Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much of what you are referring to are leagues that clubs have their teams play in.

In loose order of rank, keep in mind the ranking of leagues is based on a few factors.

1. Do clubs put their A, B or C teams in them
2. Is the League Local, Regional or National

National Leagues
DA (Girls and Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy) Girls start at U14 and Boys start at U12. DA is comprised of the top team of "elite" clubs.
Boys DA is Regional in play until U14

ECNL/ENPL (Elite Clubs National League Girls, ENPL Boys) Like DA above, this league is comprised of the top teams of Elite clubs.
Both DA and ECNL are competing organizations. The DA is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Soccer. ECNL is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Club Soccer


Regional Leagues
NPL (National Premier League)
CCL (Chamions Club League) Club's A/B teams until U12 then strictly B teams after U12
CCL 2 Club's C teams until U12 then converts to B after U12

NPL and CCL are also competing leagues. CCL is sanctioned by USYS (United States Youth Soccer) while NPL (


Local Leagues
NCSL (National Clubs Soccer League can consist of smaller club A teams to larger club C and D teams. This league uses promotion relegation at older ages in order to have parity across different division. teams can get relegated out NCSL down into ODSL
ODSL (Old Dominion Soccer League has the same structure as NCSL. This league is generally comprised of club's 3rd and 4th teams or some very limited independent teams.)

This is very helpful! Thank you. Still a little confused but I will get it. What is the usual progression? A child playing in CCL would not stay there after age 12 or 14 if they aren't challenged? Where do they tend to go after that? Is it by invitation/try out that they move up to other leagues/clubs? Do they have to be in a certain league to move to DA or Elite? I think that is the part that confuses me.

There is no feeder league to DA only feeder clubs. Some DA clubs are in CCL and some are in NPL/VPL. You can also play where you like and just reach out to
A DA team coach if you think your kid should play at that level. There is no ladder or pre-prescribed pathway.

Every spring there are try-outs. Many kids try out for other clubs now, there is much less club loyalty than in the past. Many parents want their kids on the top team or in the DA, so they try out at multiple places and accept the best offer, sometimes they try out without much hope of making it but try out anyway. Other kids want to stay with their known club/friends/location, and most clubs try and encourage that but it depends on the club and the coach now.

Anonymous wrote:Much of what you are referring to are leagues that clubs have their teams play in.

In loose order of rank, keep in mind the ranking of leagues is based on a few factors.

1. Do clubs put their A, B or C teams in them
2. Is the League Local, Regional or National

National Leagues
DA (Girls and Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy) Girls start at U14 and Boys start at U12. DA is comprised of the top team of "elite" clubs.
Boys DA is Regional in play until U14

ECNL/ENPL (Elite Clubs National League Girls, ENPL Boys) Like DA above, this league is comprised of the top teams of Elite clubs.
Both DA and ECNL are competing organizations. The DA is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Soccer. ECNL is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Club Soccer


Regional Leagues
NPL (National Premier League)
CCL (Chamions Club League) Club's A/B teams until U12 then strictly B teams after U12
CCL 2 Club's C teams until U12 then converts to B after U12

NPL and CCL are also competing leagues. CCL is sanctioned by USYS (United States Youth Soccer) while NPL (


Local Leagues
NCSL (National Clubs Soccer League can consist of smaller club A teams to larger club C and D teams. This league uses promotion relegation at older ages in order to have parity across different division. teams can get relegated out NCSL down into ODSL
ODSL (Old Dominion Soccer League has the same structure as NCSL. This league is generally comprised of club's 3rd and 4th teams or some very limited independent teams.)

This is very helpful! Thank you. Still a little confused but I will get it. What is the usual progression? A child playing in CCL would not stay there after age 12 or 14 if they aren't challenged? Where do they tend to go after that? Is it by invitation/try out that they move up to other leagues/clubs? Do they have to be in a certain league to move to DA or Elite? I think that is the part that confuses me.

Thank your for the comments. I noticed that the leagues mentioned above all post their schedules so we will probably sneak into a few of those to see how the kids/coaches look. I'm assuming the Herndon person has a slight bias to the club which is fair.

sorry your

If you're son is that good, he should be trying to get on a team with better playing opportunities than NCSL. I would look for a team that plays in CCL, DA or NPL leagues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

At U12, go with Herndon. At that group, the A, B, and even C team are all quite good. Too late for this season, but they may have kids leave mid-season. CSC, CYA, and SYA at U12 are not even close, IMHO.

No, go try them all out and then worry about best fit.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

At U12, go with Herndon. At that group, the A, B, and even C team are all quite good. Too late for this season, but they may have kids leave mid-season. CSC, CYA, and SYA at U12 are not even close, IMHO.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

I'd start with CYA and SYA. CYA plays in NPL and NCSL. SYA plays in CCL. They are both good clubs. See what teams they'd put your son on, see where classmates are, see where and when they practice in relation to your house.

^^This is true but focus on the coach and best fit. You have the league information above. Competing leagues like CCL and NPL are fairly similar overall so don't worry about the league at all right now.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

I'd start with CYA and SYA. CYA plays in NPL and NCSL. SYA plays in CCL. They are both good clubs. See what teams they'd put your son on, see where classmates are, see where and when they practice in relation to your house.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

CYA is a good club and certainly will do while you are getting your feet wet in the area. They have good coaches and enough teams per age group to find the right fit. Many of their teams can be quite competitive. They are competitively priced as well.

Thank you to the original poster. We moved here 3 weeks ago and my son is a U12 soccer player. I've been trying to research which clubs to contact and there is so many it makes my head spin. I consider him to be a good player (top 50th percentile of a U12 1st team). I'm a mom so there might be a few bonus points in there. Regardless, we moved to Chantilly area right off of Rt 50 and 28. Based on my neighbor's recommendation (he has no experience with soccer, but sees the signs) he mentioned CSC, CYA, SYA, and Herndon. Is there one I should be looking into more than others?

Anonymous wrote:Much of what you are referring to are leagues that clubs have their teams play in.

In loose order of rank, keep in mind the ranking of leagues is based on a few factors.

1. Do clubs put their A, B or C teams in them
2. Is the League Local, Regional or National

National Leagues
DA (Girls and Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy) Girls start at U14 and Boys start at U12. DA is comprised of the top team of "elite" clubs.
Boys DA is Regional in play until U14

ECNL/ENPL (Elite Clubs National League Girls, ENPL Boys) Like DA above, this league is comprised of the top teams of Elite clubs.
Both DA and ECNL are competing organizations. The DA is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Soccer. ECNL is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Club Soccer


Regional Leagues
NPL (National Premier League)
CCL (Chamions Club League) Club's A/B teams until U12 then strictly B teams after U12
CCL 2 Club's C teams until U12 then converts to B after U12

NPL and CCL are also competing leagues. CCL is sanctioned by USYS (United States Youth Soccer) while NPL (


Local Leagues
NCSL (National Clubs Soccer League can consist of smaller club A teams to larger club C and D teams. This league uses promotion relegation at older ages in order to have parity across different division. teams can get relegated out NCSL down into ODSL
ODSL (Old Dominion Soccer League has the same structure as NCSL. This league is generally comprised of club's 3rd and 4th teams or some very limited independent teams.)

To finish the thought above, NPL (which includes VPL) is sanctioned by US Club Soccer.

And there's kind of a war going on between US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer for dominance in the youth market. US Youth Soccer has always been the big player, with ODP (a separate, extra training and player identification program in each state), and the Regional Leagues, and the National League and the National Championship Series. It's all explained not very well on their website, but basically ODP and the State Cup and the Regional League (for us, Eastern REgional League or ERL) and the National League (a kind of super-tournament composed of last year's Region League and State Cup winners) all lead to the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series.

But now, US Club Soccer has its own regional catchment league (EDP, dunno what it stands for) that's the equivalent of US Youth Soccer's ERL, and is running its own State Cup, and is running its own National Championship. And it's also running its own player identification and development platforms, I supposed kind of like ODP for US Youth Soccer.

Everyone's trying to get the parents' money is what it all boils down to. If your kid doesn't have the talent or will to play in college, you should join your local club, play in whatever league your local club plays in, and have fun. And if your kid is too young for you to know the answer to that question yet, you should join your local club, play in whatever league your local club plays in, have fun, and your kid will show you whether she is outgrowing the club and needs a more competitive environment.

Much of what you are referring to are leagues that clubs have their teams play in.

In loose order of rank, keep in mind the ranking of leagues is based on a few factors.

1. Do clubs put their A, B or C teams in them
2. Is the League Local, Regional or National

National Leagues
DA (Girls and Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy) Girls start at U14 and Boys start at U12. DA is comprised of the top team of "elite" clubs.
Boys DA is Regional in play until U14

ECNL/ENPL (Elite Clubs National League Girls, ENPL Boys) Like DA above, this league is comprised of the top teams of Elite clubs.
Both DA and ECNL are competing organizations. The DA is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Soccer. ECNL is sanctioned and governed by U.S. Club Soccer


Regional Leagues
NPL (National Premier League)
CCL (Chamions Club League) Club's A/B teams until U12 then strictly B teams after U12
CCL 2 Club's C teams until U12 then converts to B after U12

NPL and CCL are also competing leagues. CCL is sanctioned by USYS (United States Youth Soccer) while NPL (


Local Leagues
NCSL (National Clubs Soccer League can consist of smaller club A teams to larger club C and D teams. This league uses promotion relegation at older ages in order to have parity across different division. teams can get relegated out NCSL down into ODSL
ODSL (Old Dominion Soccer League has the same structure as NCSL. This league is generally comprised of club's 3rd and 4th teams or some very limited independent teams.)

New to travel soccer world. Can somebody list the acronyms and give a brief explanation of what this all means and ages associated with all of this? I cannot seem to find anything online unless I Google each individual title. There really needs to be a NOVA Soccer for Dummies post it in this forum. There are levels of travel? What is the difference between Elite and CCL or NCSL? What is the difference between Academy and Elite? CCL and CCLII? Where does each club fall? Are clubs in Elite and NCSL, CCL, Academy? So confusing. All the other soccer threads are getting into details with debates raging. I just want to know what all of these terms mean.