Youth National Teams

To be the best, you need to train and play alongside the best. Youth National Teams (YNTs) play a vital role in developing and nurturing the next generation of soccer stars, contributing to the growth and success of the game in America. YNT programming:

• Identifies high potential players
• Accelerates player development
• Acts as a feeder system into the Senior National Team (SNT) and professional play
• Acts as a reference system for domestic youth leagues and clubs

Working with leagues and clubs, we want to invest in and set our players up for success as future professionals with experiences in major international tournaments, such as Concacaf competitions and the FIFA U-17 World Cups, FIFA U-20 World Cups and the Olympics. These competitions are unique opportunities to elevate player development and performance as they offer:

• High-pressure experience that accelerates competitive maturity
• Exposure to diverse playing styles and opponents not encountered domestically
• Benchmarking against global peers, giving players a clear development reference
• Experience adapting to international travel demands

While U.S. Soccer strongly believes that participation in Youth World Cups and other major international tournaments is highly beneficial for most players and in most circumstances, partnership with leagues and clubs are critical to make the right choice alongside the player.

U.S. Soccer’s overall ambition is to develop top American talent, in support of the leagues and clubs that drive most of a given player’s development. Our approach to achieving this is built around these four priorities:

• Partnership with Clubs: Introduce Individual Development Plans (IDPs) created together by club and National Team staff to align development in support of the player. Create open lines of communication with leagues and clubs to ensure the player is always at the center.
• Expand Programming: Field teams at every age group from U15 to U23 for the first time, aligning U18-U23 programming with FIFA windows and younger age groups with school holidays.
• Shared Resources and Infrastructure: Unlock the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center’s potential to create cross-team learning opportunities and create a Unified Youth Calendar to provide multi-year visibility into camp dates.
• Scaled Talent ID: Collaborate with coaches and clubs across the country to give every player an opportunity to be scouted.

U.S. Soccer is excited and committed to working with the full ecosystem to help every player reach their full potential.