From the UPSL to the World Cup: Three Alumni Earn Their Call

MIAMI — Three players who came up through the United Premier Soccer League will take the field at the 2026 World Cup in their nations’ colors — proof that the road to the game’s biggest stage runs straight through American semi-professional soccer.

Yan Diomande, who sharpened his game at AS Frenzi, is now at RB Leipzig and has been called up by Ivory Coast. Louicius Don Deedson, a product of Pro-Profile, has since signed with FC Dallas and will represent Haiti. And Alex Freeman, who came up through Orlando City Academy, now wears the colors of Villarreal and has earned his place with the United States.

What ties them together is where they started. The UPSL — more than 900 clubs, 40,000 players, and full seasons every spring and fall — gives young talent what every prospect needs and few leagues offer: real, competitive minutes against seasoned men, inside a national structure, with nothing handed to them.

For a teenager with a dream, that is the difference. The UPSL isn’t a weekend showcase; it’s a proving ground. Players arrive raw and leave tested — used to the speed, the physicality and the pressure the next level demands. Scouts know it, which is why so many keep one eye on UPSL touchlines.

Diomande, Deedson and Freeman each took that step — from UPSL pitches to professional contracts, and now to the world stage. Their journeys look nothing alike, but the launchpad was the same.

That is the promise at the heart of this league: a player’s postcode or paycheck shouldn’t decide how far the game can take them. Talent and graft should. These three earned every yard of it.

As the world turns its attention to North America in 2026, the UPSL will watch three of its own with particular pride. And the thousands of players still grinding through a Tuesday-night fixture will be watching too — because now they have proof. The road to the World Cup can start right here.

About the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) 

Founded in 2011, the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) serves as the unofficial fourth tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. With over 800 teams competing across its Premier, Division 1, A-League, Academy, and Women’s divisions, the UPSL is the largest Semi-Pro Pro League in North America. A National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), the UPSL is made up of independently owned and operated clubs. Through its USSF affiliation, UPSL teams are eligible to compete in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds. 

For more information, visit www.upsl.com or follow @upslsoccer on Facebook, Instagram, and X. General Inquiries: [email protected] – Media Inquiries: [email protected]