It’s been nine months since a sanctioned youth soccer game took place in Southern California, but the region is still managing to stay in the headlines with a new shift in the dynamic of the sport in the state. 

US Club Soccer announced on Monday that Southern California Developmental Soccer League (SCDSL) is joining US Club Soccer membership in 2021-2022, effectively the next club season. The national organization is welcoming the local league with open arms as it continues to consolidate power in the youth sports landscape. 

SCDSL was created in 2011 “to serve the needs of clubs looking to have the ability to control player and team environments.” The initial roster of clubs included many of the historic powerhouses of the club soccer world including former Development Academy members like Pateadores, Real So Cal, Strikers, and others. The current list of clubs in the SCDSL is now up to 71 clubs, according to the league’s website. 

The move away from one branch of the youth soccer organization landscape to another may seem innocuous to observers, but this is a major shift in the actual dynamic and accessibility of events and competitions for all clubs. 

SCDSL’s leaders spoke about the appeal of having more control of the club season as a reason for making this move. 

“The ability for the SCDSL to directly control our programming and calendar will allow us to expand our program offerings, making the SCDSL all-inclusive for our members,” Michelle Chesters, SCDSL Director of Operations, said in a press release announcing the move. 

The club leaders also highlighted the ability to evolve and change with the move away from Cal South. 

“The move to US Club will allow us to better serve our members as the landscape of youth soccer continues to change and evolve,” Strikers FC Director of Coaching Don Ebert said in the press release. “This puts us at the forefront of that change. Quite frankly, this is the time to bet on ourselves and see what we can achieve as members of US Club Soccer.”

Betting on themselves for SCDSL means moving away from US Youth Soccer and Cal South, and fully embracing a path through the US Club Soccer model. 

The major change for Southern California clubs, players, and families will be in the State Cup competition. It was one of the only events that brought Coast Soccer League, SCDSL, Presidio, and other leagues into one competition. 

With so many leagues and teams applying, the Cal South State Cup had grown into a massive tournament with up to four levels of competition in each age group and nearly a month of weekend games for the victorious teams. The winners of the top bracket, National Cup, would advance further in the US Youth Soccer competition: from a regional tournament to the national championship in the summer. 

SCDSL clubs dominated the event, including winning more than half of the championships during the 2019 edition of the competition. Unsurprisingly, SCDSL clubs have also been at the top of the pile at the State Cup President level (the second flight for the older age groups, but the top flight for some younger age groups). 

With SCDSL teams leaving the competition, there is going to be a significant gap from a competitive standpoint. The idea of a smaller, upstart club going against the titans of youth sports  in the region is effectively gone from the narrative in Southern California with this news. 

SCDSL clubs will now compete in the US Club Soccer version of the event with the qualifiers from Southern California taking on the qualifiers from NorCal Premier Soccer for a “true state championship”, and then advancing directly to the National Cup Finals. 

For the large clubs, it makes sense to take this opportunity and run with it. This is the path to serve their members and provide the best path to development - plus allows each club the flexibility to put forth the leading platform. For the majority of the participants, this feels like a gatekeeper holding them out from competing for the prize. 

This type of control from State Cup to league competition schedule appealed to the big clubs. There are other benefits as well for the SCDSL clubs including increased scouting opportunities through US Club Soccer’s ODP-sanctioned programming as well as coaching education. 

Southern California’s soccer landscape will certainly look different whenever teams can return to the field. The path to prominence for a small club just got a little bit more difficult.