Unite Youth Cup: Atlanta United assembles Georgia teams from all national leagues

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Oct 19, 2020

Atlanta United is organizing a tournament for boys teams across Georgia, bringing together teams representing clubs in MLS Next, the ECNL Boys and USYS National League.

Unite Youth Cup is one of the first formal initiatives to bring together clubs from these competing leagues since the demise of the Development Academy.

For Atlanta United, finding local competition is critical since only four Georgia clubs have teams entered in MLS Next -- along with the Southern Soccer Academy, Lanier Soccer Association and Inter Atlanta (photo) -- and it's the only Georgia team in MLS Next's critical under-17 age group. Atlanta United also has a slate of teams (U-14s, U-15s, U-16s, U-19s) entered in the ECNL Boys' Southeast Conference.

A total of 13 club teams will be represented in Unite Youth Cup, which will have U-14, U-15 and U-17 levels. The group stage will begin in October with matches scheduled monthly at the convenience of participating teams, beginning in October.. The semifinals and finals of each age group will be held at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta.

“With the recent changes across the youth development structure, we felt it was imperative to use our resources at Atlanta United to ensure all soccer clubs in the state of Georgia have an opportunity to play each other, regardless of their platform,” Atlanta United Academy Director Tony Annan said in a statement. “We also wanted to ensure the quality of the tournament could be maintained, so we made the decision to run the tournament over a longer period of time, instead of cramming multiple games in a weekend. This tournament is intended to encourage club interaction throughout the state, while also eliminating financial barriers to play meaningful matches – and we’re truly excited that 13 clubs have chosen to participate.”

Under-14
Atlanta United (MLS Next, ECNL Boys)
Concorde Fire (ECNL Boys)
NTH NASA (ECNL Boys)
Kalonji Soccer Academy (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Inter Atlanta (MLS Next)
Southern Soccer Academy (MLS Next)
Atlanta Fire United (ECNL Boys)
United Futbol Academy (ECNL Boys)
Lanier Soccer Association (MLS Next, USYS Piedmont Conference)
Atlanta City FC (USYS Piedmont Conference)
North Georgia Soccer Alliance (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Atlanta United U-13s (MLS Next)

Under-15
Atlanta United (MLS Next, ECNL)
Concorde Fire (ECNL Boys)
NTH NASA (ECNL Boys)
Kalonji Soccer Academy (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Inter Atlanta FC (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Southern Soccer Academy (MLS Next)
Atlanta Fire United (ECNL Boys)
United Futbol Academy (ECNL Boys)
Lanier Soccer Association (USYS Piedmont Conference)
AFC Lightning

Under-17
Atlanta United  (MLS Next, ECNL)
Concorde Fire (ECNL Boys)
NTH NASA (ECNL Boys)
Kalonji Soccer Academy (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Inter Atlanta FC
MOBA Soccer Academy (USYS Piedmont Conference)
Atlanta Fire United (ECNL Boys)
United Futbol Academy (ECNL Boys)
Lanier Soccer Association
Atlanta City FC (USYS Piedmont Conference)