USA Esports, the organisation aiming to be the national governing body for esports in the United States, has announced that a group of esports players will travel to South Korea to play League of Legends against top competitors from Korea and Vietnam.
The US team will consist of Dignitas’ Noah “Denathor” Erikson, Conviction’s Perry Chen “Perry” Norman, Maryville’s Jonny “AoJune” Chen, Maryville’s Jeremiah “ScaryJerry” Leathe and Conviction’s Ryan “Zyko” Jung. These American players will compete against some of the sport’s most recognisable names, such as Faker, Gumayusi, Keria, Zeus and Canyon.
The trip is the first real-world test of a programme the organisation calls the National Team Development Program, or NTDP, which is meant to give young American players a path toward representing the U.S. on a national team.
USA Esports, however, has specifically mentioned that the NTDP doesn’t officially exist yet as a formal programme as the organisation has been working out how to structure it. The organisation says Daniel Clerke, USA Esports’ President of Esports Operations, will share more details about the full programme later.
USA Esports President and CEO Jesse Bodony explained the current national esports team for the USA is focusing on the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) weekly competitions. Because of the timing, the roster won’t include the same players USA Esports originally lined up for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), an international competition that has been pushed back to 2027. The organisation has so far only mentioned that some of the players who competed in collegiate matches will face the Korean and Vietnamese teams.
Teams from Korea and Vietnam, on the other hand, are preparing for the Asian Games, a multi-sport international competition where League of Legends is included alongside traditional sports. According to USA Esports, both national teams wanted competition and practice reps against opponents other than each other. The organisation said it is also coordinating with KeSPA, the Korean e-Sports Association, as part of their larger partnership.
USA Esports pointed out that they’re not alone in developing opportunities for new and upcoming esports players. As an example, the organisation highlighted that Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, recently announced the World Star Challengers Invitational, a new international tournament for second-level professional teams. To further strengthen the LoL grassroots scene, Riot Games has also removed limits on event fees, sponsorships, and prize money, while allowing most organisers to run events without getting Riot’s approval.
While the USA is testing its National Team Development Program with a trial trip to South Korea, other countries are already putting their teams in front of live audiences. One example is the ENC Invitational at gamescom, held on August 29, 2026, which served as the official start of the “Road to the 2027 Esports Nations Cup”. The event gave Team Germany Esports its first chance to play in front of a live crowd at gamescom in Cologne against national esports teams like Team Great Britain and Team Netherlands at Rocket League and Trackmania.
