ELCO UNITED

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Travel teams are for serious soccer players who are dedicated to the sport and committed to improving their skills on their own (at home) throughout the year – not just at regular practice sessions.

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These games are more competitive and the “away” games can be as much as 60 minutes from their home field.  Travel soccer does not necessarily mean traveling great distances. The majority of our games are within 30 minutes to 2 hours of Myerstown and are played on weekends.

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Age Group Information (New for Fall 2026):

US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, and AYSO have collectively announced a major shift in age group formations. Beginning with the 2026–27 season, organizations will move away from the current calendar-year (January–December) model and return to a seasonal-year (August–July) age grouping model.

 

What this means:

• Players will now be grouped based on the August 1 – July 31 seasonal year

• This may shift some players into different age brackets than in previous years

• All upcoming travel tryouts will follow the new age group structure

• See New Age Group Chart on Travel Socc Registration Page.

 

This adjustment is intended to better align teams with school-year classmates and provide greater consistency across leagues and competitions.

 

We encourage families to review the official US Club Soccer announcement for additional details (CLICK HERE to access the article).

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​​​The following are points of consideration for travel team players:

• Travel teams are possible for boys and girls U8 to U17.  Teams at each age group will be based on the interest level.

• Tryouts are held once a year in April/May for the seasonal year beginning August 1st and continuing through next spring/summer. 

• Travel teams play both a fall and spring season. Players selected for the travel program are expected to play in both seasons.

• ELCO United teams could play in the Reading Berks Junior Soccer League or Central Penn Youth Soccer League. They generally play six to eight league games in both the spring and fall seasons. There is also a playoff tournament at the end of the fall season.

• Travel teams also play in tournaments throughout the year. Many ELCO United teams have elected to play in a fall tournament, and a spring tournament.

 

The Tryout Process

The tryout process is held once a year in the spring (April/May).

The results of these tryouts will determine the teams for the

following fall and spring seasons.

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