Decode the jargon.

An unregulated label. Check the league the team plays in.

A division named by maximum age, e.g. "U13" means under-13.

The dates a league uses to decide which age group a birthday falls in.

College aid awarded for athletic participation.

Grouping players by calendar birth year, January to December.

A youth-rule line that encourages playing out from the back.

Withdrawal from a sport after sustained physical or emotional overload.

What a club charges to register, before the rest of the bill.

NCAA rules for when coaches may contact recruits.

A premier national league, top tier for girls, near-top for boys.

The competitive tier directly beneath national ECNL.

A large Northeast regional league and tournament operator.

A boys league positioned just below MLS NEXT.

A sport whose scholarship money is split into fractions across the squad.

Club money that reduces dues for families who ask for it.

A top-tier girls platform, governed by its member clubs.

A sport where any aid at all counts as one full scholarship.

The age limits on heading the ball, in games and in training.

A short edited video used to introduce a player to coaches.

An MLS rule letting clubs sign their own academy products.

A college-run camp that puts players in front of one staff.

Two-year college soccer, flexible, and great for late developers.

The top boys competition platform, run by Major League Soccer.

A player who competes in more than one sport.

A college-sports body with flexible recruiting and athletic aid.

The body governing most US college sports, across three divisions.

The three NCAA tiers, D1, D2 and D3, each with different rules.

The NCAA office that certifies a recruit is academically eligible.

US Club Soccer competitions at the competitive-regional tier.

The league merging the NPL and the USYS National League from 2026-27.

A newer platform below the national ECNL and GA tiers.

The old binding signing document. The NCAA abolished it in 2024.

US Youth Soccer's player-identification program.

A campus visit the college is allowed to pay for.

The US model where families fund youth soccer directly.

A player competing in an older age group.

A player available to a program but not on a fixed roster.

Moving a team or club up or down between competition levels on results.

Local, no-tryout, fun-first soccer where most players start.

Sitting out a season while keeping a year of eligibility.

The selection edge held by players born just after the cutoff date.

A cap on how many players a college program may carry.

A guaranteed place on a team, distinct from playing time.

Official recognition of a league, which is not a ranking of it.

The 12-month cycle a soccer "season" actually spans.

A multi-team event built for college coaches to watch players.

Smaller-team formats for younger players, 4v4, 7v7, 9v9.

Playing one sport year-round, to the exclusion of others.

The US Youth Soccer body that registers players in your state.

A state association's championship tournament.

Tryout-based competitive teams that travel for games.

Open evaluation sessions where clubs select rosters.

A national body where clubs register directly, with more flexibility.

The national governing body for soccer in the United States.

A national governing body; players register via a state association.

The US Youth Soccer competition pyramid.

A non-binding agreement to attend a college and play there.

A player who joins a college team without athletic aid.