My two cents - DA is and was always to the benefit of MLS clubs. Non MLS clubs were only admitted to fill geographical holes. With some MLS academies "free" they had huge advantage. But that also meant they didn't really have to invest in development up to the U13 years. In fact our local MLS team barely has any kids that grew up in their youth organization. So much so they quit supporting the youth organization. They basically relied on other clubs AND (this is most important) the kids commitment to developing themselves and then in the eyes of some "stole" the talent. So now with MLS a much larger and the homegrown rules, it behooves them to have their own league to further separate themselves from the likes of say Pulisic's boyhood club PA Classics. W/o Classics I suspect he would have played for Union and not likely made the early move to europe. On the girls side, They made mistake starting new league rather than working with established ECNL. That now has come full circle. I will say same thing about our local ECNL club. More than half of one of my kid's team was developed at other clubs. In fact about half of them right now were on her teams at U9-10-11 at another club. But ECNL gives those kids best exposure for college so they migrate there. Now they have to earn it to get on team and work hard/perform to keep it, but for those that want to play in college, it's a good transition to what college will be like.
On the girls side, They made mistake starting new league rather than working with established ECNL. Yup... The so called DA and all this GDA BS from so many coaches. Where is your DA now? Arrogance. Anyone watch Big Mouth? I keep getting the scene where the the kid says "What do we do about the mess?" and the Hormone Monster says "Sleep in it pig!"
A few words about DA - the best goalkeeper on my son's college team played for Galaxy DA. He worked his way up as a Freshman from fourth chair after the Sophomore quit and the Senior and Junior both got injured in successive games. After that, he played almost every game for 4 years. But he wasn't as good as the best GK on my son's club teams. That was a big Hispanic kid from Valley Center whose club fees were paid by the parents of another kid from Valley Center on our team. He had linebacker size and midfielder foot skills. He eventually moved on to Surf's B team - the one below DA. The last few times I saw him play was for Valley Center HS, splitting his time between keeper and midfield, and as a big version of keeper-sweeper for Surf at a tournament in Orange County. I don't know why Surf's DA program didn't pick him up.
Wonder if this was part of the decision on the GDA side. Gotta think Surf was bolting before USSF canned DA. No way would they come out this early unless it was a done deal a few months ago. My guess Top Hat and others were planning this as well.
Here is one "lesson learned" -- when you announce a 10-year plan to develop world-class players, don't start with 16- to 18-year-olds.
So GDA teams were planning to bolt and now this on the boys side.... https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...rJRrYuSoItDpLHtvIdA1fJyRhiQMQlh1uP84TDSMIpPM4 This has to had been in the works for some time. MLS clubs have been complaining for 3 years now. With this and GDA falling apart - what was there left to run at any respectable level? So lets be clear - this is not a result of COVID or a poor economy. It is a result of the DA and USSF shitting the bed every night and the DA clubs like Sockers going right along with it.
...And Surf, the big DA club in San Diego, in its announcement to players and parents claimed that they had been working on a shift to ECNL for 6 months.
Not only that but look at all the song and dance they handed out to DA coaches who sang their tune when in the end, USSF left the girls with nothing. This is exactly why so many people support the ECNL.
That will be a fail before it even gets off the ground - esp when out of state travel will be limited likely going into 2021
Well I know that Sockers will be part of the MLS league - that's confirmed (for me). However I am hearing that ECNL is also setting up a new division for non-DA clubs. If that is true then boys soccer at the top will look like girls when the idiots at the DA created the GDA. Lets ruin soccer more huh!
Well there you go... https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/ecnl-boys-announces-6-new-member-clubs_aid47930 - Crossfire - Arsenal FC - FC Golden State - Pateadores - Real So Cal - San Diego Surf - Strikers FC Looks like this may be a battle between ECNL and MLS rather then a location issue... Wow!
Thanks, DA. We have to wait and see if ECNL lets my dd's club join. Apparently they left on bad terms for DA. Yesterday began a feeding frenzy in our area for DA players with ECNL coaches and players already reaching out. My dd was a 90 minute player, top third of the team but not the best. I'm guessing all of the top kids will displace current ECNL players spurring even more drama at a time where everyone is already under high stress.
Yeah I think ECNL is going on very aggressive to grab players and to get Non-DA clubs on board. GDA vs ECNL Well now you have ECNL vs MLS. Two watered down leagues.
That memo looks like those nine clubs whose ratty boat just washed ashore at MLS Island. Does MLS even want them. Is it a sign of solidarity, or are they just agreeing to wash up on MLS's shoreline hoping to be granted asylum before they end up with ECNL boys league being their only option. I'm not sure their banding together is really in Sockers' best interest. They are by far the strongest boys club on that list, no? Looks like the girls clubs are just gonna have to wait for the boy's battlefield to settle down before any real thought goes into potentially expanding there. A couple California teams were announced, but that is about it. The real battle right now is ECNL vs. whatever this MLS/USL league may look like. I would have thought TopHat (girls) would have announced a jump to ECNL by now. The fact they haven't leads me to believe girls clubs are just going to have to twist in the wind for a while.
Possible salvation for Sockers would be to join boys ECNL only under the condition that they get a girls ECNL badge as well. I am hearing FCU will be focusing their girls on USYS and MRL. If they did that, they - along with Eclipse NB will strip FCU of a ton of talent and Sockers specifically would have a fighting chance to have some sort of valid girls program that could be seen as better then Crystal Lake Force.
In the exact same boat here.... hard, very hard. One of the few things I have control over is not purchasing any more season tickets for NWSL -- done supporting USSF -- they have shaken the girls side like a snow globe yet again.
So honestly - I have heard the USMNT will start 1/2021 but nothing about the women. Could USSF be so bad that they would drop national womens teams altogether? I mean after the last week is that so far off to even consider?