Let's dissect the two points in the last paragraph. To address the first point; you cannot be elite if there is no mechanism for determining that you are elite. These leagues have no relegation or promotion process. Membership is based on some criteria only known to the league. A club that has a weak team in an age group continues to play regardless of the level of that team. Lack of relegation/promotion system is contrary to the rest of the world where soccer is more advanced. The level you play should be based on your performance on the field. That is how teams in other parts of the world compete. A club that does a good job has the opportunity to move teams from the lowest level to the top. This is what breeds top players, honest competition. Unfortunately, existing members do not want this because it takes away their recruiting advantage. They can claim elite status and recruit players without actually deserving of that status. As a result, teams are unevenly matched. The goal differential between the top teams in most cases is ridiculously high.
US Club Soccer for example, has done a masterful job marketing ECNL as an elite league and building numbers in the process. They have ECNL Elite National League, ECNL Regional League and ECNL Local League (i.e. ECNL North Texas League). The National league is supposed to be the strongest and then the other two. Given the nature of how league membership is determined, the reality is not quite like that. It is theoretically possible for North Texas ECNL (the third strongest league), for example, to be more competitive than the ECNL Elite National League given the number of strong clubs/teams that are not part of ECNL Elite National. ECNL has done a great job marketing ECNL in general and not emphasizing the levels to where players and parents are buying into the ECNL brand as elite regardless of level of the league. This is a very smart way of building numbers. You sell and accommodate as many people as you can in this "Elite" tent. The more players/parents buy into it, the higher the membership, which in turn translates to higher revenues.
The second selling point of the Elite leagues is that they have a better pathway to the next level, which mostly means college and professional soccer. The reality though is that other leagues also have a pathway, and how far you go is mostly determined by how good you are as a player regardless of your league. The United States Youth Soccer (USYS) for example, which Classic League is a member, also have regional and national leagues associated with it. In addition, they have top tournaments that have been in place for many years, and very well established. For some reason this pathway is not well known, maybe because USYS has not done a good job educating parents about it. There is also, Olympic Development Program (ODP) that can lead to Regional and National team selection. There are turns of showcase tournament around the country that hosts teams regardless of league played. Those tournaments attract many top college coaches who are just looking for good players. As long as your team has a good history and playing in the top division of the tournament, you will be seen by top college coaches, PERIOD. The most important point about successful pathway is to focus on development regardless of the league. If you are good, opportunities will be there.