Does anybody have experience with UPSL games? There is new club where I live that is starting a team in the league. Just trying to get an idea of the level of play. Thanks
i do. In my area it’s not very good (Theyre trying to rival NPSL). But in some areas I’ve heard it’s pretty good and they have really good teams. I.E. Southern CA, MD, and TX. What I have found it’s mostly a bunch of handpicked players from other local amateur teams (some good some bad) thrown together and not as organized.
From what I know, it varies greatly by region. Some places it’s very skilled and serious, some places it’s just a small step above any old men’s league. I know my area gets very good referees for any UPSL match, but other areas not as much.
I have been an AR for a UPSL match. I was excited to get the match because I thought it would be better quality soccer than the local men's rec league. I thought that it would be on par with some good DIII or DII college soccer. It was not. It was barely above the local men's rec league.
I concur with @frankieboylampard that location matters. In Houston we have some pretty elite amateur men's soccer so UPSL doesn't match up to that top level. However, I did the Central Conference final in the fall and the team down from Dallas/Fort Worth had 4 recent graduates of SMU plus one that didn't travel because he'd just signed a contract with North Texas SC.
Correct answer. It's all over the place. That league is growing really quickly somehow. Depending on the conference, can be anywhere from a wild west ethnic type league, to pretty organized and professional with a high level of play.
Does anybody has worked games I this league remember what the referee fees were? I am in a discussion with our local team and need to make sure I have the correct information. I found a UPSL referee handbook online that shows the fees set at $75-$60-$60-$45. The owner of the team wants to pay $60-$40-$40-$30. Big difference.
UPSL is not going to care what teams pay referees. It's up to the team what they want to pay. The conference in my area pays 80/40/40 right now and doesn't use 4ths for regular season games. It's part of the reason why the league has actually been successful at growing so rapidly. It's very decentralized and local conferences and owners run it how they see fit. Total opposite of something like USL.
In my area, the level of play is very similar to NPSL but this can vary widely across the league, especially in areas with division 1 and division 2.