US SOCCER CROSSWORD

2. The sport consisting of two teams of 11 whose job is to kick a ball into a goal
4. Ability that comes naturally, making it easier to develop rapidly. What should be determining who has the right to play club soccer.
6. When a team performs well enough to earn their spot in a higher division for the next season
8. The process children go through during their soccer careers to become better with the ultimate goal of playing professionally
9. Where young players in the US play after their childhood. The goal of most club soccer teams is to take players here rather than the professional level
12. The fee MLS clubs, along with other American sports franchises, pay to have the rights to play in a league. The latest club paid $500 million.
13. The former elite youth development league, made of similar teams as MLS NEXT. Shut down in 2020 due to financial difficulties caused by COVID-19.
16. The governing body of soccer affairs in the United States

1. The youth (U19, U17, U15, etc.) teams of professional soccer clubs, which have the best youth development programs.
3. The system unique to the United States where families pay fees to enroll their children in soccer clubs.
5. The level of play young players around the world aspire to play in after their childhood. The universal goal is (and should be) to reach this level.
7. The resource used to pay for club soccer fees. What determines who has the right to play club soccer
9. Youth soccer played year-round for a local, independent club, where most players are developed if they are not in an MLS youth academy
10. When a team performs badly enough to be dropped to a lower division for the next season
11. The competition that occurs every four years with 48 qualifying nations who compete to win the title of the best in the world at soccer
14. The highest league in American soccer
15. The current elite youth development league including MLS youth academies as well as independent clubs