MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Dec. 1, 2004) – US Club Soccer has announced the final dates and locations of the 2005 National Cup IV Regionals & Finals. The fourth edition of The National Cup, US Club Soccer’s signature competition, will begin with eight Regionals held across the country from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July. The 2005 National Cup IV Finals will be contested in late July and early August.

Boys and girls’ U12-U17 age groups will compete at the 2005 National Cup IV, which is open only to US Club Soccer members. The 2005 National Cup IV Regionals commence May 28-31 in LaGrange, N.Y., one of five 2005 locations to have also hosted a Regional last year. Regionals also return to Las Vegas, Nev. (June 11-14), Columbus, Ga. (June 17-20), Ft. Wayne, Ind. (June 24-27) and Boise, Idaho (July 2-5).

Lodi, Ohio (Cleveland area), which held a Regional in 2003, hosts a 2005 National Cup IV Regional June 11-14. For the first time, US Club Soccer will hold National Cup Regionals in Ft. Dix, N.J. (June 25-28) and Tulsa, Okla. (July 2-5).

Winners from each Regional will advance to the 2005 National Cup IV Finals. For the second straight year, the U12-U15 Finals will be contested at SAS Soccer Park in Raleigh, N.C. All four age groups in both boys and girls’ competitions will compete for 2005 National Cup IV titles July 21-24.

In part to maximize our members’ exposure to college scouts, the U16-U17 Finals will once again be held in conjunction with the Score at the Shore Showcase, one of the highest attended college showcase events in the country, on Long Island, N.Y. The boys’ U16-U17 Finals are scheduled for July 29-Aug. 1 with the girls’ U16-U17 Finals the following weekend, Aug. 5-8.

The addition of an eighth Regional allows two Regionals to be competed in each USSF region of the country. As in previous years, a team may choose to attend any 2005 National Cup IV Regional, and is not limited to the ones in its USSF Region.

To ensure a high level of competition for all clubs, for the first time, all teams applying for the 2005 National Cup IV will do so at the Premier level. A tournament committee, consisting of soccer-knowledgeable, neutral, club soccer coaches, will review all the applications and select teams to be promoted into a Super Cup division.

Applications for the 2005 National Cup IV are now available on the 2005 National Cup IV page. Links to the applications can also be found in the table listed at the end of this release. Please note there is a separate application for each Regional. All 2005 National Cup IV applications and registration fees will be submitted online. A secure socket layer protocol will be utilized to process all credit card transactions.

Continue to visit the website for updates on the 2005 National Cup IV. Please direct any questions to the email address of the Regional you are interested in learning more about, which can be found in the table below.

Finals
 

About US Club Soccer

US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop competitive club soccer in the United States. It has been a member of the United States Soccer Federation since July 2001, and has grown to over 900 member clubs and league teams in 44 states. In addition to sanctioning tournaments, leagues, and other competitions and conducting a range of programs for its members, it annually conducts the US Club Soccer National Cup, for member teams for boys and girls’ U12 to U17. The 2005 National Cup IV kicks off Memorial Day weekend. US Club Soccer also launched its own player identification and development program in the summer of 2004, termed id2. In 2005, US Club Soccer, in conjunction with Disney, will launch the inaugural Champions League Cup to determine the nation’s top boy and girl’s clubs. US Club Soccer’s growing list of National Corporate Partners include: 24 Hour Fitness, Budget Rent A Car, Cendant Hotel Group, Delta Airlines, Nike, Puma, Major League Soccer and TEKK Athletic; as well as a supplier group of six additional corporations. For more information, visit www.usclubsoccer.org.