For the first time, NorCal’s Fall Season kicked off with two group stage games at the newly created NorCal League Cup this past weekend in Davis.

The event, which pits teams from NorCal’s ECNL RL and NPL, as well as the ECNL and MLSNext against each other, saw 188 teams from 57 different clubs compete over the course of two days.

“It was amazing to have teams from all these different leagues finally get the opportunity to play against each other in a competitive environment,” said NorCal ECNL RL Commissioner Kelcey Chaidez. “Even though some of these teams come from the same city, they aren’t usually given a chance to compete together in any meaningful games.”

Several of the weekend’s first matchups included those between ECNL RL and ECNL squads, as well as some NPL vs. MLS Next games as well.

“Last weekend was the first step of what we hope will be more cross-competition cooperation, something we believe is imperative to the success of NorCal as a premier developmental region,” Chaidez added.

The NorCal League Cup features teams from the U15-U19 age groups, which were each seeded into four groups of six. The top team from each group will advance to the quarterfinals along with the top two second place teams.

While the first two group stage matches took place this past weekend, the competition will run through May.

The third group stage games are set to be played on the Saturday of the NorCal Fall College Showcase–November 16 for the boys and November 23 for the girls. The following day, the quarterfinals will kick off, with the semifinals and finals scheduled for May’s NorCal Spring College Showcase.

Notably, each team participating in the League Cup earned automatic berths in both NorCal College Showcase–the teams who don’t advance to the knockout stages will be paired up for friendlies on each of the remaining dates, ensuring that all teams play four games at the showcases.

“Last weekend’s matches proved a great way for NorCal Premier Soccer to officially open its 2025-26 season,” Chaidez said. “Kicking off with the first-ever League Cup matches was an excellent precursor to all the exciting league and cup action we have stored for the NorCal community this fall.”

To see the full schedule as well as the results from this weekend’s matches, click here.

For more information about the League Cup, click here.