Reply to New Additions to Leagues Check Up (ECNL & GA)

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[quote=Anonymous]All this has been hashed out on here before, but MLS Next and GA were both formerly the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA). When the DA folded, MLS was already on firm footing as a professional league and was able to immediately bring in the former DA boys side and it became MLS Next nearly immediately.

The girls side of the DA did not have a pro league with stability at the time to help them. NWSL was just beginning to get to a place where they were able to just keep the lights on from one season to the next, so a group of youth clubs had prop up the girls side and The Girls Academy was formed. At that time some major DA clubs jumped to ECNL girls because no one really knew if the Girls Academy would even get off the ground.

Five years later, the GA is extremely healthy, U.S. Soccer is involved again making the Girls Academy a full-member of U.S. Soccer, MLS Next has partnered (again), and you are beginning to see changes.

All of this is only five years old. It’s not a finished product and there will be even more major changes over the next few years. I’m not saying the NWSL will get involved at some point, but that is certainly a possibility.

MLS Next is much better than ECNL boys. A completely different level. Legacy clubs that were former DA who moved there girls to ECNL during very uncertain times will not will not risk losing MLS Next. The ECNL knows this, which is why they have allowed these clubs keep the MLS Next/ECNL girls arrangement instead of demanding that they move their top boys teams to ECNL boys.

At some point if MLS Next clubs are told to move the girls from ECNL girls to GA it will happen and GA will be the new top dog. They already have the organization and framework in place.

Like others have said, ECNL has been playing this same game for years and the tables are about to turn. [/quote]

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