MLS Next vs ECNL vs GA

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[Post New]05/12/2023 10:22
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dcu13
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Can anyone provide insight on why a club would choose to join MLS Next vs ECNL on the boys side or ECNL vs GA on the girls side? Would every ECNL boys club jump at the chance to move to MLS Next but they just haven't gotten the offer? Or do they prefer ECNL for some reason? And anything similar on the girls side?

I'm just curious what the mindset would be from the club's perspective.

Thanks in advance.
[Post New]05/12/2023 12:06
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Size5Balls
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There are different reasons for going ECNL over MLS Next. Logistically, keeping the boys and girls together under one umbrella makes things easier. Also, many clubs' philosophy of allowing high school play won't mesh with MLS Next. There are also fewer MLS Next clubs, so travel is more of an issue.
[Post New]05/12/2023 14:15
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clt-dad
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For boys, MLS Next represents the new "best" - although they have two tiers, the actual academy teams and the clubs they filled in the map with.

Academy teams are typically fully paid for and provide a direct path to being a professional soccer player. They will be the ultimate desired destination for a male US youth player in the country.

Now a club might not want to chase getting into MLS-Next that because its not profitable to have one highly selective boys team in a handful of age groups vs. boys and girls, national and regional, and all of the years experience ENCL brings to table. They also won't be as attractive as the academy teams - so they'll get good players, but not the best. They also won't have any real say in the league.
[Post New]05/12/2023 14:28
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SoccerRef
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clt-dad wrote:

Now a club might not want to chase getting into MLS-Next that because its not profitable to have one highly selective boys team in a handful of age groups vs. boys and girls, national and regional, and all of the years experience ENCL brings to table.


MLS Next now has two tiers.
They just started the National Academy league, so most of the big clubs will now have two highly selective teams.
[Post New]05/12/2023 14:55
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Size5Balls
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SoccerRef wrote:
clt-dad wrote:

Now a club might not want to chase getting into MLS-Next that because its not profitable to have one highly selective boys team in a handful of age groups vs. boys and girls, national and regional, and all of the years experience ENCL brings to table.


MLS Next now has two tiers.
They just started the National Academy league, so most of the big clubs will now have two highly selective teams.


I would think most kids who don't make the MLS Next team would try for an ECNL club, before settling on their National Academy League. Not sure how competitive that league will actually be. If MLS could ever merge in the NWSL, then offer both boy and girls soccer, they would grow even faster. Women's pro soccer is a long time dumpster fire here though, so they might not want that risk.
[Post New]05/12/2023 15:01
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SoccerRef
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Size5Balls wrote:
SoccerRef wrote:
clt-dad wrote:

Now a club might not want to chase getting into MLS-Next that because its not profitable to have one highly selective boys team in a handful of age groups vs. boys and girls, national and regional, and all of the years experience ENCL brings to table.


MLS Next now has two tiers.
They just started the National Academy league, so most of the big clubs will now have two highly selective teams.


I would think most kids who don't make the MLS Next team would try for an ECNL club, before settling on their National Academy League. Not sure how competitive that league will actually be. If MLS could ever merge in the NWSL, then offer both boy and girls soccer, they would grow even faster. Women's pro soccer is a long time dumpster fire here though, so they might not want that risk.


Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how that works out.
Some of the clubs with MLS Next teams have very good 2nd teams as well, but I can also think of a few offhand where there's a huge gulf between their MLS Next teams and their 2nd team.
So I agree that ECNL will probably be better overall right now, but if you have a kid with his heart set on MLS Next, the NAL may be a more direct path.
[Post New]05/13/2023 21:45
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MightyRobb
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MLSNext is broken down between the Pro Team Academies and the Non-Pro Academies although they all play each other. The Pro Academies are a pipeline to professional soccer whereas the Non-Pro Academies are roughly in line with ECNL. Non-Pro Academies and ECNL are more college focused.

If you look at age group rankings, the top 25 teams are mixed between MLS and ECNL teams with more MLS teams there.

Another difference is that ECNL players can play high school soccer, MLSNext players can't.

The new National Academy League may be good but ultimately it will always be the 2nd team for a club whereas ENCL teams are the 1st team for that club. So even if a kid has his heart set on MLSNext, playing on a second team does not mean they will have a chance at the 1st team over outside players. As a matter of fact, it may be worse for the kid already at the club versus an outside player coming in.
[Post New]05/14/2023 11:10
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westsidesoccer
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MightyRobb wrote:MLSNext is broken down between the Pro Team Academies and the Non-Pro Academies although they all play each other. The Pro Academies are a pipeline to professional soccer whereas the Non-Pro Academies are roughly in line with ECNL. Non-Pro Academies and ECNL are more college focused.

If you look at age group rankings, the top 25 teams are mixed between MLS and ECNL teams with more MLS teams there.

Another difference is that ECNL players can play high school soccer, MLSNext players can't.

The new National Academy League may be good but ultimately it will always be the 2nd team for a club whereas ENCL teams are the 1st team for that club. So even if a kid has his heart set on MLSNext, playing on a second team does not mean they will have a chance at the 1st team over outside players. As a matter of fact, it may be worse for the kid already at the club versus an outside player coming in.


The top ECNL teams can undoubtedly compete with top MLS Next non-academy teams, but in this area especially, the middle and bottom of MLS Next is substantially better than the middle of ECNL, and I think those gaps are likely to grow over time as we continue to see more movement at younger ages to MLS Next. Also, the ECNL schedules are very, very light for high school players to permit them to play high school soccer, as you note. I think that's great, and frankly, the ban on high school soccer for everybody in MLS Next outside club academy teams is preposterous. But it is a major difference.

For competitive players, I agree that ECNL is going to be better than National Academy teams. I don't think clubs will begin using those second teams as an MLS Next reserve (any more than they already might with 2-3 top second team players).
[Post New]05/16/2023 09:45
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dcu13
Member Offline
Thanks to all for the feedback.

Having boys and girls within the same league and having more input on the direction of the league seem like a "nice to have" to me. The question of "to play or not to play" high school soccer seems like the dividing line. I guess there are enough "customers" in the area to support both approaches.

What about ECNL vs GA on the girls side?
[Post New]01/11/2024 17:54
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Anonymous
What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?
[Post New]01/11/2024 17:57
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?


There are threads on this forum that may have addressed this. I think it certainly is possible but it’s more work on the kid and their parents to have your child seen by college coaches.
[Post New]01/11/2024 18:02
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?


For boys? It’s slim to none if you are playing ECNL, MLS Next (non MLS academy) or elsewhere. Some MLS Next Academy players will, but realize that with intl players and the loosened transfer rules, there is extremely low demand for unproven (at the college level) 18 year olds.
[Post New]01/11/2024 20:19
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?


For boys? It’s slim to none if you are playing ECNL, MLS Next (non MLS academy) or elsewhere. Some MLS Next Academy players will, but realize that with intl players and the loosened transfer rules, there is extremely low demand for unproven (at the college level) 18 year olds.


This is totally wrong. Our boys ECNL U18/19 team has signed four D1 recruits so far. Would be five, but one of them took a scholarship in another sport.
[Post New]01/11/2024 23:59
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?


For boys? It’s slim to none if you are playing ECNL, MLS Next (non MLS academy) or elsewhere. Some MLS Next Academy players will, but realize that with intl players and the loosened transfer rules, there is extremely low demand for unproven (at the college level) 18 year olds.


So not true. Bethesda has kids from their 2nd team who go on to play D1 soccer. And at least half of their first team not only plays D1 but high D1.
[Post New]01/12/2024 00:13
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What's the likelihood of playing D1 soccer if you do not participate on ECNL or MLS Next team?


For boys? It’s slim to none if you are playing ECNL, MLS Next (non MLS academy) or elsewhere. Some MLS Next Academy players will, but realize that with intl players and the loosened transfer rules, there is extremely low demand for unproven (at the college level) 18 year olds.


This is totally wrong. Our boys ECNL U18/19 team has signed four D1 recruits so far. Would be five, but one of them took a scholarship in another sport.


Which team?
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