How good is the 01 GSA ECNL team?

wow! 5 out of state players! that is nuts!
what sucks is being at club like that since you were 7, then girls from 150 miles away decide to play for the club, can' train regularly, but take your spot on the ecnl team. but thats life!

so do you think they play athena/classic in what ever state they play for then their 2nd team is the ecnl team?

anyone know if the same thing is happening at afu and concorde?

i'm assuming this happens for DA also??

2 are from TN and 2 are from FL.  I think the 5th is from AL.

Are the 01's the current u13 or u14 team? Current U13 seem to be running hit or miss right now. Regardless, seems to me that whether you play ECNL or RPL the competition level continues to increase as you make it further along. I just hope that this splitting of the talent pool,to some extent, does not eventually hurt the USWNT. And for those of you who think one is better than the other in terms of potential collegiate play...if your girl has talent she will be noticed in either group, and if you want her to go to a specific college further away that a state or two, I would suggest looking into those specific colleges camps and send your tapes in to the coaches. Don't rely on the possibility that a scout "might" be at this or that tournament. Or on the fact that if they are your daughter will have the perfect game.

I am with you.  Wow.  Five eighth graders playing soccer in another state.  I just wonder where we are headed with all of this.  I see more and more girls willing to travel unbelievable distances to be part of ECNL.  When I first heard of destination clubs I envisioned clubs attracting the best players a hundred miles within each direction of the club.  It's far beyond that. 

I don't know where the five girls train and play.  Just two from each team are "discovery players", meaning they can be rostered with another team as their primary team and the ECNL team as their second team  Maybe they "guest" for their local team. Who knows. 

So, when do these kids study?  In reality, no matter how good you are at 13 or 14, the liklihood is, an academic scholarship is going to be an important component of the package.  Plus, how burned out are you at 18 when you have spent your entire high school years in a car.  Thesee kids often just plug on because it's what they've always done.  One day they wake up and start to wonder if they really love the game.

I would say that any player who lives much more than 100 miles from the Ecnl club can't train with the team on a regular basis. In Atlanta it's probably quite a bit less than 100 miles, depending on traffic.

At U14 there is one event, and it's in the spring in Greenville, SC. This year the teams can play one extra event at two of the Ecnl Showcases (Dallas and Phoenix or San Diego, I've forgotten which two for sure).  Things may have changed, but even with a player on the national pool, we rarely saw a college coach at any of our games at u14.  They began showing up at u15, mostly to watch her. The big year for coaches was u16 and u17. So, I am not sure how much exposure thes girls will get.

Ecnl is a great league. Is it better for an individual player's development than the Premier League or Athena A? I don't know, and would say it really depends on the player. At this age some players are going to develop a whole lot more with good coaching, consistent training and time on the field during games. There are many good choices in Atlanta. Parents need to go where there daughter has the greatest opportunity to develop, and, at 14, that may not be on an Ecnl team. Most of all, for girls, you have to keep in some of the fun and the social aspects, especially at this age. Don't turn it into a job too soon. With Ecnl, and the Premier League, the intensity level will increase fast enough. 

Think hard before you put your eighth grader in a car to drive two hours practice. Look at your local options. If your child is good enough Ecnl will be an option at U15 and even older. You have plenty of opportunity to spend your time and money once they get onto high school.  That's just the opinion of someone who has spent the last four years with Ecnl, but at a local club. I wouldn't trade our experience, and my daughter is a much better player because of it,  but we are all more than ready to see it end and move onto our next life. I say that because soccer will be your life for a long time.

I guess you are right. But, I would say again that there is plenty of time to play Ecnl and spending five studying in a car is necessarily the best idea for many kids. We are winding down. As a senior, my daughter has played Ecnl for five years, and she is happy it is coming to an end. I see it most other girls and parents on her team. It is their life for many years. They miss homecoming, football games, spring break trips, time with friends. . .As with any high level sport, there are sacrifices. I am just saying, weigh the need to begin too soon to travel long distances for practice. No matter how good they are at 14 you want them to still love the sport at 18 and beyond. 

Don't get me wrong, I am a supporter of Ecnl. There is great completion and exposure. It has made my daughter a better player and she will play for a smaller D1 program. But, she doesn't travel to practice and still misses out on a whole lot. With all of the traveling we do on the weekends, it is just hard for me to imagine being in a car on the weekdays. For her, it never would have worked. For some, it does. Just be sure when you decide that traveling two hours to practice in eighth grade is the right idea, you are sure that she is one of those kids it works  for. I am not telling anyone not to do Ecnl, I am just saying that Ecnl will still be around for your chile once they get to high school.