You couldn't take 5 steps at the MLS Next tournament this weekend in any direction without running into a scout or big name college recruiter

Is that the same for ECNL?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the purposes of this showcases? Seriously asking. And I know it’s money grabbing but it there’s any other benefits to it? Especially since it’s a showcases for players who aren’t at the age of recruiting.

Here’s the other thing. If you’re playing at the bottom of the bracket, no recruiter is coming to see you. Period.

Recruiters are there for players, not teams

Shhh...let them figure that out for themselves

Anonymous wrote:What are the purposes of this showcases? Seriously asking. And I know it’s money grabbing but it there’s any other benefits to it? Especially since it’s a showcases for players who aren’t at the age of recruiting.

Here’s the other thing. If you’re playing at the bottom of the bracket, no recruiter is coming to see you. Period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At u13-u14 they are just tournaments and can be fun or terrible accordingly - but for us they are no more than 2hrs away. I wouldn't ever fly my DS anywhere at this age.

Curious if your kid is not on ECNL? Because ECNL teams travel further than 2 hours away unfortunately for even league games.

They did say fly...so maybe they're fine driving up and down the Atlantic seaboard

Anonymous wrote:At u13-u14 they are just tournaments and can be fun or terrible accordingly - but for us they are no more than 2hrs away. I wouldn't ever fly my DS anywhere at this age.

Curious if your kid is not on ECNL? Because ECNL teams travel further than 2 hours away unfortunately for even league games.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top players who's parent know the soccer eco-system know to skip these. It may be an injury or nana's 90th brirthday

I don’t think of it as a “Showcase” at that age I think of it as a tournament. Going to play different teams than the norm. Do you also skip tournaments?
Do you tell the other parents you are a “Parent in the know with a top player”.
They probably don’t miss either of you for the long weekend.
If you don’t like what ECNL entails pick another league.

RIGHT! I just thought of it as a tournament and good experience playing teams from different areas. what's the harm??lol. Will be a rookie ECNL parent in the fall, so maybe I'm wrong, but you parents come off kinda weird lol

Welcome rookie. Bookmark this to come back in a few years and you will be with the rest of us. After a few years of ECNL you will become critical of the system because it sucks but that’s the system we have so you’ll do it anyway. Enjoy the first year it’s shiny and new and everyone thinks the team and coaches and experience will stay that way for 6 years until graduation

lol Thanks! kid is a 2010 so i'll only have to deal with it for 4 years lol. If it doesn't work out or grades slip, back to EDP the kid goes.

At u13-u14 they are just tournaments and can be fun or terrible accordingly - but for us they are no more than 2hrs away. I wouldn't ever fly my DS anywhere at this age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top players who's parent know the soccer eco-system know to skip these. It may be an injury or nana's 90th brirthday

I don’t think of it as a “Showcase” at that age I think of it as a tournament. Going to play different teams than the norm. Do you also skip tournaments?
Do you tell the other parents you are a “Parent in the know with a top player”.
They probably don’t miss either of you for the long weekend.
If you don’t like what ECNL entails pick another league.

RIGHT! I just thought of it as a tournament and good experience playing teams from different areas. what's the harm??lol. Will be a rookie ECNL parent in the fall, so maybe I'm wrong, but you parents come off kinda weird lol

Welcome rookie. Bookmark this to come back in a few years and you will be with the rest of us. After a few years of ECNL you will become critical of the system because it sucks but that’s the system we have so you’ll do it anyway. Enjoy the first year it’s shiny and new and everyone thinks the team and coaches and experience will stay that way for 6 years until graduation

"OMG! No trophy and picture?!?! They have to cancel the event."

i think this was meant as a joke

I can see the trophy really matters to you

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top players who's parent know the soccer eco-system know to skip these. It may be an injury or nana's 90th brirthday

I don’t think of it as a “Showcase” at that age I think of it as a tournament. Going to play different teams than the norm. Do you also skip tournaments?
Do you tell the other parents you are a “Parent in the know with a top player”.
They probably don’t miss either of you for the long weekend.
If you don’t like what ECNL entails pick another league.

RIGHT! I just thought of it as a tournament and good experience playing teams from different areas. what's the harm??lol. Will be a rookie ECNL parent in the fall, so maybe I'm wrong, but you parents come off kinda weird lol

Farthest thing from a tournament, its a showcase for kids nobody is looking at yet. Nobody get a medal or trophy to take pictures with at the end.

OMG! No trophy and picture?!?! They have to cancel the event.

Just try to warn you parents. Help each other out, these boards arent exlusively full of trolls and malcontents. Great time for Nana to have a landmark birthday or for your kid to be nursing an injury. There are plenty of showcase trips in your future that actually matter and you can do all your parent bonding then with parents who are in it for the long haul with you. 2012 parents your teams are only going to change over the next three years, unless you're at Arlngton they cut nobody.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Na na na na
Na na na na
Hey heeeey injured again
Good Bye glass knees

Can your child truly not play three more games. The season was too much for them?
They are playing other ECNL teams not rec teams.

Don't shoot the messenger just telling your what I saw on my DD's ECNL team when one "top" player in particular sat out the last two years of showcases. I guarantee you by u15 they will be there. Which led to my conclusion after slogging my kid to out of state showcases on flights, that it was a complete waste of time and money. I'd rather go on vacation with my family and friends than with my kids soccer team so not a side benefit at all

+1

Youth soccer shouldn't be a social thing for parents, but it is for MANY.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top players who's parent know the soccer eco-system know to skip these. It may be an injury or nana's 90th brirthday

I don’t think of it as a “Showcase” at that age I think of it as a tournament. Going to play different teams than the norm. Do you also skip tournaments?
Do you tell the other parents you are a “Parent in the know with a top player”.
They probably don’t miss either of you for the long weekend.
If you don’t like what ECNL entails pick another league.

RIGHT! I just thought of it as a tournament and good experience playing teams from different areas. what's the harm??lol. Will be a rookie ECNL parent in the fall, so maybe I'm wrong, but you parents come off kinda weird lol

Awesome more SHEEP