The US Youth Soccer Desert Conference consists of teams primarily from Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The Desert Conference operates league play for boys and girls teams in the 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U and 19U age groups.

The Desert Conference has an event-based league schedule. Each team will compete at two events per season.

• The 11U-14U age groups play at an event in the early fall season and at an event in the late fall season.
• The 15U-19U age groups play at an event in the late fall season and at an event in the early spring season.

• The highest level of play for each age group takes place within a Premier I Division.
• Some age groups may have a Premier II Division that provides top-finishing teams with promotion opportunities to the Premier I Division for the ensuing season.

The Desert Conference is one of 13 Conferences within the National League that offer team-based competition, meaning each team earns its place into the appropriate level of play through its play on the field. The 13 Conferences share national connectivity via the Conference Playoffs, which provide a platform for the top 10 percent of teams from the 3,500+ teams playing in the conferences to come together and compete for an opportunity to continue on the pathway toward the US Youth Soccer National Championships.

The conferences provide teams with two pathways that help teams work their way toward advancing to the USYS National Championships.

1. National League Pathway – Conference teams can qualify for the National League Conference Playoffs and have an opportunity to ultimately advance to the National Championships. In order to do so, they must:
   • Qualify for the Conference Playoffs by finishing as one of the top teams in the highest level of its conference in the previous seasonal year.
   • Compete at the Conference Playoffs and earn advancement to National League P.R.O.
   • Compete at National League P.R.O. and finish in a qualifying position for the USYS National Championships.
2. Regional Championships Pathway – Conference teams can qualify for their respective Regional Championship to have an opportunity to ultimately advance to the National Championships. In order to do so, they must:
   • Finish as one of the top teams in the highest level of its conference to earn a spot in the Regional Championships at the end of that same seasonal year.
   • Win the Regional Championship to advance to the USYS National Championships.