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CLUB TRYOUT INFORMATION
VIAREGGIO CUP
WORLD'S FINEST
YOUTH PROFESSIONAL
SHOWCASE
ABOUT
One of the most important youth professional showcases in the world, the Viareggio Cup has produced world-class talents since 1949, in what is truly a breeding ground for stars. The club's Under 18's will be on display in hopes of becoming scouted and becoming professional players overseas, whether it be in Italy or other countries in Europe.
Acting as a professional showcase, the Viareggio Cup has been the launching pad for many soccer legends. Pirlo, Inzaghi, Totti, Buffon, Gattuso, Nesta, Cannavaro, De Rossi, Balotelli, Del Piero, Costacurta, Maldini, Insigne, Darmian, Zaza, Marchisio, Zambrotta, Cassano, Giovinco, El Shaarawy, Bonaventura, and Bernadeschi are just some of the Italian alumni that have risen from this tournament. Non-Italian alumni include Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Papu Gomez, Pandev, Basta, Cavani, Éder, Nainggolan, Biabiany, Lukaku, Falque, Obi, Jorginho, and Icardi to name a few.
COMPETE IN ITALY AGAINST THE WORLD'S BEST
As regional subdivisions are launched, participating clubs will be expected to participate in a minimum number of official USL Academy League games during each 3-month period of the regular season. For subdivisions with greater travel demands, play weekends may be utilized to maximize travel time, providing they follow the appropriate play to rest ratio for player safety & health.
AGE GROUPS
The focus is on getting building a high-standard pre-professional training environment. While we want to supplement that by providing meaningful USL-AL games within a regional footprint and select national events (such as USL-AC), we want to give each club the flexibility to add to their calendar with local friendlies, showcase tournaments, & international trips.
VIAREGGIO CUP TRYOUT INFORMATION
ACADEMY
FIRST
PRE-PROFESSIONAL
YOUTH LEAGUE
ABOUT
USL Academy provides a new professional pathway for youth players in USL communities across the country, the first-of-its-kind pre-professional league will align with the United State's professional calendar, complement existing local youth organizations, and allow players extensive access to the First Team.
USL Academy clubs can now develop a more clearly-defined path for top youth prospects in their area to reach the professional level and sign directly with their senior team.
This new structure provides USL clubs a progressive model to develop local players for the senior team, at a fraction of the cost of traditional pre-professional academies. Doing so will also allow far more clubs & communities to participate, allowing for a regional footprint that limits travel demand to teams & families.
10-MONTH SEASON
Each season will begin with a full month of pre-season in February, regular and post-season play will occur across three subsequent
3-month periods.
Spring: March - May
Summer: June - August
Fall: September - November
Players will have an offseason from Thanksgiving through January.
USL ACADEMY CUP
A supplemental competition, the USL Academy Cup brings together top youth prospects from all markets within USL and MLS clubs, all centered around identifying players with the potential to reach the professional level.
The events are designed to bring together top youth prospects whose clubs are affiliated with the USL Championship, League One and League Two divisions.
USL ACADEMY TRYOUT INFORMATION
LEAGUE TWO
THE
#PATH2PRO
BEGINS HERE
ABOUT
USL League Two is the leader in pre-professional soccer in the U.S. and Canada. The League holds a vital role as it continues to provide the elite platform for those pursuing professional careers domestically and internationally. Throughout the United States and Canada, League Two franchises continue to provide the elite player the opportunity to train and compete at the highest level while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. With ownership of teams coming from the likes of MLS and USL franchises as well as leading business and sports individuals.
NATIONAL CONFERENCES
USL League Two features over 80 franchises in 4 conferences throughout the United States and Canada. The conferences include the Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western Conference. USL League Two regular season takes place during the summer from early May to mid-July. Each team plays a 14-match schedule against their respective divisional opponents, seven at home and seven away.
USL LEAGUE TWO ALUMNI
There are 199 USL League Two alumni competing in MLS in 2020. In the 2019 season, 382 active USL Championship players had USL League Two experience, as well as 131 players in USL League One's inaugural season. During the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, 61 former USL League Two players were selected by MLS clubs, making up 81% of all players chosen in the draft. The trend continued in the 2020 SuperDraft, with 56 League Two products (73%) selected by teams in the American top-flight.