Covering western New York, western Pennsylvania, and Ohio, the Great Lakes Alliance is a U.S. Club Soccer sanctioned regional league. Collaboration between its affiliated leagues and player development are key elements of the GLA's mission. The GLA fields boys' and girls' teams from U10 to U19.

Its players participate in tournaments such as the NPL Midwest Select Games, which also welcomes players from Minnesota NPL and the Northern Illinois Soccer League. Each league fields two boys' and two girls' select teams for three friendly games, which are viewed by id2 scouts.

The id2 National Identification and Development programs offers elite-level youth players a chance to be scouted for potential inclusions in the National Team programs held by U.S. Soccer. The GLA's alliances include the ECNL Regional League, the Ohio Valley Premier League, and the National Premier League.