Lou Fusz Announces Changes Ahead of Birth and Calendar Year Shifts

By Hannah Leahy | December 15, 2025 | Comments Off on Lou Fusz Announces Changes Ahead of Birth and Calendar Year Shifts

Lou Fusz Athletic Announces Birth-Year to Calendar-Year Transition for 2026–27

Lou Fusz Athletic has been preparing for an important evolution in player development as U.S. Soccer transitions youth programming from Birth-Year to Calendar-Year age group alignment beginning in the Fall of 2026. This change will affect most teams across the boys and girls pathways, and the staff has spent the past several months working through details surrounding the transition to provide a thoughtful next step for every player, family, and team in the Club.

Since the national announcement, the staff have dedicated extensive time to reviewing how the transition impacts each developmental stage within the Club at both the Seniors (U13-19) & Juniors (U8-U12) age groups. There are different dynamics at play with our top-tier platforms (MLS Next & Girls Academy), taking different approaches to how they will move forward.

Every team’s roster, and individual players are being evaluated to ensure that placement for the 2026–27 season aligns with both developmental needs and long-term goals. Although these changes can seem complex, Lou Fusz’s priority is to provide every player with the right environment and team to be successful in both experience and opportunities. 

Girls Teams

With the Girls Academy approving their move to the US Soccer recommendation of calendar-year age group alignment, the transition on the Girls side of the Club will look more cohesive. All Girls leagues (Girls Academy / Girls Academy Aspire / MADL / SLYSA) will transition to the calendar year model. This includes:

The main dynamics that are being considered as we look at team & roster construction for next Fall are length of time together as a team, and team and individual success in the current environment. Some caveats will come with this transition, namely at the high school ages, where teams have been together for a significant amount of time. Keeping in mind national championship contention and USYNT exposure opportunities, we are prioritizing visibility, development opportunities, and collegiate pathways.

Boys Program

Beginning Fall 2026, our Boys side will operate differently. There are two main drivers that have helped us determine how we will move forward. Primarily, our top-tier platform, MLS Next Homegrown, will not change from the birth-year age group alignment. The second is the U14 year in which St. Louis City SC begins its Homegrown participation for MLS Next. This directly affects our top team, which ultimately influences our roster builds as players are promoted to a higher-level team.

We have elected to keep our entire Blue Star program at the Juniors' ages in the birth-year alignment. The players who are technically "playing up” within that should be equipped to handle the increased competition, helping their longer-term prospects. Our Red Star teams will transition to the Calendar-Year alignment. The opportunities to be promoted will continue, and their placement in the Blue Star environment would then simply be based on their birth year. 

Remaining Birth Year

  • MLS NEXT Homegrown (U13–U19)
  • MLS NEXT Academy U13
  • Blue Star Boys (U8–U13)

These programs will continue operating under the current Birth-Year model, which is mainly due to MLS NEXT structures and competition calendar requirements.

Transitioning to Calendar Year

  • MLS NEXT Academy U14–U19
  • Red Star Boys (U8–U19)

These age groups will align with the upcoming national Calendar-Year switch.

Why This Transition Matters

U.S. Soccer aims to resolve the following issues in the current youth soccer landscape:

1. The “Trap Year.”

Under the birth-year model, some 8th graders lose half their team to high school programs while they remain in middle school. Calendar-year alignment helps players advance with their academic classmates and minimizes mid-season roster disruption.

2. The “Gap Year.”

Older teammates graduating before younger birth-year players leads to fractured U19 seasons. Calendar-year alignment aims to keep groups together through their final competitive year before college. By smoothing out these key stages, athletes should experience more consistent development, stronger team cohesion, and clearer pathways from U13 through U19.

What’s Next?

Over the next five months, the Lou Fusz Athletic staff will continue meeting, evaluating, and communicating with each family to ensure every athlete is placed in the best environment for:

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