AnonymousNOT wrote:Interesting...

We moved from MLSNext to ECNL because we found it toxic. Lots of favoritism and lots of new kids coming in constantly. Lots of the part-time kids (play for other clubs) were starters. Practices were overcrowded and repetitive. My kid didn't regressed but didn't progressed either. A few kids left too. We're glad to be out that environment as well.

PS: The grass is not always greener.

This is what happened at my son’s ECNL team. The parent who played soccer with the coach really made it a toxic environment. But that parent got what he wanted having his C team level son playing on an ECNL team as well as a group of his friends that the coach favored because of the parent. The main thing holding the team back is the kids are not very smart. They might have some athletic ability and are big for their age, but don’t take direction well or execute what the coach is teaching. And then the parents of those kids on the sideline are out of control yelling at players when they make a mistake or aren’t performing. The only reason the team won some games in the spring is because of the guest and trap players were able to play with the team. Again, very happy for my son to move on from that team and the club/coaches didn’t have much morals or ethics.

You’re right though, the grass may not be greener on the other side, but ECNL wasn’t a great (actually pretty sh!tty) experience and I feel bad for you if you’re going to the ECNL club my kid left.

AnonymousNOT wrote:Interesting...

We moved from MLSNext to ECNL because we found it toxic. Lots of favoritism and lots of new kids coming in constantly. Lots of the part-time kids (play for other clubs) were starters. Practices were overcrowded and repetitive. My kid didn't regressed but didn't progressed either. A few kids left too. We're glad to be out that environment as well.

PS: The grass is not always greener.

You left a club, not a league, and clubs constantly using guest players and not structuring or managing practices is poor in any league.

Interesting...

We moved from MLSNext to ECNL because we found it toxic. Lots of favoritism and lots of new kids coming in constantly. Lots of the part-time kids (play for other clubs) were starters. Practices were overcrowded and repetitive. My kid didn't regressed but didn't progressed either. A few kids left too. We're glad to be out that environment as well.

PS: The grass is not always greener.

Mainly just glad to move on cause there are kids on the team that are only there cause the parent knows the coach. The kid isn't ECNL caliber but because of the relationship with the coach he's still on the team. This conflict of interest are what club's need to police. Then again life isn't fair so I guess clubs and coaches will do as they please which is unfortunate.

dcummins wrote:Happy for my kid to move on from ECNL to MLSNext. The ECNL team was just toxic with too much parent involvement to the point where some players were only on the team because a parent and the coach played soccer in college together. This parent would recommend B/C players from other clubs to workout with the team and some were brought on. There was definitely lots of favoritism and double standards. For example, prior to this season, one kid was injured half the season and the coach moved him to the b team the next season. The same thing happened this season to one of the favored kids who was injured the 2nd half of the season. The coach kept him on the ECNL team for next season. Both boys were about the same skill level, but yet somehow the favored kid is still on the team. So glad to get my kid out of that environment and move on cause he regressed under this coach.

So which ECNL team are you talking about? If it's a NoVA or MD team, then it's either Maryland United, Arlington, BRYC, VA Union, Loudon, Celtic or Pipeline. I can understand where you're coming from it's always a good feeling to leave a toxic environment.

My DD was in an environment where the coach preached that attending practice, working hard in practice, showing your focused will get you a start on the weekend game, but that was a bunch of bs. He would always start certain players. It's annoying when coaches say they're going to do something at the start of the year and do the exact opposite. And as a parent you can't really say anything cause you don't know how it will affect your kid.

RantingSoccerDad wrote:How would this be a league trait and not a club trait? If a club moves from ECNL to MLS, does the culture change?

If the top of the league pyramid are pro academies and pro prospects, then theoretically, it may have a trickle down effect on non-academy clubs and players - it's all about talents and wins/losses and therefore probably marginally more cutthroat and meritocratic. If, conversely, a conference or league targets college recruitment, the play may be elite, but perhaps a little less focused on raw talent and a little more political. And yes, over time, a club that moves from one to the other may change, just as a club that was not MLS Next may become a little more cutthroat after joining it. It's really too early to tell whether this would become something real in MLS Next, and there are plenty of extremely competitive ECNL programs on the boys side that have prospects with top talent and cutthroat environments.

I'm happy you found a better environment for your son. But I am curious why you felt the need to share this here? Are you implying all ECNL teams and clubs work this way and MLS is better? Or maybe it's just your ECNL team/coach in which case it does no good unless you share the name of the team. What did you hope to achieve by posting here?

Happy for my kid to move on from ECNL to MLSNext. The ECNL team was just toxic with too much parent involvement to the point where some players were only on the team because a parent and the coach played soccer in college together. This parent would recommend B/C players from other clubs to workout with the team and some were brought on. There was definitely lots of favoritism and double standards. For example, prior to this season, one kid was injured half the season and the coach moved him to the b team the next season. The same thing happened this season to one of the favored kids who was injured the 2nd half of the season. The coach kept him on the ECNL team for next season. Both boys were about the same skill level, but yet somehow the favored kid is still on the team. So glad to get my kid out of that environment and move on cause he regressed under this coach.