Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast

Behind the Numbers: The True Odds of Turning Pro and Analytics vs. Results | Ep. 119


Listen Later

Let us know the topics of interest to you!

Breaking the Line is back with ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken and the team hits two topics this week that every soccer parents should be paying attention to.

In Episode 119, Breaking the Line first sets out to break some myths about the odds of becoming a pro soccer player. Three out of every four parent believes their child has the skills to turn pro in whatever sport they play. The reality is, only 1% of all youth athletes turn pro. In soccer, academy players earning first team minutes vary by club; some it's as high as 50%, others it's as low as 1%. And if a kid signs on to an academy at the U13-U14 level, it's nearly impossible to make an academy. So how can clubs and parents be realistic about an individual's talent level without crushing their dreams?

That discussion leads to another one, where wins and losses are replaced by a "quality of play" algorithm to determine who is the better team; both on the pitch that specific day and over the course of a season. How does this help a player develop? Does this teach kids the wrong things about soccer? What role does analytics have within the game? It's a great discussion, one that has strong opinions on both sides. 

As always, thank you for tuning into the podcast. Make sure to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, follow the ECNL on all social channels, and if you have any questions or podcast topic suggestions for the Breaking the Line podcast, send them to us at https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions. 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Breaking the Line: The ECNL PodcastBy Elite Clubs National League

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

3 ratings


More shows like Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast

View all
ESPN FC by ESPN

ESPN FC

2,440 Listeners

Youth Soccer Coaching Player Development Podcast by MyFootballCoach

Youth Soccer Coaching Player Development Podcast

77 Listeners

Modern Soccer Coach Podcast by Gary Curneen

Modern Soccer Coach Podcast

267 Listeners

Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast by FOX Sports

Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast

1,123 Listeners

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard by Armchair Umbrella

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

69,493 Listeners

3four3 FM by 3four3

3four3 FM

210 Listeners

Inside College Soccer by Inside College Soccer

Inside College Soccer

18 Listeners

#ThePROJourney by Kyle Wilson

#ThePROJourney

22 Listeners

The Inside Scoop with Anytime Soccer Training - Discussing Youth Soccer from Around the World by Neil Crawford

The Inside Scoop with Anytime Soccer Training - Discussing Youth Soccer from Around the World

19 Listeners

Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast by Elite Clubs National League

Breaking the Line: The ECNL Podcast

4 Listeners

I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth by Jason Collinsworth

I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth

11 Listeners

Call It What You Want: A CBS Sports Golazo Network Podcast by CBS Sports, USMNT, U.S. Soccer, MLS, World Cup, UCL, Americans Abroad

Call It What You Want: A CBS Sports Golazo Network Podcast

342 Listeners

The Pure Athlete Podcast by Jeff Francoeur

The Pure Athlete Podcast

203 Listeners

How To Play College Soccer with Collegesoccerguy by Zev

How To Play College Soccer with Collegesoccerguy

44 Listeners

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard by Landon Donovan, Tim Howard

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard

302 Listeners