US Club Soccer launches true California State Cup, combining North and South

US Club Soccer has announced a partnership with the Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL) and longstanding member NorCal Premier Soccer in the creation of a true California State Cup competition and pathway to the National Cup Finals.

This new competition platform comes as a direct result of the SCDSL’s recent sanctioning agreement with US Club Soccer, and the two leagues’ mutual interest in unifying youth soccer in the state.

“The opportunity to work with NorCal Premier and have a true California State Cup competition was a major factor in the SCDSL’s sanctioning agreement with US Club Soccer,” said Michelle Chesters, SCDSL Director of Operations. “Bringing California together for this event will have a huge impact on the youth soccer landscape in the state, and we are optimistic that this type of event can work across the country.”

With this partnership, the SCDSL will host the SoCal Cup, and NorCal Premier Soccer will host the NorCal Cup. Qualifiers from both of these events will advance to the California State Cup to compete against one another for state titles. The winners from each age-applicable team will then advance directly to the National Cup Finals, US Club Soccer’s cup-based national championship event.

“Having a true California championship between northern and southern California is very exciting,” said Gabe Rood, US Club Soccer Membership Service Representative. “There has been so much division across the youth soccer landscape and this joint California State Cup has the opportunity to unite all US Club Soccer members from various leagues.”

“We are very excited to begin our partnership with the SCDSL,” said Benjamin Ziemer, NorCal Premier Soccer President. “We believe working together to improve our club soccer environment will provide a model for collaboration between soccer organizations.”

This California State Cup is set to begin with the 2021-22 season. Dates and locations are TBD.

This competition event is just the first of several anticipated collaborations between the SCDSL and NorCal Premier Soccer. Other events and programming to expect in the future include College Showcases, Player Development Programs, coaching education opportunities and more.