2006 US Youth Soccer National Championships Schedule Announced

FRISCO, Texas (July 7, 2006) - Today, US Youth Soccer is proud to announce the schedule for the 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championships to be played July 25-30 at the James W. Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines, Iowa. The tournament will consist of four national finalists, teams that won their respective regional championship, in the Under-14 through Under-19 age groups for boys and girls.

These 48 teams have advanced through the first two legs of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series where more than 10,000 teams began the journey at their US Youth Soccer State Championships. State champions advanced to the regional competition, which ended on July 5, where more than 900 teams played in one of four regions. The national championship field consists of these regional champions.

The teams will play matches Wednesday, July 26 through Friday, July 28 to determine who will advance to play for the national title. All round robin match times will be scheduled for 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30am and 7:00pm. Teams will earn three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. The team with the most points at the conclusion of Friday’s play will advance to play for the National Championship on Sunday, July 31.

The 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country’s most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play.

The US Youth Soccer National Championships cap a yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age groups as teams earn their way from the top team in their state to the regional championship tournaments. State Cup champions and selected wildcard teams in most age groups are eligible to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. The champions in the under-14 through under-19 age group from each regional event converge to enjoy the nation’s top competition.

The complete 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championships schedule as well as game scores and highlights are available at the Series website: http://Championships.USYouthsoccer.org.

2006 marks the 30^th anniversary of the under-16 boys D.J. Niotis Cup and 15^th Anniversary of the under-17 girls Laura Moynihan Cup. The James P. McGuire Cup is the oldest trophy in youth sport dating back to 1935 with the inaugural youth championships. The under-19 boys age group as the National Champion will hoist the McGuire Cup. This is the 71^st anniversary of the storied cup.