USYS National Championships Announces Selected Referees
Each summer, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series crowns the boys and girls National Champion in seven age groups U13 through U19/20.
Annually, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation’s top collegiate and professional coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country.
Youth Soccer News: US Youth Soccer has announced the 96 referees who, based on their performance at the state and regional level, will be officiating the matches at the 2017 US Youth Soccer National Championships, July 25-30 in Frisco, Texas.
The selection process for referees for the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is based on performance throughout the year-long event. Just as the teams advance from the state to regional to national level, so do the referees.
The United States Soccer Federation is sending referee assessors to Frisco, in addition to US Youth Soccer providing assessors as well. The referees are an integral part of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, and they play a key role in its success and advancement to the next level. Being invited to the national level is a great honor for these referees who are dedicated to promoting fair play and furthering development.
This year, 20 top referees will be returning to work at their second consecutive US Youth Soccer National Championships based on their performance at last year’s event.
Referees participating in the 55 US Youth Soccer State Association State Cup events are considered for advancement to participate in one of the four US Youth Soccer Regional Championship events. The top officials from each regional event are then considered for advancement to the National Championships. Once selected to the National Championships, the top referees are identified and invited to return to the event the following year.
Each summer, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series finals are a culmination of a year-long series of competitions at the state and regional levels, which provides approximately 185,000 players the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation.
One of the 14 national crowns awarded is the James P. McGuire Cup, the oldest trophy in youth sports, dating back to 1935 with the inaugural youth championships, and played annually except during World War II. Officially known as the United States Soccer Federation National Junior Challenge Cup, the competition was renamed the James P. McGuire Junior Champion Cup in 1975, after the late United States Soccer Federation President.
Photo Credit: US Youth Soccer
