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Breaking the Line returns to the airwaves with more news regarding youth soccer's newest pyramid: a collaboration between US Club Soccer, ECNL, NPL and now USYS.

Building off of Episode 131, ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken expand further on the youth soccer landscape with the additional news that USYS will be joining NPL, and that US Soccer bought the managing contract for US Club Soccer.

Soccer's landscape has dramatically changed in a month's time, and the Breaking the Line team chat about what does this all mean for ECNL players, parents and coaches, why is this a good thing for soccer players around the country, and what does the future hold with this new structure.

Make sure to tune in and get the inside scoop for what is going to be an exciting shift in youth soccer at the beginning of the 2026-2027 season.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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It's 2026 and Breaking the Line is back for a brand new episode following the holiday break, and it's a meaty one as ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken sit down with US Club Soccer President Mike Cullina to discuss a major announcement in the youth soccer world.

On Dec. 18, US Club Soccer, ECNL and NPL announced a new postseason integration for the 2026-27 season, along with a new competition pyramid placing ECNL at the top, ECNL Regional League in the middle, followed by NPL and then local leagues at the bottom. The new postseason structure creates a new pathway for NPL teams to directly compete with ECNL RL teams, and creates opportunities for team and club movement between levels.

With such a major announcement right before the holidays, the powers that be sat down to discuss why now, what does this mean for players, coaches, parents and clubs, what does the future hold, and ultimately, how does this change the youth soccer landscape?

It's a riveting discussion, one that gives listeners an inside look at the thought process of these organizations, the pathway that led us here, and the road map for the future.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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Breaking the Line returns to the airwaves for Episode 130 with a Thanksgiving flair.

ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken tackle a hot topic within soccer circles, one that will be moving to the forefront ahead of the World Cup and beyond: playing formats and player development.

Bracken asks a simple question: how much does playing format dictate player development? The answer: a great deal.

The BTL crew dives into the topic, examining what the current playing formats are in US Soccer, and how that compares to countries such as England, Spain and Germany. They ask how the US can improve, and what they think is the right way to move forward. Lavers also brings to the table a study that examined this very issue, and how smaller sided games lead to more development across the board.

The episode closes out with a very special Bracken Brain Buster, where the whole team shares what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving season. And Breaking the Line would like to thank all of our loyal listeners, because without you, we wouldn't be able to do any of this!

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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Breaking the Line has gone international!

After the historic announcement of the ECNL International Tournament, Powered by Coaches' Voice and in association with Everton International Academy, ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken sit down with EIA's Mark Thompson, one of the major players in the creation and implementation of the International Tournament.

In Episode 129, Thompson discusses his playing and coaching career, including stops in both the United States and United Kingdom, and dives into Everton International Academy's role in facilitating and ultimately hosting the International Tournament. This leads to a broader discussion about the talent levels of youth soccer in both countries, the factors that lead to that, and how the sport can grow on both sides of the pond. The episode then closes out with a great Bracken Brain Buster regarding the best soccer match each person has attended in person.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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Breaking The Line returns for Episode 128 with ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken getting inspiration for this week’s topic from breaking news on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hearing news of LSU firing football coach Brian Kelly and Nottingham Forest sacking manager Ange Postecoglou, the Breaking the Line crew asks the question: what is the average life span of a coach in the United States, and in soccer globally.

The answers may surprise you.

Lavers and Bracken then discuss if the same factors apply to youth coaches, and how can clubs evaluate their coaches, and when is it the right time to change coaches? And what role does coaching methodology play into both player and coaching development?

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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This week's edition of Breaking the Line features a hot topic across the soccer landscape and the sports world as a whole: the economics of sport, and youth sport in particular.

ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken dive into this nuanced topic, discussing the current economic model of youth sports and the reasons behind it, the emerging role of private equity and big business in the youth sport space, and what all this means for clubs, leagues, parents and players.

Throughout this hour-long conversation, the conversation weaves between how these economic factors affect the youth sports experience, where soccer falls in the broader youth sports landscape, and how the ECNL balances soccer and business decisions.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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The Breaking the Line team has returned for another player-focused episode, this time discussing player development.

ECNL Vice President kicks off the conversation with a thought-provoking question: if you were building an ECNL club from scratch today, where would you start?

With that as the starting point, he and ECNL President Christian Lavers weave their way through all the different aspects of player development: coaching, training, club roles, where does a league fit in to player development, player growth and more.

Throughout the discussion, the pair give advice to all different parties, sharing their dos and don’ts, and define what growth and player development looks like at different age groups.

The episode closes out with the same question posed at the beginning, but does their answers change? Listen to find out.

If YOU were starting an ECNL club from scratch today, what would be your first move? Let us know on social media or in the comments.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.

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It's a very special episode of Breaking the Line, as the podcast celebrates its 125th episode!

After an invigorating discussion about navigating birth years and skill levels within youth soccer, ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken continue the conversation with a parent email regarding how to properly handle when an athlete has the skill to compete at a higher level, but not necessarily the physical attributes to do so.

This question, paired with some realizations from Ep. 124, leads to the meat of this week's episode: the parent-player-coach dynamic.

The Breaking the Line team dives into the relationship from all three parties, and discusses the roles and responsibilities of each side of the dynamic, and how to ensure everyone is copacetic and have positive relationships and interactions throughout an athlete's journey.

As always, make sure to submit any questions to https://ecnl.info/BTL-Questions, to subscribe to Breaking the Line on YouTube, and to follow the ECNL on all social channels.