As first reported by Soccer America‘s Mike Woitalla and confirmed by SoccerWire’s sources, U.S. Soccer has split the Boys Development Academy U-18/19 age group into two divisions for the 2019-2020 season.

The Red tier will be the top flight, and will feature 36 teams, including all 22 MLS academies.

The Blue tier is set to include 44 teams in the second level of the U-18/19 age group.

U.S. Soccer has split the Boys Development Academy’s U18/19 league into two divisions for the 2019-20 season https://t.co/cAG9AYVRjL pic.twitter.com/apwJFRfZ47 — Mike Woitalla (@MikeWoitalla) August 2, 2019

There will be cross-division competition between the Red and Blue tiers at national events, including the DA Playoffs. The Red division will have 16 automatic qualifiers, and the Blue division will have 8 automatic qualifiers in the 32-team playoff field. The remaining 8 playoff qualifiers will be decided via the new DA Cup competition.

Other age groups will not be affected this season by the changes to the U-18/19 level.