Reply to Please get rid of GDA and ECNL

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Clubs do not get money back from the ECNL for using their hotel platform [/quote]

I did administration part time for one that was getting kickbacks.  It is a megaclub, so it may be privileges others don't.  That isn't really what's important though.  Clubs conform to protect their entry into the big showcases and know that families will fall in line in order to get their kids rostered.

The fat cats are the ECNL league administration (housed in Richmond) and the travel agencies.  Mostly that's Anthony Travel but lately it hasn't been them exclusively. [/quote]

Initially it seemed like the corruption was a big reason why the gda was targeting the ecnl.  But it quickly became clear it is just a contest to see which cat can get fatter.[/quote]

Maybe.  There's no question that youth soccer (and probably a lot of travel sports) are easy ways to get people to throw away their money.  Parents throw a lot of money at it.

But one thing I learned is that the DA came out right when a lot of other countries were opening up girls' academies to mirror their boys' programs.  Teams that win are better income sources, and the WNT wins - right now.  There's a lot of research out there that shows we are falling behind on the girls' side. I think it was a stab at keeping the WNT on top. [/quote]

That is bizarre logic.  The women's team wins so to help preserve that  they institute a poor quality version of the failing da from the male side which wins nothing.[/quote]

It's called looking ahead.  Most institutions, businesses, and anything that wants to be successful really tries to do that.  It's easier to win when no one else is trying as hard. [/quote]

Fine idea but poorly executed. Call me crazy but how about you copy successful soccer programs not failing programs if you want to have success.  And they did not even institute the one part of the bda that was the most successful which is the mls academies.

Bizarre logic to the point that there clearly is another agenda at work. [/quote]

They do have NWSL academies.  Except for Spirit, they are generally competitive.  But the NWSL isn't as strong as the MLS.  It's barely surviving, so the NWSL academies aren't going to be a masterpiece either.

And yes, the DA, all of it, is weaker than what is overseas.  That's no shock.  We've seen that time and again when the MNT tries to compete in the world cup.  The DA has many failings, but it is the closet version of what we have to what they do overseas.  It is an effort to change things and to address systemic problems.

Of course, the MLS is itself pathetic.  And it is the MLS clubs that run those MLS academies.  So how do we expect it to be any better?

The same goes for the NWSL.  That is an unimpressive league, a shadow of what is being done elsewhere. And what's worse is WNT players, if they want to stay on the roster, have to stay in the NWSL.  They can take a year or two off, but that's it.

We don't soccer well, at all levels.  Why should the DA be any different?  It may have been established by US Soccer, but it depends on clubs that know what the hell they are doing, which they don't.  [/quote]

Instead of just criticizing, what do you suggest?[/quote]

In context, I wasn't just criticizing.  I was explaining why there is a DA.  People complain at the intersection of the DA as a reason not to have it.  They say that because they live in a bubble here and have no clue what it looks like overseas.

Suggestions have been talked about ad nauseam.   However, for sure it starts with accepting a year long model without high school soccer for the top players. It has to.

It also includes changing our soccer culture.  That one is hard, but what overall is valued here and liked gets you wins at the younger ages but isn't a sustainable model at the top.  I'm not sure how welcome people would even be to what it really takes.  I see anything that does threaten the status quo models get attacked with intensity on this forum. [/quote]

Kids are playing in ECNL and DA because they are showcase leagues. In general we are not interested in the state of the international game and most are not vested in that outcome.

The leagues offer strong competition and exposure to the zero sum game of college. The sooner you accept the real reasons why people are in these leagues the sooner you can come to terms with it.

[/quote]

Incorrect.  Most do it for cellege, and ECNL is 100% a college showcase league.  Always was.

The DA was formed to create and foster an environment for the development of professional players capable of competing a talent  International level.  I have already mentioned a lot of weaknesses, so no need to answer back with "look at how it fails" .  It still was formed for that purpose and only a year long model of some kind without high school soccer can do it.

Now, it is also used by families for college recruitment and because American culture is mostly focused on that and the majority want that, it makes sense for the DA to incorporate that.  Plus, as a model, year long soccer will develop a better player.  If we had clones at the exact same talent level, the DA clone would end up a better player.

However, there are still a segment of players who want to play professional, boys and girls.  I just met a woman the other day in her 20s who has been playing in Holland. And Spirit owner Baldwin's daughter plays for Sporting Portugal.  I think everyone can come up with a ton of names of guys, so I'm not letting those.  Plus, we do have mal Pugh who sidestep college to play for Spirit. [/quote]

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