National 1 League Director
Ricky Santibanez
- US Soccer "B" License
- NCYSA Coaching Educator
- Triangle United Director of NCYSA Programs
Email Ricky: rsantibanez@triangleunited.org
National 1 League is the top team-based competition in US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, elevating teams across the country into a unified national platform integrated with the ECNL. Formerly referred to as NewComp, this new competition is the result of bringing together US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues and US Youth Soccer’s National League, beginning with the 2026-27 season.
The new league ushers in an era of collaboration in youth soccer that benefits players and families across the country. The National 1 League’s inaugural season will be capped in summer 2027 at the ECNL Conference League Playoffs and Finals, as district qualifiers from this competition and the ECNL Regional League compete for championships. For more information about the league, here is an FAQ from the new program.
For the 2026-2027 season, US Youth Soccer is returning to seasonal-year age divisions, which includes the National 1 League. Please review the updated age ranges below to identify your child's group. When registering via PlayMetrics, our system will automatically place your child into the correct division based on their birth date.
*Players interested in our National 1 League will mainly be evaluated during our MLS NEXT Academy tryouts, GA/DPL tryouts, but also during our NCYSA tryouts.
Boys Tryouts
| 13U (08/01/2013 - 7/31/2014) | 14U (08/01/2012 - 7/31/2013) | 15U (08/01/2011 - 07/31/2012) | 16U (08/01/2010 - 07/31/2011) | 17U (08/01/2009 - 07/31/2010) | 19U (08/01/2007 - 07/31/2009) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 500-615, Cedar Falls | May 12th, 615-730, Cedar Falls | May 12th, 600-730, Cedar Falls | May 12th, 730-900, Cedar Falls | May 12th, 730-900, Cedar Falls | May 13th, 730-900, Cedar Falls |
| May 13th, 500-615, Cedar Falls | May 13th, 615-730, Cedar Falls | May 13th, 730-900, Cedar Falls | May 14th, 600-730, Cedar Falls | May 13th, 600-730, Cedar Falls | May 14th, 730-900, Cedar Falls |
Girls Tryouts (to be added shortly)
National 1 League Staff
List of Services
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How are National 1 League Teams Formed?List Item 1
Teams are formed through a variety of ways. We will look at players during our MLS NEXT Academy Tryouts as well as our Classic tryouts
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How Many National 1 League Teams do we Have?List Item 2
For the 2026-2027 season, we are looking at having at least one in the u13-u19 boys and at least 1 in the u13-u14 girls.
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Who is the Director for National 1 League?List Item 3
Ricky Santibanez will oversee the entire program on and off the field. He will be assisted by staff coaches from within the club.
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When does the National 1 League Season take place?List Item 4
The National 1 League Season will be played from August - May for the 13U and 14U teams. For the 15U-19U teams, mainly from December - May.
List of Services
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How Many Times a Week do They Train?List Item 1
Players in this program will train 3x per week. The 13U and 14U teams will train August - May, while the 15U-19U teams will train from late November - May.
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Is there GK Training for this Program?List Item 2
Goalkeepers will train 1x a week with a TU GK trainer. Typically there will be 1x/week solely focused on the GK and their technique.
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What Teams do we Play?List Item 3
For the 2026-2027 season, the teams have not yet been finalized, but the league is a NC based league,
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Can players play high school?List Item 4
Yes. Players are eligible to play high school as well as National 1 League. Games and training will take place when the players are not in HS.
