SW Division Updates

Why would City and/or Albion not be included in the ECNL if their teams are stronger top to bottom?
You have to understand that there's politics behind who's in and who's out. The DOCs + Leadership at different clubs have all known each other for sometimes 30+ years. The only thing you can count on 100% is which way the money flows. This is why I said Surf likes having Sharks in ECNL. It gives them a monopoly on most of the talent in SD.

One thing parents need to understand is that clubs (Surf) doesn't care if players come from SDSC, Albion, Sharks, Rebels, etc. If your daughter or son is better than the players they have on their teams they'll try to recruit. This is why being a big fish in a small pond (playing at Sharks) can have it's advantages. Coaches know talent when they see it + don't really care about loyalty. (unless it's to their specific team)

Also not all Sharks teams suck. Duarte Andrade's B2009 team won presidents level state cup in 2020...
 
There are people much closer to the situation than I, but some of the previous comments highlight the politics surrounding club soccer in the SD area coming into play.

It’s like that all over the country. If you look at most of the top clubs in the GA that haven’t been able to get into ECNL (or back in) they have a powerful ECNL club or two in the same market.

Top Hat- Concorde
Nationals- Michigan Hawks
NEFC- FC Stars & Scorpions
STA-PDA
FC Virginia- Louden
Cincinnati United- Ohio Premier
LFA- SLSG
 
I know some parents who have kids on the girls side at Sharks, and the sense I get is one of losing patience and maybe some frustration. The general thought was that with the DA folding, their ECNL teams would pick up kids from the ex-DA (now GA) clubs and 2nd team players from Surf with their joining ECNL, but that hasn't happened in any meaningful way. Maybe that will change as time goes on, but with the GA having a solid campaign season, and offering a viable alternative to ECNL for certain players (acknowledging the current competitive differences between the leagues), I see the situation getting more difficult for Sharks rather than easier. Parents and players may be more apt to stay put rather than be labeled as club hoppers, and focus more on the current coach and club environment rather than be overly fixed on the league. Losing is fine, but it does wear on a player (and parent lol), especially when the losses hit double digits with single digit wins while not seeing new talent coming in.

I think a lot of it boils down to culture as mentioned earlier. They're still run with local/neighborhood club initiatives and values, while competing for players against some really aggressive recruiting and marketing efforts and playing in national powerhouse league.

We shall see as the dust continues to settle from last year's shakeup.
 
You have to understand that there's politics behind who's in and who's out. The DOCs + Leadership at different clubs have all known each other for sometimes 30+ years. The only thing you can count on 100% is which way the money flows. This is why I said Surf likes having Sharks in ECNL. It gives them a monopoly on most of the talent in SD.

One thing parents need to understand is that clubs (Surf) doesn't care if players come from SDSC, Albion, Sharks, Rebels, etc. If your daughter or son is better than the players they have on their teams they'll try to recruit. This is why being a big fish in a small pond (playing at Sharks) can have it's advantages. Coaches know talent when they see it + don't really care about loyalty. (unless it's to their specific team)

Also not all Sharks teams suck. Duarte Andrade's B2009 team won presidents level state cup in 2020...
Correct. Sharks has had several very successful teams, some that are doing well in ECNL as we speak. San Diego parents would be wise to gravitate there if the goal is to have their kid start and play major minutes on an ECNL team with lots of opportunity for exposure. The post above is correct… the club is ripe for a parent-orchestrated super team at various age groups… both boys and girls. Not everyone can or wants to play for Surf, where the shiny new object is always waiting in the wings. Plus, Surf is instituting the player pool system for the girls under Deza, so an ECNL offer is not necessarily an ECNL offer for everyone on the team. Buyer beware.
 
Sharks has had several very successful teams, some that are doing well in ECNL as we speak
I thought I may have missed something as I read your comment.

Some are doing well in the ECNL?

Let us see.

14 clubs currently in the SW division.

Let us take a look at the various Shark age groups.

U13 - 12th place. Goal differential -30
U14 - 13th place. Goal differential -46
U15 - 13th place. Goal differential -37
U16 - 12th place. Goal differential -14
U17 - 14th place. Goal differential -36
U18/19 - 14th place. Goal differential -34
U18/19 Composite - 12th place. Goal differential -27

Help us out here. Which of the above age groups are doing well in ECNL?
 
I thought I may have missed something as I read your comment.

Some are doing well in the ECNL?

Let us see.

14 clubs currently in the SW division.

Let us take a look at the various Shark age groups.

U13 - 12th place. Goal differential -30
U14 - 13th place. Goal differential -46
U15 - 13th place. Goal differential -37
U16 - 12th place. Goal differential -14
U17 - 14th place. Goal differential -36
U18/19 - 14th place. Goal differential -34
U18/19 Composite - 12th place. Goal differential -27

Help us out here. Which of the above age groups are doing well in ECNL?
To me this seems like Sharks are ripe at multiple levels for a parent super team to take over + make a run at ECNL.
 
I thought I may have missed something as I read your comment.

Some are doing well in the ECNL?

Let us see.

14 clubs currently in the SW division.

Let us take a look at the various Shark age groups.

U13 - 12th place. Goal differential -30
U14 - 13th place. Goal differential -46
U15 - 13th place. Goal differential -37
U16 - 12th place. Goal differential -14
U17 - 14th place. Goal differential -36
U18/19 - 14th place. Goal differential -34
U18/19 Composite - 12th place. Goal differential -27

Help us out here. Which of the above age groups are doing well in ECNL?
Should Steal LVSA from GA. That club is putting out some talent.
 
I thought I may have missed something as I read your comment.

Some are doing well in the ECNL?

Let us see.

14 clubs currently in the SW division.

Let us take a look at the various Shark age groups.

U13 - 12th place. Goal differential -30
U14 - 13th place. Goal differential -46
U15 - 13th place. Goal differential -37
U16 - 12th place. Goal differential -14
U17 - 14th place. Goal differential -36
U18/19 - 14th place. Goal differential -34
U18/19 Composite - 12th place. Goal differential -27

Help us out here. Which of the above age groups are doing well in ECNL?

WOW - the 18/19 Composite numbers are actually not too bad considering they played nearly every game with 9 or 10 players. No exaggeration.
 
WOW - the 18/19 Composite numbers are actually not too bad considering they played nearly every game with 9 or 10 players. No exaggeration.
Right now Sharks are not fielding good teams.

And the composite? That is an ecRl team essentially. And it will be officially one next year. It is the 2nd team at that age group. So they area about dead last compared to other 2nd teams. So I am not sure what the positive there is to be honest.

I felt sorry (different age group) for the Sharks team when my DD's team played them. Not a good team.

Hope things change for the club/kids.

However the reality is as of now they are not CLOSE to competitive at any of the age groups.

By the way I am still waiting on @OCSoccerDad3 to let us know which of the teams he thinks "that are doing well in ECNL as we speak".

From afar the club has a few problems that I see.

- Surf is very close.
- Surf takes the best players in the area.
- Any good player Sharks has will eventually move to Surf.
- The terrible record that Sharks has means parents avoid sending their kids there.

All that said...Surf can only put so many kids on the field per age group. So if there were someone at Sharks with leadership and vision the club could improve.
 
At some point in the past LVSA was kicked out of ECNL. Not sure why exactly, but whatever happened may be the reason they are not back in.

I had a friend whose kid played at LVSA when they were kicked out. From what he said they were told that they needed to have multiple age groups make the playoffs or they were out. Only one made it (the 99's). Whether this is true or just the spin he received is anyone's guess.
 
Right now Sharks are not fielding good teams.

And the composite? That is an ecRl team essentially. And it will be officially one next year. It is the 2nd team at that age group. So they area about dead last compared to other 2nd teams. So I am not sure what the positive there is to be honest.

I felt sorry (different age group) for the Sharks team when my DD's team played them. Not a good team.

Hope things change for the club/kids.

However the reality is as of now they are not CLOSE to competitive at any of the age groups.

By the way I am still waiting on @OCSoccerDad3 to let us know which of the teams he thinks "that are doing well in ECNL as we speak".

From afar the club has a few problems that I see.

- Surf is very close.
- Surf takes the best players in the area.
- Any good player Sharks has will eventually move to Surf.
- The terrible record that Sharks has means parents avoid sending their kids there.

All that said...Surf can only put so many kids on the field per age group. So if there were someone at Sharks with leadership and vision the club could improve.
This is very true. And in most age groups, Surf's ECRL team is a lot better than Shark's ECNL team. This indicates, players are more willing to play at Surf's 2nd team than Shark's ECNL team. The flow of good players continue to be moving from Sharks to Surf. Not sure what Sharks is doing but they can't seem to compete with Surf's 2nd team.

I would really like to see Shannon put together some better teams as I'm a big fan of hers. Gossip around town is, Sharks doesn't know how to value and retain their good teams or players. They don't do enough to attract good players either, not offering any incentive to join.
 
You have to understand that there's politics behind who's in and who's out. The DOCs + Leadership at different clubs have all known each other for sometimes 30+ years. The only thing you can count on 100% is which way the money flows. This is why I said Surf likes having Sharks in ECNL. It gives them a monopoly on most of the talent in SD.

One thing parents need to understand is that clubs (Surf) doesn't care if players come from SDSC, Albion, Sharks, Rebels, etc. If your daughter or son is better than the players they have on their teams they'll try to recruit. This is why being a big fish in a small pond (playing at Sharks) can have it's advantages. Coaches know talent when they see it + don't really care about loyalty. (unless it's to their specific team)

Also not all Sharks teams suck. Duarte Andrade's B2009 team won presidents level state cup in 2020...
Duarte is a very good coach and a fierce competitor. He's the exception at Sharks though and his B2009 is no longer with him. I hope they will be able to keep that team together because they are a good group and Duarte has done a good job training and recruiting great players.
 
Is there any club in the area (other than Surf) who could partner/merge with Sharks and add some depth to the program? City, Albion?

I would think the ECNL ticket that Sharks has would be of great interest.
 
Duarte is a very good coach and a fierce competitor. He's the exception at Sharks though and his B2009 is no longer with him. I hope they will be able to keep that team together because they are a good group and Duarte has done a good job training and recruiting great players.
Duarte runs a futsal group for boys and girls https://www.socalfutsalclub.com/ and I'm sure has been recruiting for the last year.

He'll be back with a great team.
 
Is there any club in the area (other than Surf) who could partner/merge with Sharks and add some depth to the program? City, Albion?

I would think the ECNL ticket that Sharks has would be of great interest.
Great idea. Hope City or Albion is reading this.
 
Great idea. Hope City or Albion is reading this.
I don't see a huge advantage for either of those clubs to beg for entry into ECNL. Sometimes it's nice being the top dog . I would add West Coast to the group. Parents are feeling pretty good about the GA right now. Good season, good product, good vibe. Staffs at Albion,City, WC are well connected. They will place girls in college and YNT pools.

Rumors are that ECNL and GA will have cross league matches in the near future. Have no idea on specified timelines - this year, next, etc. For now, those clubs are in a good position. The GA didn't turn out to be the train wreck that many thought or hoped it would be. Plenty of good soccer was played, across the country. Yes the "top" clubs are in ECNL, but so what. Not everyone is going to play on LAFC, Surf, Beach, Legends, etc.

For states like CA, FL, TX, 2 leagues are easily supported.
 
I don't see a huge advantage for either of those clubs to beg for entry into ECNL. Sometimes it's nice being the top dog . I would add West Coast to the group. Parents are feeling pretty good about the GA right now. Good season, good product, good vibe. Staffs at Albion,City, WC are well connected. They will place girls in college and YNT pools.

Rumors are that ECNL and GA will have cross league matches in the near future. Have no idea on specified timelines - this year, next, etc. For now, those clubs are in a good position. The GA didn't turn out to be the train wreck that many thought or hoped it would be. Plenty of good soccer was played, across the country. Yes the "top" clubs are in ECNL, but so what. Not everyone is going to play on LAFC, Surf, Beach, Legends, etc.

For states like CA, FL, TX, 2 leagues are easily supported.
I think GAL is a great 2nd tier league keeping ECNL honest at the moment but in San Diego and SOCAL , there aren't many quality GAL teams to play.
 
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