On January 9 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 and integrate the US Youth Soccer’s National League and US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL), starting in 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.
- 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.
The Illinois State Cup and Presidents Cup will also continue to offer teams an opportunity for postseason play and remain a pathway into the US Youth Soccer National Championships and US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup Series.
We understand that this significant change and the overall generality of the announcements can cause confusion and rumors to quickly spread – IYSA will be updating this page with the latest information as we receive it. Please know that we will share all info that we can as it becomes available.
If at any time you have questions you can contact Chris Jamrozy at chrisj@illinoisyouthsoccer.org or 847-290-1577 ext 103.
From US Youth Soccer Chair Tina Rincon: The work continues fast and furious towards the goal of opening registration for teams in mid-April, with frequent updates coming out as decisions are made. Our advisory group has been engaged and will continue to have regular conversations regarding the work being done. Chris Bentley has been working closely with US Club on the structure, ensuring state associations are at the forefront of conversations. While we know there is a lot of information out in the soccer world, please remember that if it does not come from USYS, then it has not been verified by us. Misinformation can derail conversations quickly, and as we hear of anything that is not fact-based or in line with what has been said over the past month, we immediately have a conversation with both US Club and U.S. Soccer to understand the breakdown. A comprehensive update went out at the end of January, and we are excited that Marc will be bringing his experience to lead the new structure. We know the connections he has made throughout the USYS National League will allow those teams to continue to stay connected.
From US Soccer Member Newsletter: Progress also continues on “NewComp,” the unified league bringing together US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues and US Youth Soccer’s National League. Both organizations have communicated the latest updates to their membership, such as number of regions (8), registration/operations/scheduling (GotSport), and Marc Frankland as the Commissioner. They anticipate sharing a broader update to the ecosystem next week.
The following information was sent to all USYS leadership by USYS CEO Tom Condone, USYS CSO Chris Bentley and Marc Frankland, US Youth Soccer National League General Manager and NewComp Commissioner.
We are writing to share an update on “NewComp,” the new competition you all have been hearing a lot about lately. This has been, and continues to be, an incredible collaborative effort across the youth soccer landscape. US Youth Soccer, in collaboration with US Club Soccer and ECNL, has been developing a shared vision for a structure like this, and it is gratifying to see the positive response as that vision comes to life.
Here’s what we know right now:
· The USYS National League and US Club Soccer’s NPL will come together in the 2026-27 season to form NewComp. The 2025-26 season is unaffected, including each organization’s respective postseasons.
· Marc Frankland, current General Manager of the National League, will be the commissioner of NewComp, with his full-time attention focused on the league. Additional staffing decisions will be announced at a later date.
· The result is the top team-based competition in US Youth Soccer/US Club Soccer, immediately serving 10,000 teams, more than 150,000 players.
· We remain committed to establishing vertical integration for teams and clubs through a more defined and published competition pathway and will work over the next year within each district to establish an appropriate pathway at the local levels.
· We are continuing work on player registration and financial modeling with the specific goal of supporting states and strengthening long-term stability, sustainability, and alignment across the pathway.
· Registration, operations and scheduling for NewComp will take place in GotSport.
· NewComp is being designed with eight conferences across the country and multiple districts within each conference. (We expect four regions for the post-season in year one with the plan to expand to eight over the next couple of years.)
· The integrated post-season will include qualifiers from NewComp and ECNL Regional League. The full qualification plan will be released once all operators for 2026-27 are confirmed.
· This new competition will operate under one set of rules and operator standards.
We expect to announce a list of founding league operators for NewComp in the coming days, as well as the postseason dates and locations. We also intend to release the branding – name and logo – of this platform later in February. This has been another meticulous and thoughtful process, and we’re excited to share it with you.
We’d like to thank all State Associations for your support through not only this process of constructing NewComp, but in your day-to-day efforts to create opportunities for youth athletes in your area. As we all know, a lot happens behind the scenes to create a product that often feels so simple on the field, but that’s the reward for a job well done. We’ll continue to be communicative with you all and provide updates as we work through the steps of this exciting process.
Communication sent to state associations from Chris Bentley, CSO of US Youth Soccer and member of the US Soccer Pathway Strategy Team
We want to provide a brief update on NewComp and reinforce that this is a shared effort. We are aligned with US Club and U.S. Soccer, and our success depends on communication, trust, and consistency across all of us.
NewComp is not a solve all. It is a catalyst for change. It is meant to create alignment, transparency, and forward momentum, while recognizing that meaningful change takes time and shared ownership.
We had a productive meeting with the Pathway Strategy Advisory Group on January 23, focused on both the financial model and the NewComp infrastructure. There is strong alignment on the direction and the opportunity this creates.
We also want to address something directly. We recognize there is some misinformation circulating, which is an example of the kind of misalignment that can occur during change. There have been no decisions made about future state roles or responsibilities across the pathway. U.S. Soccer has communicated this same message over the past two weeks at the Convention and in other member forums, including the MAC. Current efforts are centered on designing NewComp in a way that benefits players and the system around them, while fully understanding the unique needs across our membership.
As this work continues, questions, concerns, or other moments of misalignment are inevitable. When they arise, please direct them to me so we can address them quickly and ensure consistent, accurate communication.
We will continue to provide progress updates as they become available. We intend to share the next Pathway update by end of day Friday, which will include the league name, logo, and commissioner. We are also aiming to open team league applications in early April.
This work only succeeds if we stay connected, transparent, and aligned in how we communicate and move forward together.
Thank you for your leadership and partnership in this process.
Illinois Youth Soccer staff held the Spring 2026 Opportunities and Updates webinar. Including in this webinar was information shared with IYSA concerning the new competition pathway.
The complete recording of the webinar can be found here: Information about the new competition starts at the 50-minute mark.
Illinois Youth Soccer staff attend the Pathway Strategy presentation at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia.
Very general info about the collaboration was shared
Presenters included
- Chris Bentley, US Youth Soccer COO
- Mike Culina, US Club CEO
- Marc Frankland, US Youth Soccer National League
- Alexandra Rieben, US Club Sr. VP, Programs (NPL) & Partnerships
- Anna Lavis, US Soccer