By OkayGoal 
In a city known for its championship pedigree, Chicago’s youth soccer scene has transformed into a highly competitive breeding ground for future college stars and professional players. Here’s your definitive guide to the youth soccer clubs in Chicago that are truly setting the standard and developing tomorrow’s stars today.
Eclipse Select Soccer Club is a Chicago metropolitan-based club dedicated to giving its players a physically and mentally challenging environment to help their athletes achieve their highest potential. The club was founded in 1995 with a mission to develop a club to help athletes achieve success at the collegiate, national team, and professional levels.
Eclipse SC has strong teams in both the ECNL Girls and Boys divisions. Additionally, they have fostered 73 National Team Players, 47 Pro Team Players, over 620 college commitments, and over 17 state, regional, and national titles. Recent girls’ commitments include Northwestern University, the University of Utah, Penn State University, and more! They have also had many notable former players, such as Korbin Albert and Casey Short, both impressive professional women’s soccer players.
Along with top teams and players, the club also offers its own programs. They have Footskills Fridays for younger players to practice their skills, ball control, and game-ready moves. Another program is “Rising Stars” for 4-7 year olds to be trained by their top coaching staff to learn field discipline, confidence, and knowledge of the game.
Eclipse Select SC is also sponsored by impressive companies such as Veo, Capelli Sport, and Dark Horse AI Technologies which give their players high-tech film equipment and sports gear.
Chicago FCU is located in the Chicago metropolitan area. They were founded in 2003 as a youth soccer program and now have youth teams for boys and girls, along with a semi-professional team in the USL League Two.
Chicago FCU has had incredible success in commitments, with some of their girls’ players committing to NCAA programs like Duke University, University of Colorado Boulder, Northeastern University, and many more! Chicago FCU holds its own college showcases for its players to be scouted, giving them extra opportunities to show their skills and be seen by coaches.
They also have their own programs for their players, such as Skills and Drills, which provide personalized individualized training schedules with Chicago FCU’s professional training staff.
Additionally, Chicago FCU has a focus on giving back. They have partnered with TOPSoccer, a program for children with special needs to play soccer in an encouraging environment. Their players act as volunteers to partner with participants and play the game.
Chicago Rush is a Chicago-based club soccer program that is dedicated to becoming one of the most recognized brands in the world by providing the highest quality soccer programs. They have national recognition that includes amazing partnerships, elite programs, and proven excellence.
Some of their financial benefits are the free coaching gear and financial rebates from the partnerships they have been able to establish. Their elite programs offer competition at the highest level and college advisory programs. Since being established 25 years ago, they have had 91 athletes reach the professional level.
Chicago Rush also works on community outreach programs such as their Rush Equipment Assisting Children (R.E.A.C.H.) program, where players donate their used soccer gear and equipment to ship to different clubs around the world.
One of their most intriguing programs is their Rush Select Program, which is an international program. This program comprises top players from around the world and hosts events both in the U.S. and internationally.
Chicago City SC is a Chicago-based soccer club built on the acronym C.A.R.E., which stands for “Communities, Athletes, Relationships and Ethos.” In 2023, they were awarded the Chicago Best Amateur Sports League. Their mission is to offer youth players fun and affordable, community-based, and family-oriented programs for children aged 2-18.
They have an immense range of leagues from “Lil’ Kickers” to top Academy teams and USL. Chicago City SC additionally has college pathway resources to aid communication with coaches, filming for recruitment, research for schools, and online profiles. They have had commitments to schools like Fordham, Harvey Mudd, Roosevelt University, and many more!
Also, they have a current podcast, “The Lowdown Podcast,” run by their own coach, Conor Walsh, and hosts professional athletes to share their anecdotes, experiences, and advice.
Image via @eclipseselectsc
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