State Associations helped shape the decision and will play an even larger role in creating new opportunities to strengthen soccer in communities across the country
(Plymouth Meeting, PA Aug. 31, 2026) –On Saturday, August 29, Eastern Pennsylvania joined State Associations across the country in supporting a historic step to make US Youth Soccer (USYS) part of U.S. Soccer, bringing the organizations closer together to invest more in local soccer and create better experiences for players and families. Creating greater alignment across the game and new opportunities to strengthen soccer locally.
The 54 USYS State Associations voted to approve the change during their Annual General Meeting, which will begin a two-year integration process on September 1. The decision brings USYS’s decades of experience and reach across youth soccer closer together with U.S. Soccer’s resources and national scale.
“This is an exciting and important moment for soccer in the United States as well as for Eastern Pennsylvania and its members,” said Chris Branscome, Eastern Pennsylvania CEO. “We supported this decision because we already share members with other national associations and we believe we can accomplish more for the game by working together. U.S. Soccer is making a strong commitment to investing more in the game locally, which will enhance and strengthen our efforts. This firmly connects our players, coaches, referees and administrators to U.S. Soccer. We can now better focus our combined efforts on growing and improving the game.”
What This Means for Soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania
At the moment, things will remain the same, with more information to follow. The integration begins a two-year process in which State Associations will work closely with U.S. Soccer and USYS to help shape the future of soccer in communities around the country.
The goal is to create a stronger and more connected soccer system that can:
- Bring more resources and investment to soccer locally.
- Strengthen State Associations and their ability to support and grow the game in their communities.
- Create more opportunities for people to play and stay in the game.
- Better support clubs, leagues, coaches and referees serving players every day.
- Make soccer easier for families to understand and navigate.
- Connect local communities more directly to U.S. Soccer and the resources, expertise and opportunities available nationally.
The integration is part of U.S. Soccer’s broader Pathways Strategy, which brings together members and stakeholders from across American soccer to create a more connected future for the game. For Eastern Pennsylvania, that future starts locally, building on the work already happening in our communities and creating the support, investment and opportunities to help soccer reach even more people across Eastern Pennsylvania.