinnacle of DMV soccer.
When is DCU moving to Loudoun, seems to be something they need to disclose to attract the right players. |