US Youth Soccer Regional Championships Locations Set for 2008

FRISCO, Texas (October 4, 2007) - US Youth Soccer announced the dates and locations for the 2008 US Youth Soccer Regional Championships, the second leg of the US Youth Soccer National Championships Series, the country\'s most prestigious national youth soccer tournament. After another banner year in 2007, the regional tournaments will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii; Portland, Maine; Raleigh and Wilson, N.C. and Rockford, Ill.
 
The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams, from US Youth Soccer’s 55 State Associations, the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the best in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play. 
 
The Series is a yearlong competition that begins with the US Youth Soccer State Championships.  State champions and selected wildcard teams through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues advance to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. The champions in the Under-14 through Under-19 age groups from each regional event will converge for the US Youth Soccer National Championships.  
 
In 2008, the storied US Youth Soccer National Championships will expand its current field from 48 to 56 teams.  The newly formed US Youth Soccer National League, which begins play this fall, will send its inaugural champion and finalist to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in the Under-15 and Under-16 age groups, expanding these age groups from four to six teams. 
 
“The US Youth Soccer National Championships cap a yearlong series of events for the top soccer teams in the country,” said Jim Cosgrove, executive director for US Youth Soccer.  “These teams are showcasing not only their soccer abilities but their abilities as youth to set and achieve goals that will assist them on and off the field of play.  As they earn their way from state to regional play they are earning tremendous opportunities.”
 
Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation’s top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2007, over 600 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships including the top 25 men’s and women’s programs based on the final 2007 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for NCAA Division I schools.
 
The chronological dates and locations for the second and final legs of the 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series events are:
 
2008 US Youth Soccer Region IV (West) Regional Championships
Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park – Honolulu, HI (Island of Oahu)
June 16-22, 2008

2008 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Regional Championships
Sportscore Complexes No. 1 and No. 2 – Rockford, IL
June 20-25, 2008

2008 US Youth Soccer Region I (East) Regional Championships
Bowdoin College and Falmouth High School – Portland, ME
June 26-July 1, 2008
 
2008 US Youth Soccer Region III (South) Regional Championships
WRAL Soccer Center - Raleigh, NC and J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex – Wilson, NC
June 19-25, 2008
 
2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships
Burns Park Soccer Complex – North Little Rock, AR
July 22-27, 2008