Men's U.S. Soccer "Pyramid"
A Pyramid Primer
- The United States does not have a true soccer pyramid because no promotion and relegation exists between the levels.
- To the degree that a pyramid exists, this image best represents the tiers.
- U.S. Soccer only formally represents three divisions, which are all professional leagues.
- Major League Soccer is the top division (first division).
- Below the third division is the unofficial "fourth division" that is not formally recognized by U.S. Soccer but is generally accepted to include the national & multistate "semipro," and "preprofessional" / "pro-development" leagues, with some of the more notable metro leagues included.
- Below the fourth division, are the local metro area and statewide amateur leagues, and other adult leagues. But there is no division designation.
- For U.S. Open Cup qualifying purposes, U.S. Soccer generally lumps clubs not in the top three divisions as being eligible to qualify through "Open Division" qualifiers. Although, some leagues like the NPSL, USL League Two, and UPSL have automatic qualifier arrangements with the U.S. Open Cup.