Anonymous
01/12/2026 18:35
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:East side FC (ECNL)
Posted about age change and commented back to parents asking questions. Kids who are in misaligned grades will be allowed to tryout to play up but it’s not guaranteed. No players will be forced up.
What they're not saying is no misaligned players will make grade down A teams. If you dont try out for and make the correct grade A team you'll be lightly funneled into either the grade down B team or correct grade B team, your choice.
Anonymous
01/12/2026 14:30
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
East side FC (ECNL)
Posted about age change and commented back to parents asking questions. Kids who are in misaligned grades will be allowed to tryout to play up but it’s not guaranteed. No players will be forced up.
Posted about age change and commented back to parents asking questions. Kids who are in misaligned grades will be allowed to tryout to play up but it’s not guaranteed. No players will be forced up.
Anonymous
01/10/2026 01:00
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Someone posted a while back us club and USYS merging looks like that’s happening.
Anonymous
01/06/2026 14:58
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:From the ECNL podcast making “predictions” about the future.
After the World Cup youth soccer is going to make more sense. A desire from multiple organizations and us soccer to have youth soccer make sense.
Does this mean the merging of governing bodies?
Also they mentioned college soccer pulling away and being ran by us soccer with regional games and mentioned the issue with players from outside the US taking opportunities.
Are they going to replace all the soccer ignorant parents here with parents from true soccer cultures?
Like there’s no crazy European parents. Parents in Europe paying next to nothing for great soccer shouldn’t be saying anything anyways.
How you equate ignorance to crazy
Anonymous
01/05/2026 18:12
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:From the ECNL podcast making “predictions” about the future.
After the World Cup youth soccer is going to make more sense. A desire from multiple organizations and us soccer to have youth soccer make sense.
Does this mean the merging of governing bodies?
Also they mentioned college soccer pulling away and being ran by us soccer with regional games and mentioned the issue with players from outside the US taking opportunities.
Are they going to replace all the soccer ignorant parents here with parents from true soccer cultures?
Like there’s no crazy European parents. Parents in Europe paying next to nothing for great soccer shouldn’t be saying anything anyways.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 15:34
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:From the ECNL podcast making “predictions” about the future.
After the World Cup youth soccer is going to make more sense. A desire from multiple organizations and us soccer to have youth soccer make sense.
Does this mean the merging of governing bodies?
Also they mentioned college soccer pulling away and being ran by us soccer with regional games and mentioned the issue with players from outside the US taking opportunities.
Are they going to replace all the soccer ignorant parents here with parents from true soccer cultures?
Anonymous
01/05/2026 15:01
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
“I sense January is going to be exciting”
Anonymous
01/05/2026 14:54
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
From the ECNL podcast making “predictions” about the future.
After the World Cup youth soccer is going to make more sense. A desire from multiple organizations and us soccer to have youth soccer make sense.
Does this mean the merging of governing bodies?
Also they mentioned college soccer pulling away and being ran by us soccer with regional games and mentioned the issue with players from outside the US taking opportunities.
After the World Cup youth soccer is going to make more sense. A desire from multiple organizations and us soccer to have youth soccer make sense.
Does this mean the merging of governing bodies?
Also they mentioned college soccer pulling away and being ran by us soccer with regional games and mentioned the issue with players from outside the US taking opportunities.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 10:20
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In rec you get to play with friends, in travel players are assigned based on evaluations and birthdates.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is a smart play for rec where the teams aren't picked so much as made up of a group of friends. Glad the kid can find the right path to enjoy the beautiful game.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wtf? Did you even read the comments when you post?Anonymous wrote:https://www.facebook.com/groups/guestplayers/posts/4396834517306084/
Diiscussion about Aug birthdays playing up. Without the play with your age thread monkey commenting every 3 minutes. It looks like parents with Aug birtday kids are leaning to playing them up with their correct grade.
One person was planning to play they kid down on an 8th grade team and not play high school soccer their kids freshman year.Is this what clubs are recommending? Crazy
Anonymous comment 656
My kid is also an August birthday and we're having him play up. While he'll be one of the younger players on his team he'll be aligned with his school grade and will play high school with his friends.
So rec players know what grade they're playing at but competitive players and college coaches cant figure it out?
You are ridiculous and dishonest
Wonder if that kid who was the back half of the age group under BY would have played in college under SY. Now we will never know...
Well, MLSN is still BY. Also, most of the back half of the age group is now the oldest in SY. It's July that got the worst of this, although those Aug-Sep kids playing up before ready might be shooting themselves in the foot, too. It's not impossible but it'll be a harder path.
Aug-Dec birthdays playing up a grade in BY is more appealing to college coaches
Aug-Dec birthdays playing down a grade in SY is less appealing to college coaches
Pretty simple
It's not that simple. August players playing 'down' can help through U-14. Why? College coaches aren't really paying attention to the youngest age groups--13 and U-14. You will be better than the rest of the team at U13 and U14, and get exposure and name recognition (whether locally among top clubs, regionally for all conference etc). That selection in the early years has nothing to do with your grad year--they are just looking for the players who stand out on their teams--and as the oldest you will likely be bigger and stronger on the team. The more exposure you get the younger you are the better as those lists get recycled as you get older and become harder to break into--you get a boost from having been ID'd as a younger player which gives you momentum heading into the cusp of recruiting windows When it comes time for college recruiting window (freshman year) your name is already out there as a top player or on all the lists that college coaches see because you have had the exposure.At that point you make the switch and get with your graduating class so that your name can be associated with the right grad year.
You give college coaches too much credit.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 00:21
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:In rec you get to play with friends, in travel players are assigned based on evaluations and birthdates.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is a smart play for rec where the teams aren't picked so much as made up of a group of friends. Glad the kid can find the right path to enjoy the beautiful game.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wtf? Did you even read the comments when you post?Anonymous wrote:https://www.facebook.com/groups/guestplayers/posts/4396834517306084/
Diiscussion about Aug birthdays playing up. Without the play with your age thread monkey commenting every 3 minutes. It looks like parents with Aug birtday kids are leaning to playing them up with their correct grade.
One person was planning to play they kid down on an 8th grade team and not play high school soccer their kids freshman year.Is this what clubs are recommending? Crazy
Anonymous comment 656
My kid is also an August birthday and we're having him play up. While he'll be one of the younger players on his team he'll be aligned with his school grade and will play high school with his friends.
So rec players know what grade they're playing at but competitive players and college coaches cant figure it out?
You are ridiculous and dishonest
Wonder if that kid who was the back half of the age group under BY would have played in college under SY. Now we will never know...
Well, MLSN is still BY. Also, most of the back half of the age group is now the oldest in SY. It's July that got the worst of this, although those Aug-Sep kids playing up before ready might be shooting themselves in the foot, too. It's not impossible but it'll be a harder path.
Aug-Dec birthdays playing up a grade in BY is more appealing to college coaches
Aug-Dec birthdays playing down a grade in SY is less appealing to college coaches
Pretty simple
It's not that simple. August players playing 'down' can help through U-14. Why? College coaches aren't really paying attention to the youngest age groups--13 and U-14. You will be better than the rest of the team at U13 and U14, and get exposure and name recognition (whether locally among top clubs, regionally for all conference etc). That selection in the early years has nothing to do with your grad year--they are just looking for the players who stand out on their teams--and as the oldest you will likely be bigger and stronger on the team. The more exposure you get the younger you are the better as those lists get recycled as you get older and become harder to break into--you get a boost from having been ID'd as a younger player which gives you momentum heading into the cusp of recruiting windows When it comes time for college recruiting window (freshman year) your name is already out there as a top player or on all the lists that college coaches see because you have had the exposure.At that point you make the switch and get with your graduating class so that your name can be associated with the right grad year.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 19:59
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
And we go around-and-around-and-around-and-around ...
Anonymous
01/04/2026 19:58
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Nobody should believe anything here, an anonymous forum, unless receipts are proved.Anonymous wrote:Theres no anger. There is frustration dealing with somone who is both ridiculously ignorant and arrogant at the same time.
Fortunately the more you respond the more people see through your nonsense. So it all works out in the end.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."
Youre like the Jim Cramer of youth soccer. Just do the opposite of everything you say parents will be fine.
The poster is just quoting an ECNL club. Most of your links have SOME people who share your concerns and some advise play on grade but it's like the number of clubs we've found guidance with -- the majority is in favor of some flexibility. Aug parents/kids should ask this question of the college programs directly (along with their current coaches and anyone else they work with). That'll be the best advice to follow, especially since there definitely are differing opinions on it.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 19:54
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Theres no anger. There is frustration dealing with somone who is both ridiculously ignorant and arrogant at the same time.
Fortunately the more you respond the more people see through your nonsense. So it all works out in the end.
Or they see your nonsense. Actually there's probably about 3-4 of us and the rest of the DCUM universe either steers clear or reads us for entertainment.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 19:54
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Nobody should believe anything here, an anonymous forum, unless receipts are proved.Anonymous wrote:Theres no anger. There is frustration dealing with somone who is both ridiculously ignorant and arrogant at the same time.
Fortunately the more you respond the more people see through your nonsense. So it all works out in the end.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."
Youre like the Jim Cramer of youth soccer. Just do the opposite of everything you say parents will be fine.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 19:35
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Nobody should believe anything here, an anonymous forum, unless receipts are proved.Anonymous wrote:Theres no anger. There is frustration dealing with somone who is both ridiculously ignorant and arrogant at the same time.
Fortunately the more you respond the more people see through your nonsense. So it all works out in the end.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."