The December Quarterfinals will feature boys and girls teams, primarily from the National League Conferences and Elite 64 Regional League, in the 14U through 19U age groups. The boys will take the fields first, with games scheduled for Dec. 6-9, and the girls will compete the following weekend, Dec. 13-16. All games in Mesa will be played at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.

The teams playing in December in Arizona all earned their place in the event based on their performance in National League competition during the 2023-24 season. Each team will be competing for an opportunity to advance to the National League Semifinals, where they’ll ultimately have a chance to qualify for the 2025 USYS National Championships, presented by New York Life.

“For nearly two decades, the USYS National League has brought the top teams in the country together for a chance to play meaningful games in a highly competitive environment that promotes personal and collective development,” said Marc Frankland, USYS National League General Manager. “This event epitomizes that vision, as the quarterfinals are full of teams who seized one qualification chance and are now playing for their next opportunity to advance on the pathway toward Nationals.”

The field of teams competing in December in Arizona is very strong and features seven teams that won titles at the 2024 USYS National Championships — HTX 11G N (TX-S), The Football Academy NK 11B Black (NJ), Galaxy SC 10G NL (IL), Ponys FC 2010B (IL), Aspire FC 09B Black (TX-S), Utah Celtic 08B Bradley (UT), and Nationals Union 06G Black (MI).

The December Quarterfinals feature a group play format. Within each age group, teams are divided into several groups of four, and all teams will play one game against each of the three opponents in their group.

After three days of competition, the top two finishers in each group will secure advancement to the National League Semifinals. In some age groups, one or more third-place finishers may also secure a spot in the semifinals.

Advancing teams move on to one of two National League Semifinal events. Teams advancing out of quarterfinal groups designated on the red pathway will move on to the first semifinal event in February 2025 in Round Rock, Texas. Teams advancing out of quarterfinal groups designated on the blue pathway will advance to the second semifinal event in May 2025 in Oceanside, Calif. At each semifinal, teams will compete against top teams from the Conferences, Elite 64 and Elite 64 Regional League, to determine which sides advance to the 2025 USYS National Championships.