UPSL Teams Gear Up For Second Round of U.S. Open Cup Qualifying
The rise of soccer in the United States has left many players, coaches and spectators questioning when and where should we be looking for the next promising talent. With the game now reaching all edges of the U.S., the answer tends to not have a specific answer. Players are finding opportunities to continue to play beyond their youth careers, but circumstances are not always the most fitting for continuing the overall development of American soccer.
The West Coast based UPSL has provided promising talent in the region with an opportunity to showcase their talent at the highest level. With the U.S. Open Cup welcoming the league onto the scene of the national competition, UPSL teams have provided a glimpse of the talent in our country that goes unseen.
UPSL Soccer News: With the qualifying rounds of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup underway, attention has been turned to the numerous amateur teams that are looking to make some noise in this year’s edition of the tournament.
Notably, the success of United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) teams last year has brought conversation to the discussion of overlooked talent across the United States.
Formed in 2011, the UPSL currently operates 50 plus teams based in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho.
Yan Skwara, UPSL Commissioner and President of the L.A. Wolves FC, is excited about the opportunities the league provides for overlooked talent on the west coast and believes recent performances by the league’s teams in the U.S. Open Cup has brought light to the possibility of restructuring soccer in the United States.
UPSL Success in the U.S. Open Cup
During the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, UPSL teams showed their worth in the tournament with La Maquina FC leading the pack.
During the second round, La Maquina edged Sacramento Gold out of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), while the L.A. Wolves beat Orange County Blues from the United Soccer League (USL Pro).
The L.A. Wolves ultimately fell to La Maquina 2-0 in the third round of the tournament. La Maquina went on to face L.A. Galaxy in the next round, but fell short in extra time to the MLS side 4-1.
“This is a big statement and testament to our league. We’ve got some top quality Pro Development teams in our league that have proved themselves against talented teams with much bigger budgets,” said Skwara.
Currently, 11 UPSL teams have advanced to the second round of 2017 U.S. Open Cup qualifying stage with the next matches taking place October 16th to the 23rd.
Growth of the UPSL and U.S. Soccer
With the growth of soccer in recent years, the U.S. Soccer Federation has provided all teams with an opportunity to compete at the highest level. The UPSL’s affiliation with Cal South and U.S. Soccer grants its teams an invitation to compete in the U.S. Open Cup qualifying rounds.
“The benefit of the UPSL is that every team gets to showcase itself in the U.S. Open Cup qualifying rounds which is a big deal,” states Skwara.
The current format of the U.S. Open Cup sees UPSL teams matchup against clubs from the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the USL Premier Development League in the qualifying rounds of the annual tournament. Division winners of the NPSL and PDL are guaranteed a spot in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup.
This inclusion of semi-professional/amateur teams has opened up windows of opportunities for players and markets that are overlooked in American soccer.
Skwara explains that the ultimate goal of the UPSL is to provide a playing platform with a league that represents all players both regionally and nationally, along with including guidance that allows for an organization to do so.
“The vision and goal from the get-go was to consolidate a highly fragmented men’s adult amateur soccer market,” stated Skwara. “Different teams play in different leagues and the really good teams don’t always play teams of similar quality. We wanted to consolidate that so the top amateur teams could compete against each other on a weekly basis.”
The UPSL Commissioner notes that doing so constructs a strong basis for the soccer community, and allows for development of the game to ultimately trickle down to the youth level.
“Many of these amateur teams in the UPSL consist of youth programs, and when we tie in the do’s and not to do’s – they become stronger and ultimately help develop soccer in the U.S.,” stated Skwara.
Although U.S. Soccer has proven to be a growing market that is just beginning to see its brightest days, a path in a specific direction has yet to be decided.
“I’ve always thought the federation should be the ones managing the leagues – not individual business owners because that can creates a clear conflict of interest but the train is out of the station so here we are,” said Skwara.
The various leagues across the United States has created a continuous roundabout with exits that ultimately lead to the same destination. Although current talent is without a doubt rising, this has allowed for areas that a person may not always look to distance themselves in the shadows.
U.S. Soccer has taken an aim at combatting this topic, with leagues such as the UPSL convincingly meeting its end of the deal.
“The U.S. Open Cup has really opened eyes to put the UPSL on the map. If we keep pushing at all fronts we’ll continue to grow,” stated Skwara.
The growth of markets at the ground level is seeing U.S. Soccer take a path that is beginning to be recognized. The United States has the talent to take on top teams across the globe – we just need to never stop searching for those areas hidden in the grapevines.
