ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

by soccermomof_3 04/07/20, 03:08 pm

Can anyone explain the difference between these 3 leagues?! I understand that ECNL is at the top of the pyramid, however very confused on the other 2.

Some clubs like Sting and Solar have both ECRL and ECNL NTX. What is the difference ? Where do they compete? What is the better league? I may not know a ton about youth soccer, but I’m pretty sure some of these clubs can’t fill 4-6 rosters with elite talent per age group.

by sideline83 04/07/20, 11:01 pm

Plus the big clubs are talking about FDL is an elite platform for elite players but what is this?

by Soccerpewpew 05/07/20, 09:43 am

ECNL is good. Some ECRL pretty good. ECNL NTX - think a way for highlands to say they are part of something national and basically a D1 team with a path to the next level. I think FDL replaces DPL when DA failed.

by AtThePitch 05/07/20, 02:29 pm

Until LH has a qualification for ECNL post season play like ECNL NTX you can't really compare the two.

There is talented players spread all across NTX in all the various leagues.

by Checkpoint Charlie 05/07/20, 06:40 pm

#MAGA

by Soccerpewpew 05/07/20, 07:21 pm

True. And too bad they are all spread out across a million national leagues.

by Checkpoint Charlie 05/07/20, 11:45 pm

Soccerpewpew wrote:True. And too bad they are all spread out across a million national leagues.

#MAGA

by 05DD 06/07/20, 02:11 am

soccermomof_3 wrote:Can anyone explain the difference between these 3 leagues?! I understand that ECNL is at the top of the pyramid, however very confused on the other 2.

Some clubs like Sting and Solar have both ECRL and ECNL NTX. What is the difference ? Where do they compete? What is the better league? I may not know a ton about youth soccer, but I’m pretty sure some of these clubs can’t fill 4-6 rosters with elite talent per age group.

None of them can fill 4-6 rosters with elite talent. But they all will still fill them.
ECNL- pay for competition and access to play in front of college coaches.
ECRL- pay for ECNL patch
ECNL NTX- pay for patch, plus bragging rights over LH parents

by smugrr 06/07/20, 02:17 pm

I think the clubs are using ECNL for their top players, ECRL for the next level (and a way for a player to improve and try to make the ECNL lineup) and the next leagues seem to be a scattering of teams based around a coach. In other words, it seems to me the clubs control who coaches ECNL and ECRL and how the players are picked (do not know about ECNL-NTX) and then while the clubs may have a say in FDL or whatever else is running around, it is basically up to the coach to put together the team based on his prior, existing, team.

by smugrr 06/07/20, 03:08 pm

And do not forget about Frontier League (if it still exists) and the Red River conference.

by Truthiness 06/07/20, 06:07 pm

ECNL is a good idea. I can even get behind ECRL (or ECNL-RL...whatever they call it).

However, you can't convince me that any team playing in ECNL-NTX, DPL, FDL, Red River Frontier, etc. is better off in that league than they would be if all those leagues went away and everyone played in a league like Lake Highlands with pro/rel. All the traveling to play teams that are no better (and usually much, much worse) than a dozen other teams within 30 minutes of the Metroplex is silly. The reason LH now sucks is because you have a dozen teams avoiding it (for parent/coach egos/ignorance to say they play in some "elite" travel league?). The way to fix that is for everyone to stop traveling to play the Oklahoma/Louisiana/Arkansas Pink Ponies. Let them come join the local league (or local tournaments) if they want to play Dallas teams. Maybe that's Lake Highlands. Or maybe that's some replacement league to come. Either way, we seem to be completely wasting the fact that we're one of a half dozen places in the country that doesn't need to travel to find competition.

If everyone but the ECNL/ECRL teams just played in Lake Highlands or some similar replacement (and you wouldn't have to try hard to convince me that with 6 local ECNL teams the ECRL league isn't necessary either), the DFW soccer world would be a much better place. The teams that still want to travel can go to tournaments and showcases instead.

by AtThePitch 06/07/20, 06:19 pm

ECNL NTX does not travel. They play the other ECNL NTX teams with the metroplex. Top two from each age group advance to a post season vs STX with the winners of that post season advancing to ECNL nationals in the same groupings as the ECRL teams.

So no travel for league games, a playoff within the state of Texas, and then a spot at Nationals.

And with no travel for league games the teams can pick showcase events to travel to that fit their liking.

by mlwfrisco 06/07/20, 06:31 pm

Also keep in mind that the Frontier League is supplemental to Lake Highlands. The teams qualify for Frontier League through their finish the year before in Lake Highlands. Will be a couple of travel weekends for the league, but only Austin/San Antonio, Houston and Oklahoma.

by Truthiness 06/07/20, 06:51 pm

AtThePitch wrote:ECNL NTX does not travel. They play the other ECNL NTX teams with the metroplex. Top two from each age group advance to a post season vs STX with the winners of that post season advancing to ECNL nationals in the same groupings as the ECRL teams.

So no travel for league games, a playoff within the state of Texas, and then a spot at Nationals.

And with no travel for league games the teams can pick showcase events to travel to that fit their liking.

Well that all sounds quite reasonable, actually. I stand corrected.

Would prefer that they strengthen the local league by also including teams from smaller clubs, but NTX girl players (unlike the boys) are so concentrated in the Big 5 clubs that maybe it doesn't matter too much outside of a team or two per age group.

by AtThePitch 06/07/20, 07:00 pm

ECNL NTX was open to the small clubs as it was in STX. My understanding is they opted to not participate this season.

Can't please everyone.

by Truthiness 06/07/20, 07:31 pm

AtThePitch wrote:ECNL NTX was open to the small clubs as it was in STX. My understanding is they opted to not participate this season.

Can't please everyone.

Well then, I am out of objections and shouldn't have made a bunch of assumptions. Actually sounds pretty good and what should probably indeed be happening to fix what has been a broken model the past several years.

by 05KeeperDad 06/07/20, 09:27 pm

The small clubs likely opted out because it was added money for an experiment, and to stay home and do the exact same thing they are already doing.

There's only six teams from 3 different clubs, and that's supposed to be a "league"? And, in some cases, it's the 5th and 6th team for that club.

If ECNL were smart, there'd be a qualifying tourney, promotion and relegation with any club having the ability to enter. But, big clubs sign big contacts to make sure they have that exclusivity...

by smugrr 07/07/20, 01:08 pm

Interesting in South/Central Texas the small clubs chose to participate, but not here. Know why? Cost? Where did the info on 6 teams from 3 clubs come from?

by Foxysoccermom 07/07/20, 01:40 pm

05DD wrote:
soccermomof_3 wrote:Can anyone explain the difference between these 3 leagues?! I understand that ECNL is at the top of the pyramid, however very confused on the other 2.

Some clubs like Sting and Solar have both ECRL and ECNL NTX. What is the difference ? Where do they compete? What is the better league? I may not know a ton about youth soccer, but I’m pretty sure some of these clubs can’t fill 4-6 rosters with elite talent per age group.

None of them can fill 4-6 rosters with elite talent. But they all will still fill them.
ECNL- pay for competition and access to play in front of college coaches.
ECRL- pay for ECNL patch
ECNL NTX- pay for patch, plus bragging rights over LH parents

I like the way you roll 05dd. Cool

Are any of these league bige approved? Can he wear his DA kit to Ecnl games?

by NoSpinZone 07/07/20, 03:56 pm

Foxysoccermom wrote:

Are any of these league bige approved? Can he wear his DA kit to Ecnl games?

Oh BigEgo a Full Kit Wanker for sure!

by Truthiness 09/07/20, 10:03 am

Are the ECNL-NTX teams going to be brand new teams that are being formed, or will the league consist of existing FDL/LH teams that will pick up additional games in the new league?
Perhaps the latter this year and the former next year?

by mlwfrisco 09/07/20, 10:13 am

My understanding is that they are existing teams in GCL and will pick up the additional games in this league. Moving forward past this year, I have no clue.

by Checkpoint Charlie 09/07/20, 10:06 pm

#MAGA

by TxFutbal 11/07/20, 09:54 am

ECRL-NTX is a joke. It will die a painful death next year.
ECRL is about to be a joke unless ECNL powers allow ECRL teams into the college showcases. If this doesn't happen, FDL will become the premier 2nd tier league. The new National Showcase platform that FDL and Frontier feed into is very promising. Question is whether USYS allows ECRL teams to compete in the National Showcases. If not, there will be a lot of buyers remorse in the ECRL platform. Sad because ECRL was a huge success last year.

by jogobonito06 11/07/20, 03:33 pm

TxFutbal wrote:ECRL-NTX is a joke. It will die a painful death next year.
ECRL is about to be a joke unless ECNL powers allow ECRL teams into the college showcases. If this doesn't happen, FDL will become the premier 2nd tier league. The new National Showcase platform that FDL and Frontier feed into is very promising. Question is whether USYS allows ECRL teams to compete in the National Showcases. If not, there will be a lot of buyers remorse in the ECRL platform. Sad because ECRL was a huge success last year.

Define huge success

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ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

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Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference

Re: ECNL, ECRL, ECNL NTX —- whats the difference