TL;DR: ClubScout has 21 Colorado records, and they describe roughly 15 real clubs, because four clubs appear more than once. Eleven have a live profile, and 18 of the 21 records carry at least one confirmed league place. Three things shape the Colorado market. First, MLS NEXT is unusually wide here: five live profiles hold a place, three of them in the ALBION SC network. Second, the ECNL ladder is concentrated in three clubs, Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, and Colorado EDGE, each running national ECNL, ECNL RL, and feeder teams for U9–U12. Third, the girls' side leans DPL, with five live profiles in the Development Player League against two in ECNL Girls. No Colorado club with a live profile publishes a competitive season fee.
Are you a club director in Colorado? There are 21 Colorado records in ClubScout's data, and 10 are still in review. Claim your club's profile to verify your information, publish your cost ranges, and respond to parent reviews.
Colorado Club Soccer at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Colorado records in our data | 21 |
| Distinct clubs, after probable duplicates | About 15 (see the data gaps section) |
| Clubs with live profiles | 11 |
| Records with confirmed league affiliations | 18 of 21 |
| MLS NEXT | 9 records: 5 live, 4 in review |
| ECNL Boys | 4 records: 3 live, 1 in review |
| ECNL Girls | 3 records: 2 live, 1 in review |
| Girls Academy | 2 records, both in review, plus 1 live Girls Academy ASPIRE place |
| Development Player League (DPL) | 8 records: 5 live, 3 in review |
| ECNL RL | 5 records on each side: 4 live, 1 in review |
| Pre-ECNL (U9–U12) | 5 records on each side: 4 live, 1 in review |
| NPL | 3 records: 1 live, 2 in review |
| National Academy League | 1 club |
| Clubs publishing a competitive season fee | 0 |
| Primary markets | Denver metro, Boulder County, Northern Colorado, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction |
| State association | Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) |
For what these numbers mean in dollars beyond registration, see our travel soccer cost guide and soccer on a budget guide.
What Makes Colorado Different
It is a Front Range state. Nearly every club in our data sits on the strip of I-25 that runs from Fort Collins through Denver to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Fort Collins to Denver is about 65 miles. Denver to Colorado Springs is about 70. Those are long but flat interstate drives, and families at either end do weigh Denver clubs. The Western Slope is a different story. Grand Junction is roughly 245 miles from Denver over I-70 and its mountain passes. A Grand Junction family's local club is its club, the same way we described Bend in our Oregon guide.
MLS NEXT reaches further down the market than in most states. Five live Colorado profiles hold an MLS NEXT place, and four more records in review do too. Three of the live five are ALBION SC listings, a national club network with Colorado affiliates in Denver and Boulder County. The other two are Skyline Soccer Association in Englewood and Grand Junction Soccer Club. A wide MLS NEXT map means more boys have a top-tier option nearby. It also means the label tells you less on its own. Ask which age groups the club actually fields in MLS NEXT, because many clubs hold a place only from U13 up.
The ECNL ladder sits in three clubs. Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, and Colorado EDGE each hold ECNL Boys, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, and Pre-ECNL Girls places. Rush and Storm add ECNL Girls. That is the full three-tier ECNL structure, which lets a player move up or down a level without changing clubs. Arsenal Colorado in Fort Collins runs the regional and feeder tiers without the national one.
The girls' pathway leans DPL. Five live profiles hold a Development Player League place: ALBION SC Colorado, ALBION SC Denver, Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club, Colorado Rush, and City SC NOCO. Only two live profiles hold ECNL Girls, and no live profile holds a full Girls Academy place. If you have a daughter, read Girls Academy vs DPL and DPL vs ECNL before you compare clubs. DPL is where much of the Colorado girls' competition actually happens.
The age-group calendar is changing for 2026–27. ALBION SC Denver notes that its leagues move from birth-year to school-year age groups starting in 2026–27, with an August 1 to July 31 cutoff. If your kid has a summer birthday, the team they land on may not match last year's. Ask every club which age group your player falls into under the new cutoff before tryouts.
Leagues Active in Colorado
Listed from most competitive to least.
Top-Tier National Leagues
MLS NEXT: Five live profiles: ALBION SC Colorado, ALBION SC Denver, ALBION SC Boulder County, Skyline Soccer Association, and Grand Junction Soccer Club. In review: Colorado Rapids, Manitou FC in Colorado Springs, Colorado United SC in Littleton, and Broomfield Soccer Club. For how MLS NEXT compares with ECNL, read MLS NEXT vs ECNL.
ECNL Boys: Three live profiles, Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, and Colorado EDGE, plus Real Colorado in review.
ECNL Girls: Two live profiles, Colorado Rush and Colorado Storm, plus Real Colorado in review.
Girls Academy: Two records, both in review: Colorado United and Broomfield Soccer Club. ALBION SC Boulder County holds a Girls Academy ASPIRE place, which the club says it was awarded for 2026–27. ASPIRE is Girls Academy's second tier, so it is not the same thing as a full Girls Academy place. ECNL vs Girls Academy explains the top of the girls' market.
Development Player League: Five live profiles: ALBION SC Colorado, ALBION SC Denver, Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club, Colorado Rush, and City SC NOCO. In review: Real Colorado, Colorado United, and Broomfield Soccer Club. That makes DPL the most widely held girls' league in Colorado in our data.
The Colorado Middle: ECNL RL and Pre-ECNL
ECNL RL Boys and ECNL RL Girls: Four live profiles on both sides: Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, Colorado EDGE, and Arsenal Colorado. Real Colorado, in review, holds both. Our ECNL RL vs EDP vs NECSL comparison explains what the regional tier demands.
Pre-ECNL Boys and Pre-ECNL Girls: The U9–U12 feeder, run on both sides by the same four live clubs plus Real Colorado in review. If your player is 9 or 10 and you want a club they can grow into, these are the clubs where the younger rung connects directly to a national league.
Regional and Tier-2 Leagues
NPL (National Premier Leagues): Colorado Rush holds the one live place. Two Broomfield records in review hold it too.
National Academy League: One club, Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club.
State and regional leagues: Below all of the above, the Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) runs the state competitive play where most Colorado travel soccer happens. Club records mention CSA competitive teams at ALBION SC Denver and CSA Front Range and Advanced Leagues at ALBION SC Boulder County. We don't carry CSA league places club by club yet. If a club's site names one and our profile doesn't, that is a gap in our data, not a contradiction. For the full landscape, see Compare All Youth Soccer Leagues and the youth soccer glossary.
The Regions
Denver Metro
Most of the state's live profiles, and most of the choice. Our Denver club guide covers each one in depth.
Key characteristics:
- Every Colorado ECNL club with a live profile has a Denver-metro base
- The MLS club's youth arm and two ALBION SC listings
- The constraint is the drive across the metro, not distance. Map the trip at 5:30 PM on a Tuesday before you commit.
Colorado Rush (Littleton): ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, Development Player League, National Premier Leagues. Eight confirmed places, the most of any Colorado club in our data. Rush is a 501(c)(3) and part of the Rush network, which the club puts at more than 125 clubs worldwide. It runs seven regional locations: Lakewood/Littleton, East (Aurora), North (Thornton), Mountain (Evergreen), South (Pueblo), Colorado Springs, and Northern Colorado. Programs run from toddler and recreational soccer through a Youth Academy for U9–U12, Junior and Senior Academy teams, and Elite boys and girls teams for U13–U19. A College Advisory Program, futsal, a winter league, and camps round it out. Leadership on record includes John Carroll as President and CEO and Mark Hiemenz as Executive Director. Tryouts are listed per location, so start with the regional page nearest you. With this many sites, ask which one your player's team would train at.
Colorado Storm (Aurora): ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls. A full ECNL ladder on both sides, one of only two live Colorado profiles that can say so. Our record holds little beyond the league places: no website, training sites, staff, or fees. Treat the affiliations as verified and everything else as a question for the club.
Colorado EDGE (Arvada): ECNL Boys, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls. National ECNL on the boys' side, with the girls topping out at the regional league. That matters if you have a daughter who may outgrow the regional tier. Our record is thin beyond the league places.
ALBION SC Denver (Denver): MLS NEXT, Development Player League. Part of the national ALBION SC network, with programs from ALBION Juniors through an Academy tier to MLS NEXT for boys U13–U19 and DPL for girls U13–U19. Below that, it fields CSA competitive teams for U6–U19. Training runs at Aurora Sports Park and North High School. This is the one Colorado club in our data that published specific 2026–27 tryout dates: MLS NEXT boys on April 23 and 30, 2026, and girls and general competitive sessions on May 1, May 3, and May 16–18. Per the club, the ALBION network counts more than $62 million in college scholarships and 36 national team players. Those are network-wide figures, not Denver figures.
ALBION SC Colorado (Denver): MLS NEXT, Development Player League. A second ALBION SC listing, with its own website. Its recorded city is Denver, but its listed venue is Peak to Peak Stadium in the Boulder area. The pathway runs from ALBION Juniors through Pre-Elite to the MLS NEXT tier and an Elite tier. The club also fields senior USL League 2 and USL W League sides, which is unusual for a youth club and gives older players a visible next step. It runs ECNL and Girls Academy Talent ID sessions, but our league data does not confirm an ECNL or Girls Academy place for this record, so ask which teams those sessions feed.
Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club (Denver): Development Player League, National Academy League. The youth arm affiliated with the Colorado Rapids. Our record holds little beyond the two league places. Two more Rapids records are in review, Colorado Rapids (MLS NEXT) and Colorado Rapids Academy (no league places yet). The fuller of those records describes the MLS academy as fully funded, with teams from U13 to U18/19 and Rapids 2 in MLS NEXT Pro above it. A pro academy selects players more than players choose it. Ask how it identifies players instead of waiting for a tryout listing.
Skyline Soccer Association (Englewood): MLS NEXT. Our record holds only the league place: no website, age groups, or training sites. Confirm which age groups play in MLS NEXT and what sits underneath.
Four Denver-area records are in review. Colorado United SC (MLS NEXT) and Colorado United (Girls Academy, DPL) are probably one club in Littleton. The fuller record lists MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, Girls Academy Aspire, competitive and recreational programs, TOPSoccer for players with disabilities, and a futsal league. Broomfield Soccer Club (MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NPL) and Broomfield SC (NPL) are probably one club too. Its fuller record lists recreational soccer for U4–U14, a Junior Academy for U9–U10, a Pre-Academy for U11–U12, and competitive teams for U13–U19, with separate directors for each age band. Real Colorado has three records, one with ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, and DPL places, and two with no league places yet. None of them records a city.
Boulder County and Northern Colorado
ALBION SC Boulder County (Boulder County): MLS NEXT, Girls Academy ASPIRE. Programs for boys and girls from U8 through U19, from ALBION Juniors and an Academy tier up to the MLS NEXT and Girls Academy teams. The club also plays in the CSA Front Range and Advanced Leagues, so there is state-level competitive play below the national tier. It held an Open House on July 16 to evaluate players for 2026–27, which is a later window than most. It also hosts the Players' Cup, a pre-season tournament.
City SC NOCO (Loveland): Development Player League. A 501(c)(3) in the City SC network, operated by United Soccer Club. It offers Elite teams for boys and girls U13–U19 and a Pre-Elite program for U11–U12, with development programming through United SC below that. Adam Zayed is Technical Director. Training runs at Loveland Sports Park and Mountain View High School. Its 2026–27 tryouts ran in May: Elite on May 8–12 and Pre-Elite on May 8–11, with supplemental sessions later in the month. Registration was required for every ID session.
Arsenal Colorado (Fort Collins): ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls. The regional ECNL ladder on both sides, which makes it the Northern Colorado option for families who want ECNL RL without a daily drive to Denver. Our record is thin beyond the league places.
Colorado Springs and the South
No Colorado Springs club has a live profile yet. Colorado Rush runs Colorado Springs and Pueblo locations. Manitou FC, in review, holds an MLS NEXT place and trains at Polar Lakes Park. Its record lists a Young Legends program for U4–U8 with no tryout required, competitive teams for U7–U19, and a College and Alumni Program. Manitou's tryout registration is free, which is worth knowing when you are booking several tryouts in one spring.
The Western Slope
Grand Junction Soccer Club: MLS NEXT. The only Western Slope club in our data and the only top-tier place west of the Continental Divide. Our record holds little beyond the league place. For a Grand Junction family, the useful questions are which age groups play in MLS NEXT and how much of the season means crossing the mountains for away games.
Top-Tier Clubs at a Glance
These records hold at least one place in MLS NEXT, ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, Girls Academy, or DPL. Every league place listed is confirmed in ClubScout's database. Rows without a profile link are still in review.
| Club | City | Leagues | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rush | Littleton | ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, DPL, NPL | View profile |
| Colorado Storm | Aurora | ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls | View profile |
| Real Colorado | Not recorded | ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls, DPL | In review |
| Colorado EDGE | Arvada | ECNL Boys, ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, Pre-ECNL Girls | View profile |
| ALBION SC Denver | Denver | MLS NEXT, DPL | View profile |
| ALBION SC Colorado | Denver | MLS NEXT, DPL | View profile |
| ALBION SC Boulder County | Boulder County | MLS NEXT, Girls Academy ASPIRE | View profile |
| Skyline Soccer Association | Englewood | MLS NEXT | View profile |
| Grand Junction Soccer Club | Grand Junction | MLS NEXT | View profile |
| Broomfield Soccer Club | Broomfield | MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NPL | In review |
| Colorado United SC | Littleton | MLS NEXT | In review |
| Colorado Rapids | Denver | MLS NEXT | In review |
| Manitou FC | Colorado Springs | MLS NEXT | In review |
| Colorado United | Littleton | Girls Academy, DPL | In review |
| Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club | Denver | DPL, National Academy League | View profile |
| City SC NOCO | Loveland | DPL | View profile |
What to expect at this level: regional and national showcases, travel beyond the Front Range, and year-round programs. See our tryout preparation guide.
The one live Colorado profile below the top tier is Arsenal Colorado in Fort Collins, with ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, and Pre-ECNL Girls places. For most families, the regional tier is the right level.
What This Means If You're Searching for a Club
If you're in the south or west Denver suburbs: Colorado Rush in Littleton has the deepest ladder in the state. For MLS NEXT, Skyline Soccer Association is in Englewood. Colorado United in Littleton will add MLS NEXT and Girls Academy once its records clear review.
If you're in Aurora or the east metro: Colorado Storm runs the full ECNL ladder on both sides, and ALBION SC Denver holds tryouts at Aurora Sports Park. Rush also runs an East location in Aurora.
If you're in Arvada or the northwest metro: Colorado EDGE is the nearest ECNL club, with national ECNL for boys. Compare the girls' side with Storm and Rush before you commit, since EDGE girls top out at ECNL RL.
If you're in Boulder County: ALBION SC Boulder County has MLS NEXT, a Girls Academy ASPIRE place, and CSA play below them. The Broomfield records in review will add more once they clear.
If you're in Fort Collins or Loveland: Arsenal Colorado runs ECNL RL Boys, ECNL RL Girls, Pre-ECNL Boys, and Pre-ECNL Girls. City SC NOCO runs DPL Elite teams and a Pre-Elite program. Rush also has a Northern Colorado location. Before you add a Denver club to the list, drive I-25 at practice time.
If you're in Colorado Springs: the live option is Colorado Rush's Springs location. Manitou FC holds MLS NEXT and is in review. Call both.
If you're on the Western Slope: Grand Junction Soccer Club is the one club in our data. Price any Front Range alternative honestly. Several round trips a week over I-70 does not survive a Colorado winter.
If you have a daughter: Colorado leans DPL. The ECNL Girls route is Colorado Rush or Colorado Storm. Read DPL vs ECNL and our girls club soccer guide. The coach matters more than the league name.
If you just moved here: EDP and NECSL, which dominate the Northeast, have no Colorado presence in our data. ECNL RL and CSA competitive play are roughly where those leagues sat in your old state. In Colorado, boys play high school soccer in the fall and girls play in the spring, so the overlap with the club season differs by gender. See Can My Kid Play Club AND High School Soccer? and ask each club for its policy, because none of our Colorado records publishes one.
What Club Soccer in Colorado Actually Costs
No Colorado club with a live profile publishes a fee of any kind. The ranges below are modeled from comparable programs elsewhere in our database, not taken from Colorado club sites. Treat them as a planning envelope, not a quote. Our Colorado cost breakdown goes line by line, level by level.
| Level | Estimated Annual Range | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| MLS academy (pro club) | Travel and gear only | The Rapids academy record describes it as fully funded |
| MLS NEXT (club-run) | $3,500–$6,500+ | Modeled |
| ECNL Boys / ECNL Girls | $3,500–$6,000 | Modeled |
| Girls Academy / DPL | $3,000–$6,000 | Modeled |
| ECNL RL / NPL | $2,500–$4,500 | Modeled |
| CSA competitive | $1,500–$3,000 | Modeled |
| Pre-ECNL / pre-academy (U9–U12) | $1,200–$2,500 | Modeled |
Add uniform kit ($150–$400 in year one), tournament fees ($500–$1,500), and family travel ($300–$1,500+). Plan for the high end your first year, and more if your player's conference sends teams out of state. Colorado winters also push training indoors for part of the year, so ask whether winter futsal or indoor training is included or billed separately.
What we did verify:
- The Colorado Rapids academy is described as fully funded in its record, which is in review. That is typical of MLS club academies, and it does not apply to the separate Rapids youth club.
- Manitou FC's tryout registration is free, per its record, also in review. Ask every club whether it charges for tryouts before you book several in one spring.
On uniforms: most clubs run a two-year kit cycle. Ask whether 2026–27 is year one or year two before you order. In year one, buy what fits now instead of sizing up. In year two, replace only the pieces your kid has outgrown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this guide list 21 records but only about 15 clubs?
Because four Colorado clubs appear more than once in our data. Real Colorado has three records, the Colorado Rapids have three, and Colorado United and Broomfield have two each. Each record holds different league places, which is how duplicates usually form: one source lists a club's ECNL teams, another its DPL teams. We have not merged them, so we list each record's confirmed leagues separately rather than guess at the combined picture. The three ALBION SC listings have separate websites, so we count them as separate clubs, but ask how they relate if you are near more than one.
Which Colorado club is best for a boys player?
There isn't one answer, and geography narrows it fast. For national ECNL, the live options are Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, and Colorado EDGE. For MLS NEXT, the three ALBION SC listings, Skyline Soccer Association, and Grand Junction Soccer Club. Start with the drive, then the coach, then the league.
When do Colorado clubs hold tryouts?
Mostly spring. MLS NEXT and ECNL clubs can start as early as April, and ALBION SC Denver held its MLS NEXT boys tryouts on April 23 and 30, 2026. City SC NOCO ran in May. ALBION SC Boulder County held a July Open House. That is a three-month spread across one state, so check each club's site rather than assuming a statewide date.
How much does club soccer cost in Colorado?
Nobody with a live profile publishes it. Plan on roughly $2,500–$4,500 for ECNL RL and $3,000–$6,500+ for the national tier, plus kit, tournaments, and travel. Those are modeled figures. Ask every club three questions: what is the full-season total, what is not included, and is fundraising mandatory.
Should my kid play up a tier or start lower?
Start at the level where your kid will play real minutes. Four Colorado clubs, Colorado Rush, Colorado Storm, Colorado EDGE, and Arsenal Colorado, run the regional and U9–U12 feeder tiers on both sides, so a player can move between levels inside one club. Starting a tier lower at a club with a ladder is almost always better than starting a tier too high at a club without one. Ask, too, how many players dress on game day. A roster of 22 where 16 dress means six kids sitting out every weekend.
What Our Colorado Data Doesn't Tell You Yet
We'd rather name the gaps than write around them:
- 10 of 21 records are still in review, so they have no live profile. That includes every Colorado Springs record and both Broomfield records.
- Four probable duplicate groups: Real Colorado (3 records), Colorado Rapids (3), Colorado United (2), and Broomfield (2). Until we merge them, their league places stay split across records.
- Three records hold no league places at all: Colorado Rapids Academy and two of the Real Colorado records.
- Five records have no recorded city: all three Real Colorado records, ALBION SC Boulder County, and City SC NOCO. The last two place themselves in Boulder County and Loveland in their own text, which is what this guide uses. ALBION SC Colorado's recorded city is Denver, but its listed venue is in the Boulder area.
- Most live profiles are thin. Colorado Storm, Colorado EDGE, Arsenal Colorado, Skyline Soccer Association, Grand Junction Soccer Club, and the Rapids youth club have little beyond their confirmed league places. The league data is solid. Everything else needs a call.
- No club publishes a fee we could verify. Every cost figure above is modeled.
- No CSA league affiliations are recorded. A large share of Colorado travel soccer happens there, and none of it is in our league data yet.
If you run one of these clubs, claiming your profile is the fastest way to fix it.
Next Steps
Colorado has 21 records in ClubScout's data and 11 live profiles. Search by zip code to find clubs near you, filter by league and age group, and compare profiles side by side. Then pick two or three, and ask whether your kid can join a training session on a trial basis. A session your kid plays in tells you more than any website.
Related guides:
- How Much Does Club Soccer Cost in Colorado?
- Club Soccer in Denver, CO: A Complete Guide for Parents
- How to Choose a Youth Soccer Club
- What Is MLS NEXT?
- What Is ECNL?
- What Is DPL?
- What Is Girls Academy?
- DPL vs ECNL
- Girls Academy vs DPL
- ECNL RL vs EDP vs NECSL: The Tier-2 Comparison
- How to Evaluate a Youth Soccer Coach
- Girls Club Soccer: A Parent's Complete Guide
- Club Soccer Age-by-Age Guide: U8 Through U18
- Can My Kid Play Club AND High School Soccer?
- Club Soccer in Oregon: A Parent's Complete Guide