Yuma United FC moves to semi-pro level, opens tryouts for 2026 season

Yuma United FC is making its biggest move yet, shifting into the United Premier Soccer League for the 2026 Spring season and opening tryouts May 30 and May 31 for players 16 and older. The change gives Yuma County soccer players a new route into semi-pro competition without leaving the area, while also testing whether the city can support a stronger adult club scene.

The club was listed on the UPSL Division 1 team page as a Yuma, Arizona team, with a 2026 Spring schedule and roster coming soon. The league describes itself as the largest and most competitive pro-development league in North America, with nearly 400 clubs nationwide. That scale matters for Yuma because the move is not just a local exhibition jump; it places the club inside a broader competitive structure with a direct ladder upward.

That ladder includes a real promotion path. The UPSL’s 2026 Spring handbook says Division 1 teams in conferences with multiple Division 1 groups can qualify for promotion playoffs when the Premier Division is full. For Yuma United, that creates a clear long-term target: prove itself in Division 1, then push toward the Premier Division and eventually national-level play.

At the press conference, head coach Luis Rojas framed the move around the area’s soccer talent. He pointed to the strength of high school programs at Kofa, San Luis and Cibola, schools that have long supplied skilled players across Yuma County. That point landed with added weight this spring, after four county seniors, Rodrigo Orozco, Luis Cunningham, Julio Reina and Ryan Rosas, were selected for the 6A All-Star Game.

For local players, the semi-pro transition could fill a gap between high school soccer and the next level of adult competition. That is especially relevant in a county where the pipeline is already producing college-ready and all-star-caliber talent. Kofa High School says its athletics program has a long tradition of success, and MaxPreps shows the school’s boys soccer program has fielded hundreds of players over time.

Club owner Blas Gasca has tied the project to Yuma’s identity as much as its soccer future. His MaxPreps profile lists him as a former Yuma High School athlete in football and soccer, a background that fits the club’s local emphasis. Yuma United’s Facebook page says it has been “bringing our community together” and “building a real football culture” in Yuma since 2015, and the club is also selling season passes that include merchandise discounts and access to potential team events.

For Yuma, the question now is not whether the club can announce ambition. It is whether this step turns community interest into a lasting soccer institution.