A breakdown of US youth soccer leagues from MLS Next Flex to NPL Pro, ranked by competitiveness. Elite schools like University of Chicago and Tufts rarely recruit outside the top tiers (NAL and above). Division III programs offer realistic targets for most players, and NPL Pro gives solid odds of playing in college.
basically a tier 4 to 5 in the youth soccer pyramid. To do the pyramid really quickly, MLS Next Flex, MLS Next, ECNL, ECNL not going to playoffs, USL Academy, Boys Elite Academy, then I would do NAL, ECNL, MPL Pro. So that's down here. So it's kind of like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, but that's not a really good representation because these should be shrunk together. So this is really like tier 4, tier 3, tier 4. So you've got to aim for Division 3 schools. and you have to be open-minded to the types of schools. So like going to a top academic school like University of Chicago or Tufts in the NESCACs, that's going to be really difficult to— maybe not realistic to play in those leagues. You need to be playing NAL or higher. If you're somebody that's open-minded to different levels of college soccer and you're not only wanting Division I, then there's a very good chance you can play college soccer if you're playing NPL Pro. And if that's something you want help with, give me a call because then we have to create a plan for you. Okay, if you want more help, give me a call, links in the bio. Bye.
