FRISCO, Texas (Feb. 23, 2022) — The US Youth Soccer National League is excited to announce the next eight boys and girls clubs that will compete as inaugural members of Elite 64.

Boys Madison 56ers SC (WI) Michigan Tigers (MI) Oregon Premier FC (OR) Phoenix Rising FC Youth (AZ) Rockford Raptors FC (IL) Seattle United (WA) United Futbol Academy (GA) Washington Premier FC (WA)

Girls Madison 56ers SC (WI) North Shore United (WI) Renegades Soccer Club (TX) Rockford Raptors FC (IL) Seattle United (WA) South Valley Surf (CA) United Futbol Academy (GA) ​Washington Premier FC (WA)

Each of these Elite 64 clubs share a collective vision and are dedicated to providing an unmatched gameday experience, in addition to maintaining the highest standards, both on and off the field, to maximize the opportunities available to their players.

“As we continue through this process, it’s great to see the Elite 64 national footprint begin to take shape and grow with another terrific collection of inaugural clubs,” said Simon Collins, USYS National League Commissioner. “We have been very encouraged by the initial conversations with club leaders, and we look forward to working with these clubs to elevate the experience for the players. These clubs have proven to set a high standard in how they operate on and off the field, and together we’ll strive to provide the best possible platform that helps the players reach their full potential.”

The newly-announced elite performance tier of the National League, Elite 64 will begin play this fall and feature club-based competition for the nation’s top boys and girls players in the 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 18/19U age groups. The 64 clubs in each gender will be geographically positioned into eight groups of eight clubs. Teams play a 14-game league season and have access to two national showcases (alongside National League P.R.O.) and the Elite 64 national finals.

Each of the inaugural Elite 64 clubs will benefit from world-class performance analysis from ProScore and new USYS partner STATSports, which will provide Elite 64 clubs with unparalleled access to the world’s most advanced performance wearable technology. All data and analysis collected will be shared with college coaches and professional scouts — making every Elite 64 game or training session a recruitable moment.

Acceptance into Elite 64 guarantees each club a minimum three-year involvement in the competition, with 18-month evaluations of every club taking place to ensure standards are met and Elite 64 maintains the highest possible level of competitive balance across the platform.

Hear from the club leaders…

MADISON 56ERS SC (Elite 64 – Boys and Girls)
“Madison 56ers SC is pleased and honored to be chosen to represent Wisconsin with both our boys and girls programs in the new USYS National League Elite 64 platform. Our inclusion to this elite national program will allow the Madison 56ers Soccer Club to continue to grow and develop our player pool throughout the entire club. Our club members, coaches and support staff have continued to show a relentless commitment to the continued development for all our players locally, regionally and now nationally with our membership in the Elite 64 platform. We are excited for the opportunity and look forward to competing in meaningful games against other top clubs from across the country. The added partnership with STATSports and ProScore will enhance the player development programming we provide to our members with relevant statistical feedback for our players and coaches. We would like to thank the staff at USYS for their continued efforts to build the strongest development and competitive programs throughout the country.”
Tony Wright, Director of Coaching

MICHIGAN TIGERS (Elite 64 – Boys)
“We at the Michigan Tigers are extremely excited to be a part of Elite 64. Being part of an organization that is putting players and player development at the forefront of their mission is exactly what we want. It brings together like-minded clubs and gives us the ability to provide great opportunities for our players, whether it be to play college or professionally, while still enjoying the benefits of playing for their high school. Elite 64 will allow us to maximize our players’ development and provide them with even more opportunities. Having every player using STATSports and ProScore will be huge for them in their development and recruitment. Not only can they see their development, they can see where they stack up against all other players and clubs across the country. It adds another competitive element to our training and games by adding daily competition against all other players and teams. That is not something any other platform can offer, and college coaches and professional scouts can also use the data during the recruiting process. We have just had two players on trial this past week with OL Reign and Nashville FC, and in the future with Elite 64, we can provide them with specific player data. I’m extremely happy for all the players, parents and coaches that are being rewarded for the time they’ve dedicated over the past number of years.”
Andy Pritchard, Executive Director

NORTH SHORE UNITED (Elite 64 – Girls)
“North Shore United is honored to have been selected as an inaugural club in National League Elite 64.  Competing in the highest level of US Youth Soccer will offer our teams the opportunity to challenge themselves against other top clubs from across the country on a consistent basis through league play and the professionally run showcase events. After successfully competing in the Midwest Conference Club vs. Club division and National League P.R.O., we have seen our teams rise to the occasion when playing against top competition, so our club is excited to have our teams tested against the other teams in Elite 64. We are happy to align ourselves with like-minded, player-centric clubs who aspire to help all our players achieve their current and future goals in the game. The Elite 64 platform offers our players excellent college recruiting opportunities in every game that they will play. The partnership with ProScore and STATSports is a beneficial add-on for our players, as they will get real data out of every performance to aid the college recruiting process and their continued development as a player. That partnership will also give our coaching staff great metrics to track our players’ performance levels throughout the season that will be used to further assist in their development. The Elite 64 platform and the amazing opportunities it will provide our club is a great step forward for North Shore United, and we can’t wait to get started!”
Joe Hammes, Director of Coaching

OREGON PREMIER FC (Elite 64 – Boys)
“Oregon Premier FC (OPFC) is honored and excited to be a part of the inaugural season of the Elite 64 platform. We believe E64 will provide tremendous value to our members, bringing some of the top clubs together on a regional and national level to compete regularly throughout the season. When we were accepted to play in E64, we were blown away by the efforts USYS has gone to in creating a clearly defined player pathway with top organizations, video analysis, and player data analysis using its partnerships with STATSports & ProScore. With this type of platform, OPFC and our staff will be able to create a comprehensive player experience for all our Academy teams. We would like to thank USYS for identifying Oregon Premier as a top club that can compete and play a part in creating a high-level development environment.”
Alex Hockborn, Academy Director

PHOENIX RISING FC (Elite 64 – Boys)
“Phoenix Rising FC is excited to join the prestigious National League Elite 64. Being a part of this platform provides opportunities for our players to perform against the best possible competition at the regional and national levels. We look forward to the challenging games against other top clubs, and we are confident the Elite 64 game day environment – combined with performance analysis provided by STATSports and ProScore – will energize our players and lead to greater development opportunities as they strive to reach their full potential.”
Chris Brown, Executive Director

RENEGADES SOCCER CLUB (Elite 64 – Girls)*
“Renegades Soccer Club is very excited about the opportunity to be an inaugural member of the USYS National League Elite 64 platform and to have a full player development pathway to national-level programming and exposure for our players. Our commitment will always be to align RSC with an elite level organization and platform that mirrors and mutually supports our club’s vision and mission to our players, families, and coaches. We firmly believe E64 sharpens the tip of the USYS spear. RSC continues to grow into one of the strongest competitive youth soccer organizations in North Texas, and we believe E64 is our opportunity to lead the way in making an impact not just in North Texas but regionally and nationally. We are very encouraged that US Youth Soccer has fully committed to create a strong national platform for the players and families that have made Renegades their home.

“The partnership with STATSports and ProScore not only enhances player evaluation and further solidifies our player development, but it also gives a much clearer picture into the needs of a unit of players, as well. If the whole is the sum of its parts, then the focus on the individual through provided data and metrics only helps the club achieve its goal of complete player development. Not only can RSC evaluate through the life cycle of a player, but college and professional coaches can evaluate progress, as well. It’s another tool for our club to invest into our players to help them achieve the highest level of success.”
Rick Parker, Club Director

*Also an Elite 64 boys club, announced previously

ROCKFORD RAPTORS FC (Elite 64 – Boys and Girls)
“We are excited for the opportunity to play against the nation's top clubs both regionally and nationally in Elite 64.  It will create an even greater club-wide atmosphere for all our players and families. The national events will continue to open even greater opportunities for our high school players to play at the college level, and it will also be a great motivator for our younger teams and give them a goal to work toward. Elite 64 will help in developing our players both athletically and academically. It is a great path to make sure our players, as well as our coaches, are developing to their fullest potential. The contacts the league will provide will open doors for our players and staff, and the platform sets the tone to encourage our kids to perform at their best all the time. This will raise our club’s awareness on how to take our players' performance to another level.”
Frank Mateus, Executive Director

SEATTLE UNITED (Elite 64 – Boys and Girls)
“We at Seattle United are very excited to be one of the 64 clubs identified in the U.S. to participate in Elite 64! The ability to play top clubs from the Northwest and Northern California region gives our players maximum exposure in not only their league games, but the showcases and National Finals available to the clubs, as well. The partnership that Elite 64 has with STATSports and ProScore will help us better plan our training sessions around the needs of each individual player to ensure they are maximizing their performance each and every day.”
Kyle Rodeheaver, Boys Director of Coaching

SOUTH VALLEY SURF (Elite 64 – Girls)
"South Valley Surf is excited join the Elite 64! E64 will provide our teams with a professionally run, high-quality league with like-minded league members. We strongly believe that participating in E64 will propel and motivate our players to reach new levels of soccer performance and personal excellence. Their team and player development within E64’s gaming circuit and their increased exposure at college showcases will open additional opportunities for our players to compete collegiately and professionally. The analysis provided by STATSports and ProScore will provide our coaches, players and scouts with real data and feedback to help our athletes reach the highest level!”
Jason Carter, Director of Coaching

UNITED FUTBOL ACADEMY (Elite 64 – Boys and Girls)
“United FA strives to provide quality avenues for our players to maximize their development. The Elite 64 platform will provide this opportunity for players looking to get to that next level, and we look forward to participating. We also look forward to using the added benefits of the STATSports and ProScore to help players achieve their goals.”
Iggy Moleka, Executive Director of Soccer

WASHINGTON PREMIER FC (Elite 64 – Boys and Girls)
“Elite 64 will provide another opportunity for our club to compete on a national stage against different clubs from across the west coast and the country. It will allow us to offer our players more competitive opportunities to our age groups and for players to get college exposure. Being a member of E64 adds to the many reasons to be a part of WA Premier FC as we continue to strive to be a top tier club and national leader in the game. Soccer is continually evolving and the use of technology to develop, periodize and analyze player and team data is crucial to help our players and teams improve and take their game to the next level. The National League partnership with STATSports and ProScore is one we are excited about.”
Kevin Skinner, RCL 11v11 Director