UPDATE – Lou Fusz Adjusts Boys Age Groups Ahead of Birth and Calendar Year Shifts

Contrary to common misconceptions, the "Calendar Year" does not strictly follow the current school grade. For our seasonal planning, the calendar year will shift from the traditional Jan 1–Dec 31 window to an August 1–July 31 cycle. This shift is designed to better align players with their graduation year and provide more consistent developmental environments.

This transition is a long-term process, not an immediate shift. We anticipate that these alignments will continue to "normalize" over the next 15 to 18 months. During this window, our staff will remain flexible and intentional in how we assess player profiles.

The staff has evaluated the original transition plan to ensure that solving a "gap year" doesn't inadvertently create a "trap year" at a younger age group. By adjusting the Homegrown program and refining the Juniors-to-Seniors pathway, the club aims to eliminate these obstacles and provide a smoother progression through the U12–U14 age range.

To remain consistent with national competition requirements, the MLS NEXT Homegrown program (U13–U19) will continue to operate on a Birth Year model. Additionally, this Fall and moving forward the top U12 Juniors team (Pre-Homegrown 2015) will remain in the Birth Year alignment to serve as a "bridge" for players transitioning in to the Seniors environment.

The entirety of the Juniors program (minus the Pre Homegrown U12 team), including both the Blue & Red Star and younger Star programs, will move to the Calendar Year alignment (August 1–July 31). This ensures cohesion across the broader player pool and aligns the majority of players with their natural peer groups.

The U12 Bridge is our top Juniors team, which will maintain a Birth Year alignment and will carry an expanded roster this fall. This bridge is specifically designed to prepare a larger pool of players for the transition into the U13 MLS NEXT Homegrown and Academy environments while continuing to build rapport and relationships for the players.

We recognize that development is not linear. Coaches are creating individualized pathways and specific plans for late developers to ensure they are not lost in the transition, particularly during the critical move from U12 to U14.

The transition from U12 to U14 involves multiple developmental variables. By prioritizing the U13 environment, the club ensures that players from different backgrounds—whether coming from Birth Year or Calendar Year alignments—are comfortable, knowledgeable, and prepared for the transition to Senior ages and high school. Recognizing the number of factors (St. Louis City, 9v9 to 11v11 transition, expanded rosters, physical development) our staff will continue to monitor a larger pool of players together more closely to best navigate those transitional years.

We will hold Birth Year tryouts specifically for the top U12 team (Pre-Homegrown 2015) to determine the expanded roster. Evaluations for the rest of the player pool are ongoing, and families will receive continued communication regarding individual placements and registration as we approach tryout season.

You can watch the full update regarding the Boys Age Group changes here: Boys Age Group Change Update