Changes affect Playoff groups previously scheduled to play in Tampa, Sarasota and Irvine

FRISCO, Texas (Jan. 12, 2021) — US Youth Soccer has established new dates and locations for the National League Playoffs that were affected by previous postponements and relocations. Teams that were previously scheduled to compete in the Playoffs in Tampa, Fla., Sarasota, Fla., or Irvine, Calif., will now play at either the Feb. 27-March 1 event in Greensboro, N.C., or at the March 19-21 event in the Orlando, Fla., area.

National League North Carolina (Feb. 26-March 1 in Greensboro) will now feature both boys and girls teams competing in the Playoffs, and it is also open for both genders to compete in National League Showcase Series matches.

A new event — National League Orlando — will take place March 19-21 and feature both boys and girls teams competing in the Playoffs. All National League Orlando games will take place at the ChampionsGate Sports Complex.

New Playoff Assignments…

• All Playoff groups from Tampa are now assigned to play March 19-21 at National League Orlando.
• All Playoff groups from Irvine are now assigned to play March 19-21 at National League Orlando.
• Two boys Playoff groups (17U Group A, 18U Group B) from Sarasota are now assigned to play March 19-21 at National League Orlando.
• All remaining boys Playoff groups from Sarasota (17U Group B, 18U Group A, 19U Group A and 19U Group B) are now assigned to play Feb. 27-March 1 at National League North Carolina.

+ Click here to view a breakdown of new assignments by Playoff group and team

For each gender, the 14U age group will feature eight teams in the Playoffs, while the 15U-19U age groups will include 16 teams each. The teams competing in the Playoffs will be split into groups of four and play each of the other teams in the group one time. In the 15U-19U Boys and Girls age groups (with 16 teams each), the winner of each of the four groups will advance to the 2021 National Championships. The 14U Boys and Girls age groups (with eight teams each) will see the top two teams from each gender’s two groups advance to Nationals.

All 14U-19U Boys and Girls teams that were set to play in the Showcase Series portion of the Tampa, Sarasota or the Irvine events are welcome to apply for showcase matches at National League North Carolina (Feb. 26-28). An additional National League Showcase Series event — taking place in early April — is expected to be announced soon as an alternate option for teams looking to play showcase matches.

The National League operates its primary league play across 13 Conferences that operate at a multi-state tier and provide high-level competition at a targeted local level, as well as a pathway for advancement into the regional and national stages of the USYS National Championship Series. The new National League Showcase Series and National League Playoffs represent the national tier of the National League, providing a platform for teams to compete in unique matches against uncommon opponents.

For more information on the National League and each of its competitions, including the National League Playoffs, click here.