USA Football's Summer Series in Los Angeles gave families a useful look at what the next stage of youth and junior flag football may look like: national-team development, international competition and more athletes being evaluated in an Olympic-style 5-on-5 format.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON reported that a strong Southern Arizona group traveled to Dignity Health Sports Park for the event, with eight Tucson-area athletes and four Tucson-area coaches taking part across the Summer Series. The article also showed how broad the event has become, with Select Bowl divisions, the Junior International Cup, Stars & States and Team USA exhibitions all folded into one Los Angeles week.
At a Glance
- Event: USA Football Summer Series in Los Angeles
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson
- Source Date: June 23, 2026
- Scale: Approximately 1,000 athletes and team personnel from the United States and around the world
- Formats: Select Bowl, Junior International Cup, Stars & States and Team USA exhibition games
- International Teams: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea and the United States competed in Junior International Cup divisions
- Development Pathway: Select Bowl athletes competed in front of U.S. National Team staff and evaluators for potential invitations to 2027 U.S. National Team Trials
Why It Matters for Youth Flag Football
The Summer Series is not just another tournament. It connects several layers of the flag football pathway in one place: younger international teams, regional development events, elite U.S. athletes, national-team evaluators and senior Team USA exhibitions.
For parents, that matters because the pathway is becoming easier to understand. A player might start in a local league, move into club or tournament play, attend a USA Football Talent ID Camp, earn a Select Bowl opportunity and eventually compete for a U.S. National Team Trials invitation. That does not mean every athlete is on the same track, but it does show how the top of the youth game is getting more organized.
Los Angeles was also the right setting. Flag football will make its Olympic debut at LA28, and the Summer Series gave younger athletes a chance to compete in the same region that will become the sport's Olympic stage. That connection will matter more as players, coaches and families begin thinking about the next two recruiting and national-team cycles.
What Happened in Los Angeles
The Select Bowl included eight divisions with four teams each: 12U boys, 12U girls, 14U boys, 14U girls, 16U boys, 16U girls, 18U girls and 23U women. Athletes competed in 5-on-5 Olympic-style flag football while working with national-level coaches and evaluators.
The Junior International Cup added another layer, bringing 15U and 17U boys and girls teams from eight countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea and the United States. That international field is the kind of development step that could eventually feed future senior national teams.
USA Football also used the week for Stars & States, a new National Team Development Program event featuring athletes from California, Florida, Texas and the Tri-State region. For SoCal families, that is worth watching because it signals that state and regional identification events may become a more regular part of the national-team pathway.
Southern Arizona Results and Names to Know
The ALLSPORTSTUCSON report focused on Tucson Turf Elite and Southern Arizona's representation. Jet Sports Training owner Bobby Rodriguez said the group represented Tucson in a "big way," and the medal list backs that up.
- Kendren Bourguet: Boys 17U Team USA, Junior International Cup gold medal
- Isla Collins: Girls 17U Team USA, Junior International Cup silver medal
- Rylen Bourguet: Women's 23U Team USA, Select Bowl silver medal
- Deztany Toyota-Villalobos: Girls 18U Team USA, Select Bowl silver medal
- Emeron Bourguet and Logan Allen: Boys 16U Team USA White, Select Bowl gold medal
- Gavin Hynd: Boys 16U Team USA Blue, Select Bowl silver medal
- Jacoby Strebing: Boys 12U Team USA, Select Bowl gold medal and All-Tournament team selection
The coaching list was notable too. Toby Bourguet coached the Girls 18U Red Team, Barrie Pedersen helped coach the Girls 16U White Team to a gold medal, Rodriguez served as a performance coach, and Abbey Rustand coached the Girls 12U group to a silver medal.
Southern California Connections to Watch
Even though the source story centered on Tucson, the Summer Series included direct Southern California ties. The Girls 16U White roster listed athletes from Placentia, Mission Viejo, San Marcos and Cypress, and the Girls 18U Red group included a Carlsbad athlete. That is exactly why this event belongs on the SoCal Flag radar.
As more athletes from California enter USA Football development events, parents should track which camps, trials and regional events feed into Select Bowl, Stars & States and national-team opportunities. Those pathways are likely to become more competitive as flag football moves toward LA28 and as college opportunities continue to expand.
What to Watch Next
The next checkpoints are USA Football's 2027 U.S. National Team Trials invitations, future Talent ID Camp schedules, Junior International Cup fields and whether California continues producing athletes across multiple age divisions.
For families in Southern California, the larger message is clear: elite flag football is no longer just local league play or weekend tournaments. The sport now has a visible youth-to-national-team ladder, and Los Angeles is already becoming one of the places where that ladder is taking shape.