Not sure what you second question is, but KCFC's poor DA performance is based on it being their B team and the welcoming to ECNL is based on getting their A team.
Upper Left, two new ECNL teams for next year.....and none in Chicago MSA, but both in Seattle, which gives them 4 ECNL and 2 DA teams.
Now you are just trolling me... Seattle metro area 3.7mm, 15th largest in U.S. Chicago metro area 9.5mm, 3rd largest in U.S. I'm kind of done complaining. Someone should change the title of this thread. Nothing about this landscape is changing. Wake me up if anyone in a position to change the status quo around here grows a pair. I'm gonna go buy a lacrosse stick for my U-little.
Hey, Little Soldier, don't give up. Well, don't give up unless those "Wichita getting 3 ECNL teams" rumors turn out to be true...
http://www.michiganwolveshawks.com/32-news/2013news/1671-hawks-announcement-april-16th.html DA = Pile of dung PDA next to announce
I'm not really into the girls side of youth soccer, but a source close to another midwest club in the girls DA says they're going to jump too. Their beef is that the DA doesn't allow clubs the level of control that ECNL does...they want to allow their girls to play HS soccer, they want to have coaches that don't meet the license standards the DA about to roll out, they want to play State Cup and outside competition, etc. Having been around the boys side of the DA for a few years, I feel its safe to say that its been a success. I just don't know why the girls are having such a hard time with it. Just get the feeling that the major players on the girls side of youth soccer just have their own agendas.
I think girls are more social creatures then boys in general but especially at the high school ages which could be why it may be harder to adjust? Either way ECNL is going to make it easier for clubs (especially DA clubs to jump ship). The real issue will be whether those clubs are threatened to losing their boys DA if they do just that. Nothing would surprise me at this point.
Wow, Hawks is a top-ten club. This is huge. No way they did this solo. So PDA and another Midwest club following suit would not be a surprise.
That page I linked to above announcing Hawks' departure might have gone up before their legal team had a chance to take a quick look-see at their USSF contract. Page has been taken down. Phone ringing in Hawks' office... USSF lawyers and a really pissed-off ex Godman guy on line 2... doh! You'd think that Eclipse, Stars, PDA, Hawks would all kind of have had their sh!t together on this. Especially if you are are announcing your intention to humiliate the mighty Federation in such a bold way.
Conspiracy theories and pop sociology aside, the DA system is far too strict and unnecessarily segregated for results it produces….which is overwhelmingly just to send a bunch of kids off to play college soccer… State Cup, outside competitions, and high school…oh, the humanity! Good for the ECNL to continue to allow their kids a choice….
The nice thing about competing platforms is that they will be forced to evolve in order to stay relevant. Just like how NISL and IYSA leagues have constantly had to evolve and try to better themselves in order to maintain status. In theory, this could actually be a good thing for girls soccer... Still have to ask the question: with ECNL rapidly expanding in recent weeks, in much smaller markets than Chicago with competing DA clubs, why have they not allowed another Northern Illinois club into the league? #eclipseeffect
I think the issue for the DA - if ECNL does evolve, will be a sense of stubborness which will preclude it from being as agile as ECNL. In fact I think we are already seeing this today. As I said - the DA may tell Sockers and clubs like them, that their boys can sod off if they put girls back into ECNL. No way Sockers could or would do that. So how DA responds will be critical to the evolution of the girls side.
Um... Michigan Wolves are not just in BDA, but at the top of the tables. Same ownership as Hawks and have some kind of connection to Columbus Crew. So you may learn the answer to that question pretty quick here. Like I said earlier today, I wouldn't be surprised if that single news release this morning set a few things into motion. You might laugh, but a coordinated move by these clubs to leave GDA would immediately lead a Goldman guy to call his team of lawyers and say "does this sound like a conspiracy to hurt our business?".... Lawyers: "uh, yeah." Pretty easy to sue. Discovery could be a bitch for the "conspiring" clubs. You think there might be any emails between clubs that might not too look good. Not the most sympathetic characters on either side... a wise man said once earlier today "you sleep with dogs you get fleas". A pox on both their houses.
Confirmed: Hawks, PDA and FC Stars all dropped. Word is four other clubs threatening/posturing, but likely waiting to pull the trigger until they see how it plays out for those that already dropped. Interesting to see how DA handles this...does US Soccer influence any YNT players to go to DA clubs? Time will tell...
From what I recall, DA did nothing to work with ECNL in terms of any effort to help develop their platform or avoid conflict. If that is the case, I am not sure what the expected outcome one could expect other than a cluster-f**k. ECNL had many problems - cost, tinkering from other clubs and more... But it's numbers - in terms of college placement and pro players is going to be nearly impossible to surpass. ECNL stepped up for th girls when the DA did not give two shits. Hard to feel bad for them. Now it's all a watered down mess.
https://www.soccerwire.com/news/clu...-clubs-leave-girls-da-for-all-in-ecnl-status/ More large youth clubs leave Girls DA for All-In ECNL status While an ECNL source declined to confirm it explicitly, one youth soccer insider tells SoccerWire that Crossfire Premier and Reign/Seattle United* (Seattle area), Slammers (Southern California) and Eclipse (Chicago area) are also reconsidering their relationships with the Girls DA and may well depart entirely, too.
From a conversation w a US Soccer rep yesterday: Eclipse, Slammers and Crossfire have not officially left the DA or made any written statement saying so. US Soccer knows something is up and they may well leave at some point, but at this point it's just rumor-mongering. From a source close to one of the three clubs: Behind closed doors they've decided to leave. But haven't made the official statement to members or public because they want to see if US Soccer comes down hard on the clubs that are ditching the DA. Not sure how US Soccer can really "come down hard" on any club, but I understand the caution. There will be some other clubs that leave by the end of the year, specifically in the southeast region. Not because of politics, but because they level of competition is too inconsistent and travel costs are significant.
Just to toss this out there... Heard FC Wisconsin will become an ECNL club and that a NW club will have a direct path to that program. I have not confirmed this and waited until now to post as it may make more sense in light of these recent announcements.
Please call FC Wisconsin by its full name... It is FC Wisconsin Eclipse. Did anyone really not see this happening? Eclipse will drop GDA as soon as the Hawks take whatever heat there is to be taken, and once they make sure their existing GNT players are not going to be punished. They will come out of the shadows, tell us how great ECNL is, and in doing so will be taking a shot at FCU showing how they got played again. These big clubs leaving are announcing they will form two ECNL teams thereby keeping their DA players, and their DA player's checks. These clubs will nottake any financial hit and can now direct travel arrangements to their own vendors. Sockers are probably still cool enough to be given an easy way back to ECNL, but FCU never was, and probably never will be. Pretty clear the DA/ECNL clubs accepted the invitation to the GDA party expecting all along to hit the free keg, trash the place and then tell all the cool kids where the real party is once the keg was empty. It really was well played. Kudos to them. If clubs like Tophat and Solar flip, GDA will be an embarrassing mess (more so than it is already). GDA should rationalize itself quickly and lock up the southern California market before Slammers and WestCoast leave too, that appears now to be the only geographic market where the paying participants still think they are at the better party and GDA has a chance to save face.
Not so sure FCW has a relationship with Eclipse. They are working on a rebrand and will be associated with another club in the NW burbs. Eclipse (Honor) in Hawthorne Woods will be done after Spring as well.