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Elite 64 FAQs

Elite 64 Frequently Asked Questions 

Elite 64 is US Youth Soccer National League’s ‘Elite Performance Tier,’ which is the pinnacle of soccer in the United States, providing a never-before-seen experience that enhances a player’s recruitment into the college and professional game. 

Q: Who makes up the Elite 64? 
As the name suggests, Elite 64 is made up of top 64 boys clubs and top 64 girls clubs in the United States, all striving to be the best by competing with the best. 

Q: What is the competition structure of Elite 64 
The 64 clubs are geographically grouped into 8 groups of 8, playing a home/away double round-robin of 14 league games over the course of a 10-month season. In addition to the league games, Elite 64 teams have the option of competing in specific Elite 64 Showcases. Every Elite 64 team competes in an end-of-season Showcase and National Finals event. 

Q: Who manages Elite 64? 
Elite 64 is managed by US Youth Soccer’s professional and experienced National League staff. US Youth Soccer will be the sole point of contact for all Elite 64 administration. 

Q: What makes Elite 64 different? 
Elite 64 is governed and operated by the largest youth sports organization in the world, providing an incredibly safe, stable, and ideal environment for players and clubs to compete. Through the influence and resources of US Youth Soccer and its technology and data partners (StatSports and ProScore), every Elite 64 player has access to state-of-the- art data tracking and analytics, thereby building a player profile that will be provided to college and professional scouts (domestic and international). Elite 64 is building player and recruitment pathways never before seen in the youth soccer landscape of the United States. 

Q: Where do Elite 64 teams play their games? 
The Elite 64 scheduling model will either be home/away or event based, allowing for clubs with larger facilities to host events. The scheduling model may vary from group to group. 

Q: How many Elite 64 games does each team play and how long is the season? 
Elite 64 is a 10-month competition, which means that clubs can play their games anytime between August 1 and May 31. Each team will play a minimum of 14 games in the league portion of Elite 64. Teams will receive additional games at the Elite 64 Showcases and the National Finals event. 

Q: How much travel is involved? 
Elite 64 is the elite performance tier of a national program, so clubs should expect travel within the boundaries of their play group. A map of each play group can be found here. The amount of travel will ultimately be determined based on the final slate of accepted clubs. With a home/away model, however, a minimum of half of a club’s games will be hosted locally. 

Q: How many players can compete on an Elite 64 team? 
There is no limit to the total number of players that can play on an Elite 64 team (i.e. open roster). Any player who is registered with an Elite 64 club, and with their State Association or USYS, is eligible to compete in an Elite 64 game. While the maximum number of players listed on a game card is 30, each club can freely move players on and off their Elite 64 roster throughout the entire season. There will, however, be roster deadlines for identifying players who will compete in a given Elite 64 game. 

Q: Can a player who is playing in Elite 64 play anywhere else? 
Elite 64 does not restrict players from playing on another team within their club, another program within their club, or high school soccer. Part of the purpose of Elite 64 is to allow each club to manage their player pool, player movement and periodization without overarching restrictions from the league. It’s the Elite 64 club that develops the player, not the league itself, so it’s important that Elite 64 has rules in place that allows the clubs to manage their player periodization.

Q: What does Elite 64 provide to the players? 
Elite 64 provides to each player all the tools they need to not only develop, but to also take the next steps toward recruitment at the collegiate level, professional level, or international level. StatSports and ProScore will track the development of each player, training session to training session, game to game, and season to season, then provide all the data to the player, club, colleges, and professional clubs. Elite 64 then provides highly competitive games throughout the season in an ideal environment so that each player can play against the best and ultimately raise their game. 

Q: How will Elite 64 connect the elite clubs/players across the country? 
Not only does Elite 64 connect the top clubs across the country through the league structure and game day environment, but it also connects each player through StatSports and ProScore. Throughout the season, the clubs and players will be connected through access to all Elite 64 game analysis, player rankings, and GPS leaderboards. Every Elite 64 player can analyze how they are compared to all other players within Elite 64. No other youth soccer league in the United States is providing this level of connectivity between players. 

Q: How will Elite 64 help college and professional scouts find the right player for their program?
Elite 64 is redefining and revolutionizing the player recruitment pathway by using technology to provide college and professional scouts with all the data needed to track and identify players. Rather than colleges and professional scouts using their time, energy, and expense to travel to showcases and events, Elite 64 brings the data and analytics to the scouts. Without having to travel, not only can scouts track player development at each Elite 64 game, but they can also track development over time and target players that fit their program. No other youth soccer league in the United States can bring this type and volume of data to colleges, universities, and professional clubs domestically and internationally. 

Q: How many National Showcase opportunities will Elite 64 provide? 
Elite 64 clubs have access to three National Showcases, which will be hosted alongside the National League P.R.O. events. 

Q: Will Elite 64 have its own championship or end-of-season event? 
Yes, Elite 64 will have its own championship event (National Finals) at the end of the Elite 64 season. Each team will be placed into either a Finals bracket or Showcase bracket based on their final position within their Elite 64 play group. 

Q: Will the Elite 64 champion qualify for any other competition?
The Elite 64 champion in each gender in the 14U-17U age groups qualify to compete in the USYS Champions Cup in August. The Champions Cup is a USYS international event. 

Q: Do Elite 64 teams have to compete in State Cup? 
Elite 64 teams are not required to compete in State Cup, however, that is an optional pathway for Elite 64 clubs that have teams who want to play in the USYS National Championship Series (i.e. State Cup, Regionals, or Nationals). 

Q: Does Elite 64 have any connection to the USYS National Championship Series? 
There is no connection between Elite 64 and the USYS National Championship Series. These programs are separate competition verticals within USYS, but clubs or teams are welcome to compete in both. 

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