As we begin 2026 and look ahead to the United Soccer Coaches Convention, we wanted to share a brief update on the progress of the Pathway Strategy. Over the past several months, we have onboarded all Pathways Participants and engaged every major member audience to gather input and perspective. That work is now informing a set of meaningful next steps, outlined below.
Key Updates
Shaping a Connected Competition Architecture | We have begun working with Pathway Participants to shape a potential competition architecture spanning recreational soccer through the level just below professional play. This work focuses on identifying ‘what must be true’ for players at different ages and stages and the competition structures best suited to support those needs.
Main Points
- As an initial step, MLS, NWSL, USL, US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, ECNL, Girls Academy, and State Associations have shared insights from their environments. This input is helping to inform how a connected architecture can improve player experiences.
- This process has helped to build understanding from the organizations and enable more productive discussions about a future state system.
- Next, we will begin socializing an initial version of the proposed competition architecture for broader membership feedback.
Creation of a New, Integrated Team-Based Platform | After nearly two years of dialogue between US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, the two national associations are aligning to create a unified, team-based competition structure – the integration of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) and US Youth Soccer’s National League, starting with the 2026-2027 season. Together with U.S. Soccer, this update marks the first step in a broader effort to strengthen optimal soccer competition platforms among national organizations and local / state leagues.
Main Points
- The unified pathway aligns competition structures to serve tens of thousands of teams nationwide – creating clearer progression, rewarding on-field performance, and maintaining strong connections to local and state-based competitions.
- By better aligning levels of play and competition standards, the pathway is designed to reduce unnecessary travel while preserving – and in many cases improving –access to meaningful, high-quality matches. The result is a simpler, more efficient structure that improves the participant experience.
- Additional details on the unified competition structure and future phases of collaboration will be shared in the coming months, beginning at the USC Convention.
How to Engage with Us
The Pathways Strategy team will be at the USC Convention and are currently slated to speak at several USYS workshops, hold 1:1 conversations (as requested and feasible), and be available in-and-around the event. Please complete this survey if you would like to request time (note: if we cannot meet at the Convention, we will set up virtual time after the event).
Good times are ahead, and we’re looking forward to working with all of you on the path forward! Your voice across both updates is critical in the next phase of work.
Sincerely,
The Pathways Strategy Team
