U.S. Soccer Parent

Nike is putting money behind a new youth soccer experiences company.

ExperienceXI launched last month out of Atlanta, offering Nike-affiliated clubs access to elite training environments, coaching education, international academy programs and match-day events. Its early programming included an 11-day trip built around two professional club environments in London.

Here is what the announcement does not say: what any of it costs, who pays, or how a family would actually get their player into one of these programs. Access is described as running through Nike-affiliated clubs, with no published application or selection process.

If your club has said anything to you about this, we would like to hear what you were told.

Full breakdown linked in the comments.

⚽🇺🇸 They voted yes.

US Youth Soccer's state associations approved it Saturday afternoon in Dallas. U.S. Soccer becomes the sole voting member of USYS, the 52-year-old organization behind nearly 2.7 million players begins winding down, and the two-year integration starts September 1. Full integration is targeted for 2028.

Here's the part worth sitting with. USYS board chair Tina Rincon called it a "historic step today to make the game more affordable and accessible to kids and their families across the country."

Nothing that happened Saturday changes club fees. Or tournament travel. Or showcase costs. The leagues where your money actually goes weren't part of this vote at all.

The federation's announcement also didn't mention Presidents Cup. Or ODP. Or the National Championships. Or the roughly $15 million in USYS reserves. Four of the questions families are actually asking, unaddressed in a release about integrating 2.7 million players.

What changes for your player this season: very little. Registration, State Cup, player cards, ODP tryouts all continue on their existing calendars. The two-year clock starts at the governance level, not at your club.

We updated our full breakdown with the result, the quotes, and the five things worth watching. Link in the comments. 👇

⚽🇺🇸 U.S. Soccer is on the verge of absorbing US Youth Soccer — and the plan isn't integration. It's dissolution.

The USYS board approved integration back in May. This week we learned what that actually means: U.S. Soccer would acquire the 52-year-old organization behind 2.5 million players outright, wind USYS down over about two years, and deal directly with the 54 state associations as local arms of the federation.

The state associations themselves vote on it tomorrow afternoon in Dallas. It's expected to pass.

Here's what most of the coverage is getting wrong: this is not the end of pay-to-play. The leagues driving your biggest costs aren't part of this vote at all.

We mapped out what's actually decided, what isn't, and the five things worth watching — including one that could change which cup your team plays in as early as next season.

Both boxes on our graphic are blank, because nothing has been decided yet. If your state association handed you that ballot tomorrow, how would you vote?

Full breakdown in the 🔗 in comments. 👇

Every soccer parent knows the number: $3,000, $5,000, sometimes $8,000+ a year — and that's before the gas, hotels, and weekends you'll never get back. We all say pay-to-play has to change. Almost no one has actually shown how.

One father did.

Jon Reed — a Kansas City dad of two and an AI-systems builder — got tired of everyone agreeing the system is broken while no one put a real, costed plan on the table. So he built one. He calls it The American Pyramid, and he wants to test it in his own city first, measure the results publicly, and let it stand or fall on the numbers.

A few of his ideas:
🔹 An all-in price rule — clubs publish ONE honest annual number. No surprise tournament, uniform, or "team fee" add-ons buried in the fine print.
🔹 A 90-minute rule — for players under 15, no required game more than 90 minutes away. (This alone, he estimates, could cut $3,000–$8,000 a year for many families.)
🔹 A way to actually reward clubs that develop players — paid by the top of the system, not by you.

Is it perfect? No — but it's the first time we've seen someone put real structure behind "fix pay-to-play" instead of just saying it.

Read about it at the 🔗 below 👇 in comments.

Tryout season is here. Be honest — what's stressing your soccer family the most right now? Comment your letter 👇

A) The cost 💸
B) The travel 🚗
C) Making the right team 🎯
D) All of the above (no judgment)
You're not alone in this. ⚽

For the first time, there's a real route from the DPL to the Girls Academy. But nothing about it is automatic.

Clubs apply and are evaluated. Players re-earn roster spots each year. And if your club is DPL-only, your daughter's path up depends on whether it has applied to ASPIRE.

See full guide in the 🔗 below 👇 comments.

Playing high school soccer this fall? If your child is on an MLS NEXT Homegrown roster, that's not just a family decision — it runs through a league waiver, and the fall deadline is September 9.

Most parents assume a nod from their academy director covers it. It doesn't. And even an approved waiver doesn't mean what most families think it means.

We broke down who signs it, what approval actually permits, and the two later windows if you miss this one.

Check link 🔗 below 👇 in comments.

MLS NEXT for Parents: Homegrown vs. Academy Division (2026-27) MLS NEXT has two divisions. How Homegrown and Academy differ on high school soccer, cost, travel, and age groups for 2026-27, and what to ask your club.