McLean Youth Soccer to join Boys ECNL

(Via McLean Youth Soccer) – McLean Youth Soccer’s top boys teams will join 63 clubs nationwide in the Boys Elite Clubs National League (Boys ECNL). Like the US Soccer Development Academy, ECNL focuses on developing players for college soccer and US national teams. Unlike Academies, ECNL allows participation in high school soccer and the Olympic Development Program.

The new program will build on McLean’s successful Girls ECNL which announced 33 player commitments to mostly Division 1 college soccer teams, more than other Girls ECNL or Development Academy programs in the DC area. It also includes two US National Team players.

“This is a big step for our boys,” McLean’s Director of Soccer and former Georgetown Head Coach Keith Tabatznik, “The benefits for players throughout the club will be great.”

McLean will move top level 12-19 year old teams into ECNL and its current 11 year old Development Academy teams into pre-ECNL. The club’s ECNL teams will play in a Mid Atlantic conference and older teams will be guaranteed spots in ECNL college showcases.

McLean’s Clyde Watson, who built the clubs nationally-ranked Girls ECNL program, says ECNL will help players at all levels, “We have 3,000 kids in our system, from casual to very serious players. We are confident we can leverage the ECNL development program and its resources to benefit all of our players.”

“With over 3 million US youth soccer players, clubs, leagues and training programs have proliferated. Young players and parents face a dizzying array of options,” said McLean’s Executive Director, Louise Waxler, “This is all about the kids. We share the sentiments of the incoming president of US Soccer has said about bringing America’s soccer fragments together for the good of our players and the game.”