With the summer seasons winding down and the fall calendar about to begin, this is a natural point to take another look at the structure of the U.S. soccer pyramid. The pyramid is constantly changing as leagues expand, reorganize, establish new relationships, and gain greater recognition within the broader soccer landscape. These updates are intended to document those developments and provide a clearer picture of where leagues currently fit, particularly below the professional levels where the structure is often less defined.
I plan to continue publishing updates when significant changes occur across the directory. The previous edition generated a great deal of discussion, and I reviewed much of the feedback. While not every suggestion resulted in a change, the criticism was useful in identifying areas where the structure needed to be reconsidered.
Major Changes
Tier 4 and Tier 5 Collapsed into One
The main criticism of the previous pyramid concerned the structure of the fourth and fifth tiers, particularly the placement of UPSL Premier. Many argued that UPSL Premier should be placed in Tier 4, and there is a strong case for that position. NPSL and USL League Two were previously placed in Tier 4 largely because they received automatic bids to the U.S. Open Cup, but that structure has now changed.
Here is the allocation of automatic bids into the 2027 US Open Cup, outlined here:
- USL League 2 (7) - USL League Two 2026 Champion and 6 other teams
- NPSL (3) - NPSL 2026 Champion and 2 other teams
- UPSL (2) - UPSL Spring 2026 Champion and Runner Up
- The League for Clubs (1) - The League for Clubs 2026 Champion
- Three cup-related autobids (3):
- 2026 USASA Amateur Cup Champion
- 2026 Steinbrecher Cup Champion
- John Motta Trophy holder (2026 U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Prize Winner)
The change: Tiers 4 and 5 have been collapsed into a single tier, aligning the clubs and leagues that receive automatic U.S. Open Cup bids. APSL is included because multiple APSL participants have reached the U.S. Open Cup through qualifying in recent years.
GSSL Open Division Merged into CASA
In the new Tier 5, the GSSL open division that promotes into APSL has merged with CASA. According to the announcement, “CASA will assume sole operation of all Men’s Open 11v11 divisions statewide. Beginning with the 2026/27 season, Men’s Open divisions across North, Central, and South Jersey will operate under a unified CASA structure.” Although this announcement was made some time ago, Fall 2026 will be the first season played under the new structure.
The change: GSSL has been removed, and the relevant CASA New Jersey leagues and divisions have been added.
The League for Clubs Regional Partner Leagues Moved to Tier 5
The previous pyramid did not identify the regional leagues associated with The League for Clubs. Four leagues are now identified as partners of TLfC, although there is not yet a formal connection between the leagues themselves.
The change: All regional TLfC partners have been moved into Tier 5: Gulf Coast Premier League and Midwest Premier League have moved up from Tier 6, while Metroplex Premier League and Mountain Premier League remain in Tier 5.
Other notes:
- This is not a new change, but it was updated in the previous pyramid: NPSL Regional Leagues and UPSL Division 2 remain established in Tiers 5 and 6, respectively.
- The leagues listed in Tier 6 and below are not the only leagues operating at those levels; they are only a partial sample. Every league identified in the table can be found on our pyramid page.
The US soccer pyramid remains a dynamic structure as more leagues establish themselves and new organizations are developed. I will continue doing my best to track these changes and create visibility for leagues across every tier.