The boys’ ladder
Boys’ club soccer levels, explained
The short answer
Boys’ club soccer in the United States has two national top-level leagues: MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division and ECNL Boys. Under them sit the MLS NEXT Academy Division and the ECNL Regional League. Our directory lists 152 MLS NEXT Homegrown clubs, 170 ECNL Boys clubs, 229 in the Academy Division and 448 in the ECNL Regional League. No league is required to play in college.
Sources last checked
| MLS NEXT (Homegrown Division) | 152 clubs in 36 states and provinces |
|---|---|
| ECNL Boys | 170 clubs in 39 states |
| MLS NEXT Academy Division | 229 clubs in 40 states |
| ECNL Regional League Boys | 448 clubs in 41 states |
| Clubs in both MLS NEXT and ECNL Boys | 2 |
A club is one name in one state. A club with teams in two leagues is counted in each.
What are the levels of boys’ club soccer?
| League | Level | Clubs | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS NEXT | LevelNational, top level | Clubs152 | States36 |
| ECNL Boys | LevelNational, top level | Clubs170 | States39 |
| MLS NEXT Academy Division | LevelSecond level | Clubs229 | States40 |
| ECNL Regional League Boys | LevelSecond level | Clubs448 | States41 |
Counted from our club directory. Each league’s name links to its full club list.
Below these are state and regional leagues, which we do not list. A club can have teams at more than one level: 87 of the 152 MLS NEXT Homegrown clubs also hold a place in the Academy Division, and 130 of the 170 ECNL Boys clubs also hold one in the ECNL Regional League.
What is the highest level of boys’ club soccer?
MLS NEXT says of its Homegrown Division that it has 152 clubs, made up of every MLS academy and 123 MLS NEXT Elite Academies, with more than 17,000 players in a 10-month season (Homegrown Division). The academies of the professional MLS clubs play there.
ECNL Boys is the other national league, with 170 clubs in our directory to MLS NEXT’s 152. Only 2 clubs hold a place in both. The two, state by state: ECNL vs MLS NEXT.
What are the MLS NEXT Academy Division and ECNL RL?
The Academy Division is MLS NEXT’s second tier, added in the 2025-26 season. The league gives it approximately 230 clubs and 25,000 players, drawn from additional teams of existing MLS NEXT clubs and more than 100 newly admitted clubs. Its season is regionally focused and built around high school calendars, and Academy Division players may play high school soccer. More: Homegrown vs Academy Division.
The ECNL Regional League is run by the ECNL under its national league. It is the largest of the four in our directory, with 448 clubs in 41 states. More: ECNL vs ECNL Regional League.
Does the league decide whether a boy plays in college?
No rule says so. The NCAA and NAIA manuals name no youth league, and the NCAA defines a coach’s evaluation as the observation of a player taking part in any practice or competition at any site (Bylaw 13.02.7). What a league changes is who you play against and which events your team is at.
On the men’s side there is a second thing to know: the middle Division I men’s roster is 33% international. The numbers, level by level, are in how hard it is to play college soccer.
How should a family choose a level?
- Playing time. A starter one level down has more film than a substitute one level up.
- High school soccer. If playing for your school matters to you, ask the club what its league allows before you sign.
- Travel and cost. Ask the club for the whole year’s cost, events included.
- The pathway inside the club. Ask how many players moved up from the second team last year.
Clubs in every league, by state, with each club’s website and tryout page where it has one: youth soccer levels and clubs.
Quick answers
- What is the highest level of boys’ club soccer?
- MLS NEXT’s Homegrown Division and ECNL Boys are the two national top-level leagues. The academies of the MLS clubs play in the Homegrown Division.
- Is MLS NEXT better than ECNL?
- We do not rank one above the other. Our directory lists 152 MLS NEXT Homegrown clubs and 170 ECNL Boys clubs, and 2 clubs hold a place in both.
- What is MLS NEXT 2?
- A name used for the MLS NEXT Academy Division, the league’s second tier, added in the 2025-26 season.
- Can MLS NEXT players play high school soccer?
- Academy Division players may play high school soccer, by the league’s own page. Its Homegrown Division page describes a 10-month season and does not say; ask the club.
- Do you have to play MLS NEXT or ECNL to play in college?
- No. Neither the NCAA’s manuals nor the NAIA’s handbook names any youth league.
How this was counted
Club counts are our club directory, built on 2026-10-05 from each league’s own published club list. A club is one name in one state. What each league says about itself is quoted from its own site, read on 2026-10-05.
Sources
- MLS NEXT: about ↗
- MLS NEXT: Homegrown Division ↗
- MLS NEXT: Academy Division ↗
- ECNL (Elite Club National League) ↗
- NCAA Division I Manual, 2026-27 (Legislative Services Database) ↗
- Startline: the club directory, by league and by state
Last checked against these sources on. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.
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