California South teams lead the charge to the national title with nine teams 
Complete recaps available at championships.usyouthsoccer.org/regionIV
Video highlights, including finals, available at http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/multimedia/index.asp  

LANCASTER, Calif. (June 22, 2008) – US Youth Soccer is proud to announce the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region IV (West) Champions and acknowledge their success in the state and regional championships of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament. These teams now advance to the third and final leg of the quest for the national championships.

 

"Each year, the nation's top players look forward to the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series as teams earn their way from state to regional champions, striving to be one of the top 60 teams in the country playing for the US Youth Soccer National Championship," said Larry Monaco, president of US Youth Soccer. "It was a tremendous event by host California Youth Soccer Association – South and congratulations to the more than 248 teams who advanced to represent their state and to those who will continue their quest to be named US Youth Soccer National Champions."

The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing approximately 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 National Championships cap a yearlong series of competitions, US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, for boys and girls teams in multiple age groups as teams earn their way from the top teams in their state to the regional championship tournaments. US Youth Soccer State Champions and selected wildcard teams are eligible 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 in the finals in Massachusetts. 

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 74^th anniversary of the storied cup.

Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country.

The dates and locations for the remaining Regional Championships and the 2009 US Youth Soccer National Championships are:

US Youth Soccer Region I Championships | Barboursville, W.Va.
Barboursville Soccer Complex, Huntington YMCA Kennedy and Scott Orthopedics Soccer Complex
Round Robin: July 2-5
Semis: June 6 
Finals: July 7

US Youth Soccer Region II Championships | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Yankton Trails Park
Round Robin: June 19-22
Semis: June 23
Finals: June 24

US Youth Soccer Region III Championships | Frisco and Plano, Texas
Pizza Hut Park and Russell Creek Park
Round Robin: June 18-21 
Quarters: June 22 
Semis: June 23 
Finals: June 24

US Youth Soccer National Championships | Lancaster, Mass.
Citizens Bank Field at Progin Park
Round Robin: July 21-24
Finals: July 25-26

To learn more about the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series and see the results from all of the regional competitions log on to http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org, the online home for the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, providing the latest in news, information and more.

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About the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series – The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides 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 yearlong competition begins with over 185,000 players in the US Youth Soccer State Championships.  These champions and selected wildcard teams, through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues, advance to compete in one of four the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. Champions (U-14 through U-19) from each regional event advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships.  The Under-15 through 17 Boys and Girls age groups have two teams representative of the US Youth Soccer National League, in which the top two teams in each gender age group earn a direct path to the national championships. Overall 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.

Media Request: When referring to the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, the most prestigious event in youth sports, please refer to the event as US Youth Soccer National Championship Series on first reference and National Championship Series on anything thereafter. Never refer to as NCS or USYS NCS. We appreciate your cooperation.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!^®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.