Parents, you dont need ECNL

[Unregistered]

Of course most parents don't need ECNL. There are so few kids going to play d1 from Mass each year that it doesn't matter.

[Unregistered]

Spot on.
The obsession over how hard the anti-ECNL crowd protests suggests just how relevant the league remains, much to their dismay.

The lady doth protest too much, me thinks............

Substitute ECNL with DAP and you have the same arguments that go round and round and round

[Unregistered]

for your child to play in college.

Did anyone else watch the GU19 finals last night? VSA (Va) beat Team Chicago (OH). VSA won the Nationals at U17, lost in finals at U18 (to Team Chicago) and won at U19.

All their players were on a D1 roster, and guess what they are not an ECNL club.

Just saying...

We all know that playing for an ECNL team is neither necessary nor sufficient for a player to land on a D1 roster. The anecdotes are all around us. So, lets get to OP's real point: VSA Heat is a national champion. The VSA Heat parents are another matter, though. McLean Power ECNL parents did not spend time on this or other forums pumping up their team.

Just saying ...

[Unregistered]

Notice that the OP chose a U19 as his example. When is the last time anyone followed the fortunes of a U19 team? So why did he chose them as his example?

ECNL was launched in 2009/10 with 40 clubs. These VSA and Chicago teams were U15 at that time. It's ridiculous to think that teams of that era, who did not have access to ECNL, offered no path to college. That's like saying you don't need a college degree to find a job today because high school graduates in 1950 didn't need one.

ECNL is already a critical ingredient to college preparation and is getting increasingly indispensable each year. If anyone wants to take comfort in the story of a USYS team of 19 year olds that is a perennial contestant in the national championship... that's your prerogative. But it sounds more like after-the-fact justification by the parent of a kid who was cut or realizes now that they mad a bad decision.

Thank you for saving me time. Comparing this age group to today recruits is like comparing apples to oranges. The landscape (sorry but it fits) of soccer changes rapidly, and for now, at least, ECNL is a very good way to be seen by D1 coaches. It's not the only way, just one of the better ways.

[Unregistered]

for your child to play in college.

Did anyone else watch the GU19 finals last night? VSA (Va) beat Team Chicago (OH). VSA won the Nationals at U17, lost in finals at U18 (to Team Chicago) and won at U19.

All their players were on a D1 roster, and guess what they are not an ECNL club.

Just saying...

Well done....

At least 5 of the players on the VSA u19 roster played ECNL before they were in college.

[Unregistered]

Well done....

At least 5 of the players on the VSA u19 roster played ECNL before they were in college.

LOL! That's hilarious. Guess this is a thread he wishes he never started!

Loved the analogy of the college degree. The ECNL bashers here can just skip all of this because their kids don't need college degrees anyway. They can get a job at the buggy whip factory straight out of high school, right? Times have changed, folks. There is always a segment of bitter-enders who don't realize it or refuse to accept it. As things become more obvious they become more stalwart. Everyone should commit to not saying I-told-you-so in a couple of years... As tempting as it would be...

[Unregistered]

Please tell me that you are not so blind and arrogant to think that there is only one path toward success. This would be the most moronic stance to take and one ultimately leading to failure of the majority.

I don't know much about the girls side, but I suspect that the girls from the top GPS and NEFC teams will find colleges to play soccer and get a good education. Some might be division 1 and others might not. There are many ways to get the exposure needed including personal club ID camps, for which the success will be built on by the clubs success, contacts, and timing.

As I said before, I am not the OP and do not have a daughter. I am also not a 'bluto', but a instead, a realist, which most ECNL parents are not, and this fantasy extends even further down to the lower teams on ECNL clubs who feel some kind of superiority over the non ECNL clubs.

We were part of the Bolts until they went to the 10+ month season and prevented high school play. The Bolts are a great club and the training was excellent. My boy enjoyed the academy quite a bit and the competition was excellent, with college coaches showing up to regular games and not just the showcases. These are choices that all players and families make. Like the ECNL, the DAP is not by any stretch, the only path toward playing soccer in college. The successes of NEFC, GPS, Blazers are very clear and very prominent.

My comment about the value of training being 'obvious' should indicate that it is second to none and not as an aside as suggested by a later poster. Bottom line is that if you can't play well then it does not matter what team you are playing for. The converse being, if you are a great player then you will get noticed. For those in between (the majority) the exposure that your team gets is very important. This means that your team has to be good and play in popular tournaments e.g. Disney, Potomac, Bethesda, Manhattan. The more game play outside of New England, the greater the chance of playing in a school outside of New England.

If you doubt any of what I say, they you have blinders on.

[Unregistered]

Please tell me that you are not so blind and arrogant to think that there is only one path toward success. This would be the most moronic stance to take and one ultimately leading to failure of the majority.

I don't know much about the girls side, but I suspect that the girls from the top GPS and NEFC teams will find colleges to play soccer and get a good education. Some might be division 1 and others might not. There are many ways to get the exposure needed including personal club ID camps, for which the success will be built on by the clubs success, contacts, and timing.

As I said before, I am not the OP and do not have a daughter. I am also not a 'bluto', but a instead, a realist, which most ECNL parents are not, and this fantasy extends even further down to the lower teams on ECNL clubs who feel some kind of superiority over the non ECNL clubs.

We were part of the Bolts until they went to the 10+ month season and prevented high school play. The Bolts are a great club and the training was excellent. My boy enjoyed the academy quite a bit and the competition was excellent, with college coaches showing up to regular games and not just the showcases. These are choices that all players and families make. Like the ECNL, the DAP is not by any stretch, the only path toward playing soccer in college. The successes of NEFC, GPS, Blazers are very clear and very prominent.

My comment about the value of training being 'obvious' should indicate that it is second to none and not as an aside as suggested by a later poster. Bottom line is that if you can't play well then it does not matter what team you are playing for. The converse being, if you are a great player then you will get noticed. For those in between (the majority) the exposure that your team gets is very important. This means that your team has to be good and play in popular tournaments e.g. Disney, Potomac, Bethesda, Manhattan. The more game play outside of New England, the greater the chance of playing in a school outside of New England.

If you doubt any of what I say, they you have blinders on.

The statement that it doesn't matter where a low quality player plays is correct. The statement that it doesn't matter where a high quality player plays is incorrect. If you are a high quality player it is a no-brainer that you should play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it.

[Unregistered]

Please tell me that you are not so blind and arrogant to think that there is only one path toward success. This would be the most moronic stance to take and one ultimately leading to failure of the majority.

I don't know much about the girls side, but I suspect that the girls from the top GPS and NEFC teams will find colleges to play soccer and get a good education. Some might be division 1 and others might not. There are many ways to get the exposure needed including personal club ID camps, for which the success will be built on by the clubs success, contacts, and timing.

As I said before, I am not the OP and do not have a daughter. I am also not a 'bluto', but a instead, a realist, which most ECNL parents are not, and this fantasy extends even further down to the lower teams on ECNL clubs who feel some kind of superiority over the non ECNL clubs.

We were part of the Bolts until they went to the 10+ month season and prevented high school play. The Bolts are a great club and the training was excellent. My boy enjoyed the academy quite a bit and the competition was excellent, with college coaches showing up to regular games and not just the showcases. These are choices that all players and families make. Like the ECNL, the DAP is not by any stretch, the only path toward playing soccer in college. The successes of NEFC, GPS, Blazers are very clear and very prominent.

My comment about the value of training being 'obvious' should indicate that it is second to none and not as an aside as suggested by a later poster. Bottom line is that if you can't play well then it does not matter what team you are playing for. The converse being, if you are a great player then you will get noticed. For those in between (the majority) the exposure that your team gets is very important. This means that your team has to be good and play in popular tournaments e.g. Disney, Potomac, Bethesda, Manhattan. The more game play outside of New England, the greater the chance of playing in a school outside of New England.

If you doubt any of what I say, they you have blinders on.

What exactly do you think you said that is stunning or controversial?

[Unregistered]

The statement that it doesn't matter where a low quality player plays is correct. The statement that it doesn't matter where a high quality player plays is incorrect. If you are a high quality player it is a no-brainer that you should play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it.

What exactly do you think you said that is stunning or controversial?

I am just reinforcing the fact that ECNL is not the only path. However, the poster before you is blind and arrogant as one can be........especially the 'play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it'

[Unregistered]

The statement that it doesn't matter where a low quality player plays is correct. The statement that it doesn't matter where a high quality player plays is incorrect. If you are a high quality player it is a no-brainer that you should play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it.



I am just reinforcing the fact that ECNL is not the only path. However, the poster before you is blind and arrogant as one can be........especially the 'play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it'

By this logic, when the kid makes the A team of the non-ECNL club she might as well accept a spot on the B team. Or the C team, for that matter. There is a hierarchy. Some folks didn't realize that fact or didn't like the result they got. It's called sour grapes and it's as old as Aesop.

[Unregistered]

The statement that it doesn't matter where a low quality player plays is correct. The statement that it doesn't matter where a high quality player plays is incorrect. If you are a high quality player it is a no-brainer that you should play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it.



I am just reinforcing the fact that ECNL is not the only path. However, the poster before you is blind and arrogant as one can be........especially the 'play for an ECNL team if you are able to make it'

It isn't the only path nor it is necessarily the right path for all players - same can be said of DAP. If your 14 year knows she wants to play D1 college ball then sure, yes. But how many know that at that age? For some the choice can come down to being a bench ECNL player vs a starter/contributor on another team. Sure the former may give you more "exposure" but the later gives you experience. And it isn't like ECNL has a monopoly on the best coaching around either. Is it generally better? Probably, but definitely not always.

Everyone's situation is different and families and players shouldn't be criticized for making their own choices.

[Unregistered]

Well done....

At least 5 of the players on the VSA u19 roster played ECNL before they were in college.

you know this how? were able to find the data where?

[Unregistered]

you know this how? were able to find the data where?

hahahahahahaha. Oops. Bet you wish you could walk back this thread now, don't you? LOL!

[Unregistered]

you know this how? were able to find the data where?

the internet