Team

Little Eagles Overview

Intro to Soccer program for 4-7 year olds

Young boy in a red jersey holding a ball during intro to soccer practice

“Sport is something that is very inspirational for young people.” -Pele

  • Basic fundamentals of soccer
  • Coordination
  • Skills
  • Scrimmage games
  • Social interaction with peers
  • Exploring the love for the game​
Young children dribbling soccer balls between cones on a grass field

7U-19U Overview & Schedules

Youth player in a red kit dribbling past a defender in black
  • Develop motor and coordination skills
  • Core skills and fundamentals of soccer
  • Technical and training drills
  • Scrimmage games
  • Speed, strength, and conditioning training
  • Build confidence and a love for the game

Players are taught more detailed techniques and soccer situations as they continue to progress in their age group.
Teams will train both outdoor and indoor during the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons. Teams will also compete in Outdoor and Indoor travel leagues.
Teams also participate in local and out-of-state tournaments 3-4 times a year. Our older competitive teams will also participate in  IL State Cup and Presidents Cup playoffs as well.
Our top players also participate in the IL Olympic Development program (ODP) which is the 1st step in the identification process for the National and Olympic teams. The purpose of this program is to identify players on the basis of open tryouts and develop them to represent their state, region and the USA in soccer competition.

 

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“Football is about joy. It’s about dribbling. I favour every idea that makes the game beautiful. Every good idea has to last.”-Ronaldinho

Four youth players in blue ODP jerseys posing on indoor turf
Line of young soccer players in red kits on a grass field during practice
YSSL Game Schedules for 7U-19U Teams

2026-2027 US Youth Soccer Age Realignment

Following extensive review and discussion, US Youth Soccer, AYSO, and US Club Soccer have collectively decided to move to an age group player formation cycle that runs from August 1 to July 31, starting with the 2026-27 season/registration year. This change was made based on additional critical feedback, data, and expert input to better align players with their school-grade peers. Our associations feel that this age group player formation will be the most inclusive and help increase participation.

Aligning with the school-year calendar is a return to a policy in place prior to a 2016 U.S. Soccer decision to move to birth-year registration (January 1 – December 31). The change was made in effort to align with international soccer standards. 
Youth players born before September 1 will have the opportunity to play up with older age groups in accordance with their club’s governance. 
U.S. Soccer performed an assessment of available data (e.g., 2020 U.S. Census & National Center for Education Statistics) and qualitative feedback and determined that September 1 represents most school districts’ calendars (~68%) across the country. 

2026-2027 age group realignment graphic over a youth team photo
Graphic explaining what is changing in the 2026-2027 youth soccer age groups
Graphic explaining who the age group realignment affects and what it means for families
Graphic on how AAC Eagles supports the age group transition
Table of birth years and new school-year age groups for 2026-2027

Goalkeeper Training Overview

Five young goalkeepers in gloves and keeper jerseys posing with arms crossed
  • Fundamentals of goalkeeping
  • Catching
  • Diving
  • Throwing and kicking
  • Crosses
  • 1v1’s
  • Commanding the 6 yard box
  • Technical and tactical training
  • Confidence building
  • Decision making
  • Communication to teammates
  • (Training included in season fees)

“Most kids dream of scoring the perfect goal. I’ve always dreamed of stopping it.” -Iker Casillas