USL Youth League

For more than 20 years, USL Youth League (USL Y) has been offering top clubs across the US the opportunity to compete every summer in an elite league. Player development and “providing an experience that is unparalleled in youth soccer” has always been the focus of the longest-running national youth soccer league. USL Y offers: 

• Year-round player involvement and development for clubs. 
• Access to unparalleled benefits through League Partners. 
• Increased exposure for member clubs and their players. 
• Opportunity to compete for a North American Championship. 
• Greater collaboration between clubs, players, and the League. 

Clubs must apply to USL Y and only the very best become members. There are a limited number of member clubs in a geographical area to maximize the quality of play. Member clubs are held to the highest standards and accountability to maintain their membership. USL Y member clubs from across the US are divided into six (6) divisions — Mid Atlantic, Mid South, Midwest, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Southeast. 

Liverpool FC International Academy Michigan (LFC Michigan) – formerly Force Football Club – has been a member club since 2010 and has sent teams to the league’s National Championships every year. We are proud to hold six National Championship titles, the most held by any club in Michigan. 

There are many options for players to continue their development in the summer months, such as attending soccer camp or playing in a local league. USL Y is for elite players with a strong drive to develop and compete with like-minded players at the top of their game. You couldn’t ask for a better platform of development for your soccer player in the summer than USL Y. 

USL Y is also an opportunity to compete against new and challenging clubs from the region, reaching beyond the local clubs that teams repeatedly play in the regular soccer season. This experience is particularly unique for the U11-U13 age groups who are not typically exposed to regional competition. 

This is an affordable five-week program that runs from late June through July with two training sessions per week and 6-10 league games, all under the leadership of our qualified, professional coaching staff. Our training methodology is taken from the Academy curriculum developed by Liverpool FC in the U.K. Training is at the best facilities and fields in southeast Michigan, including UWM Sports Complex for Central teams and UofM Mitchell Field for Ann Arbor teams. 

Team tryouts are typically held in January.

Playing for an LFC Michigan team has several benefits and our primary goal is to provide the premium platform for our players to develop and be identified. Players develop at a faster pace through the USL Y system by playing and training in a highly competitive environment.

Advantages of playing USL Y include:

• Competition Level: LFC Michigan teams will compete against some of the top clubs in the Midwest with the opportunity to represent that region at the North American National Championship Finals.
• Coaching Staff: Those teams will be led by nationally licensed and experienced coaches, who are dedicated to player development and are positive role models for our players.
• Fall Season Preparation: The USL Y season can also serve as excellent preparation for players readying themselves for the fall season, whether it’s with their high school team or their own club teams.
• Affordability: LFC Michigan teams provide a quality soccer option at an affordable price compared to the traditional summer soccer camp players often attended throughout the summer.

LFC Michigan teams within USL Y will be considered an “Elite” level of the club’s structure whilst remaining under the successful LFC Michigan umbrella. We encourage all LFC Michigan players and players from any other club (with approval from your club’s DOC) to attend LFC Michigan tryouts. USL Y teams are not restricted by state association “poaching” or recruitment rules.

Players are selected to LFC Michigan teams from one of the following steps or processes:

• Tryouts are typically held in December or January in order to create all of our LFC Michigan USL Y summer teams.
• Current LFC Michigan players are encouraged to attend tryouts for their birth year age group (or a year older in unique situations only and must have the approval of DOC).
• By Invitation Only. Coaches of our LFC Michigan teams reserve the right to select any player on their team whether they were able to attend the tryout or not.

Coaches will begin to form their roster through the scheduled tryouts or by invitation only for all roster openings. Players who attend a scheduled tryout can expect to hear from the age group coach within 24-48 hours following the date of the tryout. You may be asked to either attend another tryout for further evaluation and/or coach recommendations may be sought before an offer is extended. This process ensures that we try to assemble the best talent for each age group, but also do it in a timely fashion with respect to all the players involved.

Our USL Y teams may roster up to:

• For 9v9 – 16 players
• For 11v11 – 20 players

A player pool between 12-20 players is often created for USL Y teams; injuries and summer commitments (vacation, ODP regional camp, soccer camps, etc.) typically prevent teams from having an issue with too many available players.

Coaches of teams that qualify for the National Championships reserve the right to add to their roster for the Nationals Championships in December following qualification.  

Training will begin in mid-June following regular-season club tryouts.  Our teams will typically train twice a week and each session is 75 minutes in length.

The summer training, as well as home games, will take place in Pontiac at UWM Sports Complex or Bloomfield Hills for the Central teams and U of M Mitchell Fields for the Ann Arbor teams. 

Typically there are two regional travel weekends (3-4 games each) with the remaining games played locally (usually during the week) or at a location that can be driven to and from on the same day. 

The majority of games are played on weekends throughout June/July at neutral sites (eg., South Bend, IN, Sylvania, OH, or Fort Wayne, IN) with each team playing multiple games to reduce travel and expenses (eg., two games on a Saturday and one game on Sunday).

Weekday games may be played against in-state opponents.

Most, if not all matches will be concluded by July 31st.

We understand that families value their free time in the summer and want to be able to travel for vacation. From our years of experience in the league and feedback from our families, over the past several years we have worked to minimize the number of weekends that require travel outside of the state. We also provide match schedules in the late spring to allow families to schedule vacations around USL Y. (There are no games on or around the Fourth of July holiday.) 

For teams who qualify, there is travel to Florida for USL Y National Championships in December.

The USL Y National Championships is regarded as one of the top youth soccer events in North America. It is a five-day tournament that includes more than 130 of the best U12 to U18 boys and girls soccer teams in the US and Canada. Teams qualify from their respective regions and face the best from throughout North America in a quest to become national champions.

This event typically occurs in December and has been held at the world-class facility Hillsborough County Sportsplex in Tampa, FL.  

LFC Michigan teams that qualify for this event will be charged an additional fee to cover their coach’s travel expenses and any pre-finals training costs at an indoor training location. Coaches also reserve the right to make changes to their roster upon qualification to National Championships.

Currently, our club holds six USL Y National Championship titles. We are the most successful USL Y program across the Midwest. 

The cost for the 2025 summer season will be $625 ($200 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration, balance due March 1, 2025).

Program fee includes:

• Coaching fees
• Coach travel/ lodging cost
• Director of Coaching Salary
• Administrative Costs
• All League, Player, and Coach Registration Fees
• Field Rental Costs
• Referee fees
• 6-10 games against some of the Midwest’s top clubs
• Potential opportunities to play up in older age groups

Note: A $200 non-refundable deposit is due at registration. Balance is due March 1, 2025. No refunds will be issued beyond April 15th unless special circumstances prevent a player from being involved in league play.

Expenses not included in the program fees are:

• LFC Michigan Nike uniforms (Cost and order information provided at tryouts)
• Personal travel expenses (gas, lodging, food, etc.)
• For teams that qualify for USL Y League National Finals in December of the seasonal year, there is an additional per-player fee for attending, as well as personal travel expenses

Coaches will at times invite players to practice with the team, but not participate in games.  Speak to the coaching staff about the fee for training-only players.