US Youth Soccer Region IV

Majority of Preliminary Rounds Completed at US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships

Tonight's evening games set to begin at 7:00 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (June 20, 2007) - Win or go home was the mantra for the more than 250 teams competing at the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships today in Las Vegas. With the preliminary round-robin games coming to a close and berths in quarterfinal brackets on the line, teams were "all in" for a chance at the first elimination rounds set for Friday.

Most of the 128 quarterfinalists were determined today as the first three days of round robin play highlighted the deep field in Region IV. Half of last year?s national championships are from the region.

Wyoming's Under-14 Laramie Blizzard will be the sole team representing their home state in the quarterfinals. The Blizzard won against Montana's wildcard team, the Helena Arsenal today, 2-1. The Blizzard have won the Wyoming US Youth Soccer State Championships three times and coaches James and Mariah Learned couldn't be more pleased with their team's progress.

Sereno White (Arizona) and Crossfire Premier 91 (Washington) both won their respective games this morning. Under-15 Boys Sereno White played BCSC Premier winning 5-0. Crossfire Premier 91 won against Montana's Missoula Strikers, 9-0. Neither team struggled with today's matches, but at the end of round robin play the Sereno and Crossfire were tied in their bracket. Tonight at 6 p.m. at the Betty Wilson Soccer Complex, they will participate in a shootout to determine who they will play in the quarterfinals. Both teams are looking to put themselves in the best possible position going into Friday's games.

The Under-15 Girls Mustang Spirit (California North) and THUSC Neon (Oregon) are also going to a shootout at 6 p.m. The stakes are high as these teams play for the last spot in the quarterfinals. The winner of the shootout will play at 9 a.m. on Friday against the Premier 91/92 of Idaho.

The Under-16 girls group continues to draw great crowds as Nevada's own Neusport Tabagators hold all of the cards, leading the division with four points while Sereno White (AZ) and Rio Vista FC (NM) are only one point behind with three. The Tabagators have drawn over 300 fans in each of their first two matches. Real Colorado National will face Sereno tonight and the Tabagators will match-up with Rio Vista FC (NM) tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Kellogg Zaher to determine the two teams from Group D to advance.

Schedule changes for the weekend games have been made to better accommodate the players, coaches, volunteers and fans as the 2007 summer kicks off with temperatures expecting to reach 110 degrees.

Also adding to the pressure of such an elite tournament are more than 100 college coaches in attendance. The coaches have come from across the country to scout the western talent. Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke and Georgetown are just a few of the colleges represented.

More than 250 top boys and girls US Youth Soccer teams from 14 state associations are competing for the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships, June 18-24, Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex and the Kellogg Zaher Sports Complex in Las Vegas. Daily reports and complete results from the tournament will be available on www.USYouthSoccer.org and http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org.

Regional winners of the Under-14 through Under-19 brackets earn a berth to the 2007 US Youth Soccer National Championships to be played July 24-29, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.