As 3 times World Cup champions and 4 time Olympic champions, it is a fair assumption to make that the development of female soccer players in the US is something that has excelled over an extended period of time, arguably ahead of anywhere else in the world. Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo (for soccer related reasons at least) and Mia Hamm are all well known names across the country. We have also seen the rise of Mallory Pugh into the USWNT, while plying her trade at ECNL level and having a huge impact.
According to US Soccer, the reason for the Development Academy program is that they "want to provide a player centered program that is focused on the development of the individual without bias, distractions, self-interests and financial gains that compromise the optimal everyday environment. We also believe this is needed so we continue to set the standard for world-class players."
The first sentence of the statement is where the real positive for this transition is obvious - a player centered environment without bias, self-interest and financial gains. The ECNL was formed by a number of DoC's of 'Elite' clubs. With this, regardless of the integrity of each individual involved, comes a conflict of interests. Youth soccer in the US is a very political place, from rec to the elite level, whether it be coaches heavy loading their rec teams to win a 'championship' or board members refusing to give their players opportunities to play elsewhere. It is perfectly feasible to surmise that those running the program have their own clubs interests at heart when it comes to decisions. One ECNL coach shared as much with me, stating that it what something he was concerned about, despite being a big fan of the league.
Being run by the national governing body, the USDA will have no such concerns. Their interests, you would like to think, will be what is best for the players in terms of getting them to USWNT level. In this sense the program change can only be a positive for players hoping to reach the highest levels of the game in the US, with all being afforded the same opportunities to progress. It should also be noted that the USSF consulted with the ECNL, detailing that they believed they could improve standards better without them. No specific reason was given, but you have to think the conflict of interests played a huge role.
Development wise, clubs will be required to have coaches who licensed to at least USSF B level. Though not in place yet, US Soccer will aim to push towards this in the future. Though most ECNL clubs will have coaches at this level, it is not a requirement for coaches, as it is the clubs decision who they hire for which teams. It can be argued that a B license doesn't mean a coach can effectively communicate with 12 year old girls, but it does guarantee a level of standards that the ECNL currently does not.
It is hard to predict the long term benefits to the changes. So far, 74 clubs have agreed to be a part of the inaugural season, leaving the ECNL, including NC based teams CSA and CASL. Where as ECNL can have individual team registering and taking part, the USDA requires the whole club participation, meaning a more filtered pathway for elite players. This could have a huge impact on smaller clubs, who are already struggling to keep players after the age group changes. One would surmise that it will ensure the USWNT and college programs have a more specific scouting range as the best players gravitate towards the bigger clubs. Only time will tell.
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