Anonymous
Post 09/28/2025 15:25     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The girls ECNL-RL teams that are missing are being filled by Sterling this year. They did a merger to fill their empty gaps.


My guess is that won't last past this year. First of all the Sterling teams are paying 1/2 of what the Herndon girls teams are paying. Next year when they charge them the full amount, they'll leave. Also, the Sterling teams are getting walloped in ECNL-R - probably bc they're nowhere near ready to be competitive in that league and also there is at least one Sterling team (2011s) that they're forcing to play up in ECNL-R with the 2010s because Herndon already had a 2011 team. It's a terrible deal for the Sterling teams other than the cost. The only purpose it serves is to keep Herndon from getting kicked out of ECNL-R.


Yes, only Herndon is getting a benefit out of the merger. And Sterling would be wise to get out of the arrangement for next year or they will have no players. The allure of Sterling is it is as close to a true soccer club we have in the area and it is still relatively affordable with a decent focus on player development compared to other area clubs. Not everyone in the area wants to chase ECNL/GA/MLS, but still wants some level of competition vs rec. It was a stupid business decision by Sterling and they will feel the pain of that next season no doubt. All girls are getting hammered in ECNL-RL, not just the couple of Sterling teams playing as Herndon.

At the Ulittle girls ages sterling had even fewer girls at tryouts than herndon and that isn't saying much. I actually think a strategic merger of sorts on the girls side would be good. Unfortunately this was thrown together and not planned out.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2025 08:18     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The girls ECNL-RL teams that are missing are being filled by Sterling this year. They did a merger to fill their empty gaps.


My guess is that won't last past this year. First of all the Sterling teams are paying 1/2 of what the Herndon girls teams are paying. Next year when they charge them the full amount, they'll leave. Also, the Sterling teams are getting walloped in ECNL-R - probably bc they're nowhere near ready to be competitive in that league and also there is at least one Sterling team (2011s) that they're forcing to play up in ECNL-R with the 2010s because Herndon already had a 2011 team. It's a terrible deal for the Sterling teams other than the cost. The only purpose it serves is to keep Herndon from getting kicked out of ECNL-R.


Yes, only Herndon is getting a benefit out of the merger. And Sterling would be wise to get out of the arrangement for next year or they will have no players. The allure of Sterling is it is as close to a true soccer club we have in the area and it is still relatively affordable with a decent focus on player development compared to other area clubs. Not everyone in the area wants to chase ECNL/GA/MLS, but still wants some level of competition vs rec. It was a stupid business decision by Sterling and they will feel the pain of that next season no doubt. All girls are getting hammered in ECNL-RL, not just the couple of Sterling teams playing as Herndon.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2025 10:38     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every club gets 2 years to show progress. Herdon will be around next year. Keep an eye on LMVSC. This is their second year. If they are not kicked out then Herndon won’t be.



2 years specifically for the girls? The boys have been there longer than 2 years.


2 years on the boys and/or girls side for each new club to show “progress”. There is no formal definition of what progress means though.
Last year RL added LMVSC AND DCSC. This year they added Herndon and Villarreal. Those moves suggest RL is trying to expand their footprint rather than trying to only have the “best” teams.
Certainly can debate what the “purpose” of RL should be.


No club is getting kicked out. ECNL is going to 2 teams next year in NOVA and they need to keep this RL alive as long as possible so they will continue to collect the checks of the member clubs for as long as possible. RL is basically going to be the partner clubs of the remaining 2 ECNL teams + GFR + Stafford + DCSC. meh...
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2025 10:14     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every club gets 2 years to show progress. Herdon will be around next year. Keep an eye on LMVSC. This is their second year. If they are not kicked out then Herndon won’t be.



2 years specifically for the girls? The boys have been there longer than 2 years.


2 years on the boys and/or girls side for each new club to show “progress”. There is no formal definition of what progress means though.
Last year RL added LMVSC AND DCSC. This year they added Herndon and Villarreal. Those moves suggest RL is trying to expand their footprint rather than trying to only have the “best” teams.
Certainly can debate what the “purpose” of RL should be.


Herndon has had boys RL teams for several years.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2025 09:36     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
The club has no creditability and talent will leave if there isn't any pathway forward. VDA partnership was bad, it made not sense geographically. The exodus to that DMV club was disastrous. Now they announce some odd Sterling partnership and another one with Union.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2025 08:51     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Every club gets 2 years to show progress. Herdon will be around next year. Keep an eye on LMVSC. This is their second year. If they are not kicked out then Herndon won’t be.



2 years specifically for the girls? The boys have been there longer than 2 years.


2 years on the boys and/or girls side for each new club to show “progress”. There is no formal definition of what progress means though.
Last year RL added LMVSC AND DCSC. This year they added Herndon and Villarreal. Those moves suggest RL is trying to expand their footprint rather than trying to only have the “best” teams.
Certainly can debate what the “purpose” of RL should be.
Anonymous
Post 09/26/2025 08:07     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:Every club gets 2 years to show progress. Herdon will be around next year. Keep an eye on LMVSC. This is their second year. If they are not kicked out then Herndon won’t be.



2 years specifically for the girls? The boys have been there longer than 2 years.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 19:48     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:Herndon did not have any girls teams in ecnl last year.


So last year Herndon had girls in the pre-ECNL league but not ECNLRL. This year they have girls in RL but no pre-ECNL, and all of a sudden that’s a problem for the boys side. It doesn’t seem like there’s any consistency as to what VPSL requires.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 19:36     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Herndon did not have any girls teams in ecnl last year.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 18:51     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Every club gets 2 years to show progress. Herdon will be around next year. Keep an eye on LMVSC. This is their second year. If they are not kicked out then Herndon won’t be.

Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 18:29     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:So last year, they had just Boys side ECRL teams, but then something changed and they were required to have boys and girls teams for each year?


Herndon girls did not play RL last year? I assumed they did because they had pre-ECNL girls teams last year. Allegedly VPSL would not let the boys teams enter the league without having corresponding girls teams. Maybe it’s a new rule this year that there must be a boys and a girl side from each club. What’s frustrating is the boys side let VSA put two teams in with only one team in on the girls side… which creates a schedule imbalance. Why is that allowed and Herndon not allowed to put in boys without a girls side?
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 17:32     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
So last year, they had just Boys side ECRL teams, but then something changed and they were required to have boys and girls teams for each year?
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 17:22     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:Maybe they will go do MLS D2.


Nothing I have seen from leadership suggests they have that kind of forward thinking. My concern is they will get ECNL RL taken away with no real plan. They clearly didn’t see the writing on the wall for the pre ECNL teams when there were no 2014/2015 girls coming to try out.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 17:14     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Maybe they will go do MLS D2.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 17:11     Subject: Does Herndon still have a Pre-ECNL program or ECNL-RL?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The girls ECNL-RL teams that are missing are being filled by Sterling this year. They did a merger to fill their empty gaps.


My guess is that won't last past this year. First of all the Sterling teams are paying 1/2 of what the Herndon girls teams are paying. Next year when they charge them the full amount, they'll leave. Also, the Sterling teams are getting walloped in ECNL-R - probably bc they're nowhere near ready to be competitive in that league and also there is at least one Sterling team (2011s) that they're forcing to play up in ECNL-R with the 2010s because Herndon already had a 2011 team. It's a terrible deal for the Sterling teams other than the cost. The only purpose it serves is to keep Herndon from getting kicked out of ECNL-R.


It feels like Herndon’s entire boys side is going to get screwed over by the club’s inability to attract and retain girls. How can leadership have let it get this bad? They better hope ECNLRL let them just enter boys teams next year or they are going to get kicked out.