Tampa, Fla. – When the first ball is kicked at the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex on Friday, the United Soccer League will be celebrating 25 years of support and development for youth players and coaches at the 2024 Electrolit USL Youth Finals.
Since the first Finals in 1999, players that competed in USL’s youth ranks have gone on to play at the very highest level, including in USL’s pro leagues today.
Friday morning, hundreds of youth players from 13 different age groups will compete in the same event that US Men’s National Team players Joe Scally, DeAndre Yedlin and Tyler Adams competed in years ago.
USL Championship and League One players from 2024 can also trace their roots back to USL Youth events, such as Miami FC’s Joey Dezart, Las Vegas Lights FC’s Andrew Carleton, Union Omaha’s Lagos Kunga and San Antonio FC’s Machop Chol.
The 2024 Electrolit USL Youth Finals will provide these players a platform to compete against other clubs from all over the country in a tournament format, giving them exposure to competition outside their own region. It can become a launching point for careers, or simply an experience to carry with them forever.
Now, in the 25th year of USL’s youth soccer program, the event will be bigger than ever before, constantly expanding to include clubs and players from all ages, regions and backgrounds. As dozens of clubs arrive in Tampa, they’ll be looking forward to a weekend of competition and an invitation to see professionals work at the Tampa Bay Sun FC’s USL Super League match on Saturday.
The first matches of the weekend will kick off on Friday morning at 8 a.m. and will conclude early Tuesday afternoon, when the final trophy will be lifted.