ABOUT USL ACADEMY
With the launch of USL Academy, United Soccer League has developed a pre-professional, U-20 platform to offer to its clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two.
As such, these clubs can now develop a more clearly defined path for top youth prospects in their area to reach the professional level and sign directly with their senior team while improving local quality and community.
The USL Academy brand is composed of four key components: Standards, USL Academy Contracts, USL Academy Cup and USL Academy League.
USL ACADEMY CONTRACTS
USL Academy contracts allow Academy products at USL clubs to sign, train and compete in matches with professional senior teams without affecting their eligibility to play college soccer. These contracts help young players accelerate their development by challenging them and allowing them to gain experience playing with and against professionals at a young age.
In the past two seasons, Miami FC has signed numerous players on Academy contracts who have made their debut in the USL Championship
The 2024 was historic after five Academy products signed first-team contracts and made their senior debuts in the USL Championship, while five others have earned the opportunity ahead of the 20025 season.
USL ACADEMY CUP
The annual USL Academy Pathway Classic is a national elite tournament in Tampa, Fla. where USL clubs and affiliates from across the country to compete against each other. The event serves as an opportunity for players to gain invaluable exposure to various scouts at an elite level.
USL Academy Cup also promotes development off the field for not only players but coaches, staff members and referees through their educational panels throughout the weekend. At past events, there have been workshops and panels that emphasized player development, technical practices, educational seminars, and referee programming.
Click here to learn more about the USL Pathway Cup
USL ACADEMY LEAGUE
USL Academy will work diligently with each USL club to accelerate its strategic plans in the youth development space, with the ultimate goal of creating academies across all USL clubs. The USL Academy League will provide elite youth talent from across the USL landscape an additional opportunity to compete at a high level.
The USL Academy League establishes a high-level pre-professional training environment, with a direct connection to the local USL senior team. It provides meaningful games to aid in those players’ development and to provide all clubs an opportunity to compete amongst each other in regionalized competition.
The inaugural season of the USL Academy League has shown strong competition and growth for academy teams across the country through competitive play and development attributions.
USL ACADEMY STANDARDS
The purpose of the USL Academy Standards is to create optimal player development environments and provide local youth prospects the best chance of reaching the professional level, all league-approved USL Academy programs will be required to meet a set of minimum standards across a series of categories listed out in this document. By developing these standards, USLHQ aims to pursue the following key goals:
Build Pathways: Establish as many youth to pro player development pathways, linking elite youth organizations with USL Senior Teams in Championship, League One, & League Two.
Produce Players: Increase the number & quality of locally produced talents for USL Senior Teams, while striving to develop world-class players able to compete at the highest level.
Drive Return on Investment: Provide USL ownership groups an efficient player development model for their Senior Teams, while increasing the likelihood of a return on that investment.
Improve Quality: Improve the standard of long-term player development programs across the United States, positively impacting every aspect of those environments & pathways.
