GA Showcases

[happy9]

Players should wear unmarked jerseys and scouts should be sent showcases / regional camps that are far from their home turf...

It's certainly not a perfect process. The YNT ID centers are local, administered by a host club, meaning they coordinated for fields and provided the opposing team for the age group being observed. The players don't wear club gear but of course the observing staff knows what clubs they are from. The host club is not involved in any way during the assessment - at least that's the outward appearance. From warm up to cool down, it's run by the USSF staff.

As to where some of the YNT scouts went to, some of them have gone on to become senior staffers on clubs in their local areas. A good example I guess to the San Diego area, would be Albion hiring Jen Lalor as their Pathways director and Assistant Academy Director. She was a prominent US YNT scout and former USWNT middie. She has a great pedigree and appears to be a good steward of the Girls game.. It's a good club with a history of success.

 

[Justafan]

Why would certain clubs put top teams in ECRL instead of GA? It seems like a disservice to the kids on those top teams to play a bunch of second teams from top clubs. Am I missing something or are the second teams playing GA making out like bandits in terms of level of play?

Somebody take away this guy's Kool-Aid please. Brother you're missing everything. What makes you think GAL is even better than Discovery? Simi where are you, this is the whole DPL discussion all over again. Hate to break it to you, but GAL may be the 4th best league after 1) ECNL, 2) ECRL, a very close second, 3) Discovery/GAL, 4) GAL/Discovery.

ECRL will annihilate GAL and in my opinion can give ECNL a run for its money. You have Beach, Legends, Pats, and West Coast FC's top teams and then you have Surf & Blues' 2nd teams which are very, very good teams.

GAL has Beach, Legends, Pats, & WCFC's 2nd teams. Beach and Legends 2nd teams are also very good, but they are in a mix with many other "very good" teams. Pats & WCFC's 2nd teams are not as good as Beach and Legends 2nd teams and then you have 5 bottom tier former DA teams. These teams are probably in the "very good" tier of teams IF they stick together and don't lose player to ECNL. The kicker is City SC. If they stay intact then that's an excellent team.

Discovery has 6-8 "very good" teams. Look, my dd's are 04's and so we are almost out of this, but I can't sit by and let people just assume GAL is the second best league, just because the say they are and have a nice website. This exact same thing happened with DPL and I was proven right. So this is really for the younger parents out there. Don't panic!

So here's the deal. For any given age group in SoCal, you will have anywhere from 1-4 Elite/Great teams; 8-11 excellent teams; then 20-30 "very good" teams. That's our strength in SoCal, we have incredible depth. These 20-30 very good teams would be top 5 teams in about 35-40 States.
So ECNL and ECRL have all the Elite & excellent teams with the exception of City SC. But that's only 10-15 teams total. The rest are in the very good tier. Some of those "very good" teams are in ECNL & ECRL (the lower halves) and some are in Discovery, GAL, CSL, & SDDA.

You do not have to be in GAL to get college exposure. You can be in Discovery, CSL, SDDA, etc. and still attend the college showcases in Vegas, Silverlakes, and Surf. Look brother, I get that we all have egos, but we don't have to put another league down to prop ourselves up.

 

[Ellejustus]

 

[Hugh Jasol]

Somebody take away this guy's Kool-Aid please. Brother you're missing everything. What makes you think GAL is even better than Discovery? Simi where are you, this is the whole DPL discussion all over again. Hate to break it to you, but GAL may be the 4th best league after 1) ECNL, 2) ECRL, a very close second, 3) Discovery/GAL, 4) GAL/Discovery.

ECRL will annihilate GAL and in my opinion can give ECNL a run for its money. You have Beach, Legends, Pats, and West Coast FC's top teams and then you have Surf & Blues' 2nd teams which are very, very good teams.

GAL has Beach, Legends, Pats, & WCFC's 2nd teams. Beach and Legends 2nd teams are also very good, but they are in a mix with many other "very good" teams. Pats & WCFC's 2nd teams are not as good as Beach and Legends 2nd teams and then you have 5 bottom tier former DA teams. These teams are probably in the "very good" tier of teams IF they stick together and don't lose player to ECNL. The kicker is City SC. If they stay intact then that's an excellent team.

Discovery has 6-8 "very good" teams. Look, my dd's are 04's and so we are almost out of this, but I can't sit by and let people just assume GAL is the second best league, just because the say they are and have a nice website. This exact same thing happened with DPL and I was proven right. So this is really for the younger parents out there. Don't panic!

So here's the deal. For any given age group in SoCal, you will have anywhere from 1-4 Elite/Great teams; 8-11 excellent teams; then 20-30 "very good" teams. That's our strength in SoCal, we have incredible depth. These 20-30 very good teams would be top 5 teams in about 35-40 States.
So ECNL and ECRL have all the Elite & excellent teams with the exception of City SC. But that's only 10-15 teams total. The rest are in the very good tier. Some of those "very good" teams are in ECNL & ECRL (the lower halves) and some are in Discovery, GAL, CSL, & SDDA.

You do not have to be in GAL to get college exposure. You can be in Discovery, CSL, SDDA, etc. and still attend the college showcases in Vegas, Silverlakes, and Surf. Look brother, I get that we all have egos, but we don't have to put another league down to prop ourselves up.

Windbag

 

[Justafan]

Windbag

Sorry brother, you came out swinging, you had an agenda to promote GAL, and you got called out with facts. I dare you to refute anything I said. Do you realize how easily you just glossed over ECRL, Discovery, CSL, and SDDA and annointed GAL as the undisputed 2nd best league? You did that, not me. Own it.

 

[Hugh Jasol]

Sorry brother, you came out swinging, you had an agenda to promote GAL, and you got called out with facts. I dare you to refute anything I said. Do you realize how easily you just glossed over ECRL, Discovery, CSL, and SDDA and annointed GAL as the undisputed 2nd best league? You did that, not me. Own it.

I do not see any facts in your post above. It appears that you are claiming your observations as facts. I asked a question that was based on my observations but am not so out of touch to ever call my observations facts.

 

[Copa9]

Sorry brother, you came out swinging, you had an agenda to promote GAL, and you got called out with facts. I dare you to refute anything I said. Do you realize how easily you just glossed over ECRL, Discovery, CSL, and SDDA and annointed GAL as the undisputed 2nd best league? You did that, not me. Own it.

Bottom line,college coaches and scouts look for ball skill, speed, flexibility, soccer IQ, style of play. Players need to work on those things and play against the best competition they can. A player can look great against a slower less skilled team than if they play against a highly skilled, fast, smart team. College coaches and scouts know this and will look for the most talented player, period.

 

[happy9]

Bottom line,college coaches and scouts look for ball skill, speed, flexibility, soccer IQ, style of play. Players need to work on those things and play against the best competition they can. A player can look great against a slower less skilled team than if they play against a highly skilled, fast, smart team. College coaches and scouts know this and will look for the most talented player, period.

Absolutely, it's why coaches want to see continuous video of games as opposed to clips showcasing your skills. How well you play against top competition is key. I always wonder why parents, already in a good league, on a good team, want to move their player to the best team. College coaches/YNT scouts don't care about score, many times don't care about record. They care about talent, they care about fit, style of play, and what holes they have to fill on their rosters.

 

[Justafan]

I do not see any facts in your post above. It appears that you are claiming your observations as facts. I asked a question that was based on my observations but am not so out of touch to ever call my observations facts.

"Why would certain clubs put top teams in ECRL instead of GA?" Assumes fact that GA is better than ECRL.

"[D]isservice . . . on those top teams to play a bunch of second teams." Not only assumes GA is better than ECRL, but says those 2nd teams suck. Those are intentionally charged words. Something about this structure is pissing you off. My guess is your dd plays in GA.

"econd teams playing GA making out like bandits in terms of level of play?" Not exactly sure what this means, but again charged words means your're talking shit.

"Will they go all in with GA or keep trying for ECNL and keep having the top teams play inferior competition?" Again charged words assuming GA is SUPERIOR to ECRL.

"It might make sense for them to go all in on GA if ECNL politics keep them out again?" Assumes GA is 2nd best to ECNL.

See the pattern here, "bunch of second teams," "making out like bandits," & "inferior competition," those are all your words. You didn't just "ask" a question, you were talking shit, so f'n own it.

 

[Hugh Jasol]

"Why would certain clubs put top teams in ECRL instead of GA?" Assumes fact that GA is better than ECRL.

"[D]isservice . . . on those top teams to play a bunch of second teams." Not only assumes GA is better than ECRL, but says those 2nd teams suck. Those are intentionally charged words. Something about this structure is pissing you off. My guess is your dd plays in GA.

"econd teams playing GA making out like bandits in terms of level of play?" Not exactly sure what this means, but again charged words means your're talking shit.

"Will they go all in with GA or keep trying for ECNL and keep having the top teams play inferior competition?" Again charged words assuming GA is SUPERIOR to ECRL.

"It might make sense for them to go all in on GA if ECNL politics keep them out again?" Assumes GA is 2nd best to ECNL.

See the pattern here, "bunch of second teams," "making out like bandits," & "inferior competition," those are all your words. You didn't just "ask" a question, you were talking shit, so f'n own it.

You assume quite a bit. My DD is 10 but does play at one of the ECRL and GA Clubs. My concern is that the best players at the club might not be playing the highest level competition available at the club because of wishful thinking at the club to some day be granted ECNL.

 

[Ellejustus]

You assume quite a bit. My DD is 10 but does play at one of the ECRL and GA Clubs. My concern is that the best players at the club might not be playing the highest level competition available at the club because of wishful thinking at the club to some day be granted ECNL.

That makes more sense. If you were talking u17, I have some extra kool aide left over from all the free packets I got with my free GDA handout back in 2017-2018. The kool aid I got bro, was pure as it ever was. The stuff they make now is with fake sugar I'm told.

 

[dad4]

You assume quite a bit. My DD is 10 but does play at one of the ECRL and GA Clubs. My concern is that the best players at the club might not be playing the highest level competition available at the club because of wishful thinking at the club to some day be granted ECNL.

Give it some time to shake out. If ECNL is smart, they will take the top GA teams well before the 2010s go U13. If ECNL stays stubborn, then GA will have the critical mass it needs to grow. Either way you’ll be fine.

DD here is also 2010. Hope they get back to games soon.

 

[soccerfan123]

Give it some time to shake out. If ECNL is smart, they will take the top GA teams well before the 2010s go U13. If ECNL stays stubborn, then GA will have the critical mass it needs to grow. Either way you’ll be fine.

DD here is also 2010. Hope they get back to games soon.

ECNL is smart and have proved that over the last 10 years. And they may do that but it will be only the top 1 or 2 performing clubs in each region as space is limited jus as it should be for the elite league - so theyll still be people crying if their dd isnt good enough to make 1 of those rosters

 

[dad4]

ECNL is smart and have proved that over the last 10 years. And they may do that but it will be only the top 1 or 2 performing clubs in each region as space is limited jus as it should be for the elite league - so theyll still be people crying if their dd isnt good enough to make 1 of those rosters

If ECNL were smart, they would have added all the top DA clubs and GA wouldn’t even exist.

As it is, they left out high profile clubs like Legends and Top Hat, giving GA a core to form around.

 

[Ellejustus]

If ECNL were smart, they would have added all the top DA clubs and GA wouldn’t even exist.

As it is, they left out high profile clubs like Legends and Top Hat, giving GA a core to form around.

Or, if the GDA made smarter biz decisions and open to listening to others in 2016, they would have made hs soccer a part of their philosophy. Nope, they tried to destroy a tradition and they got nailed for it imo. Took to much power and when folks get power, they get drunk with power.

 

[happy9]

Or, if the GDA made smarter biz decisions and open to listening to others in 2016, they would have made hs soccer a part of their philosophy. Nope, they tried to destroy a tradition and they got nailed for it imo. Took to much power and when folks get power, they get drunk with power.

Certainly true. The irony is they were honestly moving in that direction - allowing HS play and eliminating the sub rule. That was already being disseminated to clubs across the country, who were in turn telling parents the intent for the fall 20 season and beyond. It would have eliminated a major obstacle for incoming freshman girls to play in the GDA. The GDA was collateral damage for issues way beyond their control. Towards the end, those committed to the women's game tried everything they could to stay afloat. Money talks, just the way it goes.

At the core of the GDA, it was always about the YNTs. And it still is for US soccer. College was a by product, and a good one at that. The message from US soccer remains philosophy, style, commitment - talent is a given. ECNL is a different animal, driven by different ideas, with the central tenant being getting as many girls into college as it can. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The pathway to the YNTs is very, very narrow. Doing this kind of stuff is hard, youth sports are political and being able to sell your platform is what makes the money.

 

[Desert Hound]

If ECNL were smart, they would have added all the top DA clubs and GA wouldn’t even exist.

As it is, they left out high profile clubs like Legends and Top Hat, giving GA a core to form around.

I suspect you will see ECNL pick up a few in the SW for next year.

Beach, Pats, Legends and West Coast.

Why?
Well for starters all 4 are in the girls ECRL league.

Then all 4 are in Boys ECNL and ECRL.

Seems like they are making their play to be full on ECNL clubs.

 

[LB Mom 78]

I suspect you will see ECNL pick up a few in the SW for next year.

Beach, Pats, Legends and West Coast.

Why?
Well for starters all 4 are in the girls ECRL league.

Then all 4 are in Boys ECNL and ECRL.

Seems like they are making their play to be full on ECNL clubs.

Would ECNL have to kick some existing SW clubs out to make room? My understanding is field space is a major obstacle to adding too many teams.

 

[Ellejustus]

Certainly true. 1. The irony is they were honestly moving in that direction - allowing HS play and eliminating the sub rule. That was already being disseminated to clubs across the country, who were in turn telling parents the intent for the fall 20 season and beyond. It would have eliminated a major obstacle for incoming freshman girls to play in the GDA. The GDA was collateral damage for issues way beyond their control. Towards the end, those committed to the women's game tried everything they could to stay afloat. 2. Money talks, just the way it goes.

3. At the core of the GDA, it was always about the YNTs. And it still is for US soccer. College was a by product, and a good one at that. The message from US soccer remains philosophy, style, commitment - talent is a given. 4. ECNL is a different animal, driven by different ideas, with the central tenant being getting as many girls into college as it can. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The pathway to the YNTs is very, very narrow. Doing this kind of stuff is hard, youth sports are political and being able to sell your platform is what makes the money.

1. I know, I was told the same thing every year from the top GDA Docs. It never happened and we will never truly know. Some cheated and got to do both and that wasn;t very fair, rule breakers.....
2. Money talks big time and Mr Franklin is well liked in America. The root of all evil some say is
3. I agree the GDA was about business and using the ynt list to grow their numbers of paying customers and ECNL was a about a business for college
4. ECNL sells access to college help, GDA sold access to the YNT list.

 

[dad4]

Would ECNL have to kick some existing SW clubs out to make room? My understanding is field space is a major obstacle to adding too many teams.

Field space strikes me as a red herring. The sort of thing you say when you cant admit the real reason.

Even counting all ECNL and the top 20 DA clubs, you're only talking 130 or so teams per age group. They only play one game per day, so it is 65 games per age group, max. That's tiny.