NPSL

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an amateur men’s soccer league in the USA, founded in 2001. It is affiliated with the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) but operates independently.

The NPSL season begins in March, with the regular season ending in July, followed by playoffs that conclude in August. While the number of participating teams has varied, over 90 typically compete across four regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West, each containing multiple conferences.

The top NPSL teams from each conference advance to playoffs, with the number of spots varying based on participation. The NPSL playoff structure includes conference, regional, and national rounds, all conducted as single-leg matches. Winners of the conference playoffs move to the regional playoffs, leading up to the NPSL National Championship Game that determines the overall champion. The NPSL also provides automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup, which can lead to participation in the Concacaf Champions League.

Utah Salt Ratz and Arizona Sahuaros made it to the Championship Game in the first two editions of this competition, with the latter winning the inaugural title before Salt Ratz, a now-defunct club, got revenge the following year. Additionally, Miami made history after the city’s reserve team (Miami FC 2) and its first team (Miami FC) won back-to-back NPSL titles in 2018 and 2019.