A lot of questions, but here we go.
Is taking down US Soccer a good thing? Isn't that the organization makes the national team?
From the beginning, the USSDA wasn't setup for success, especially on the girl's side. The ECNL was already there. Why create "another" system when it was clear that ECNL was doing its job.
The USSDA existed since 2007 for boys and 2017 for girls. What did it truly accomplish in that timespan that we can claim that it was a good thing?
Development still happens, it did happen, and it will continue to happen without the USSDA.
Is MLS going to start a developmental league for the boys?
Yes, MLS announced their youth system a mere 12 minutes after the USSDA announcement hit. There will be non-MLS academy teams in the system, so MLS claims.
Will it eventually make it to the women side?
That is currently unknown. I know some MLS sides have been talking about it.
Why did the DA fail? Was it their demand that players had to skip high school soccer?
Rising costs. Large area to cover. Lack of success. No ROI for the USSF -- they spent over $30m in the last 3+ years for the USSDA. They aren't recouping that money. It was a $7m loss in FY20 and projected $8m loss in FY21.
Some MLS clubs didn't like the gaps that were existing, at times, from non-MLS academies.
What is the ECNL relationship with the national program?
The relationship exists nearly the same as the USSDA had. There are scouts and NT staff that continuously look for the best talent and give feedback.
Did she do anything with her club team during the off season?
Yes. There was club involvement. May have been limited, but there was club involvement.
One other question, can anybody explain what this equal pay lawsuit is all about?
The USWNT believe they aren't being paid a fair wage compared to the men AND the revenue that they bring into USSF.
What are the women's team trying to achieve?
They want more money.
Do you think that it will reduce the US soccer support for the U17 type teams?
Those are already being scaled back. They have been -- there's been numerous teams that do not have a coach for months. Add in this pandemic, there is another cut in the support for youth teams.
Will US soccer go bankrupt?
No. Although, for
some them going bankrupt isn't necessarily bad. It's been poorly mismanaged for years. The Federation
had a $150m bankroll, supposedly. That's quickly dwindled with their mismanagement and the lawsuit
s (yes, there are multiple ongoing).
Will the men's team have to take a pay cut?
Doubtful, right now. There truly is no reason they should.
I am just puzzled because I hear all this animosity between ECNL and the DA especially in the women's program and I wonder if helps or hurts the national program.
The animosity is only due to USSF starting up a rival to ECNL, instead of jumping on-board and ushering along a system that was already doing a fine job for the USWNT. Notice when USSDA started for the girls (2017)? What did ECNL do? Started ECNL Boys in 2017.
In my opinion, competition isn't a bad thing. But, is there truly a reason why the US
needs a national league for youth? What sense does it make to fly 13-17 year olds around the whole country? They don't
need that to compete and develop. There have been systems in place before, as I mentioned. Some of the positives that the USSDA did bring should have always been there -- basically, making the youth development scene more "professional" in operations.
In the end, poor leadership has existed in USSF for way too long. It's going to continue. We will see floundering around for years to come, especially with 7-8 (I believe is the number) lawsuits that are currently out there.