US Club Soccer announces creation of Campeonato Inter Liga in Southern California
CHARLESTON, S.C. (May 23, 2012) – US Club Soccer has announced the creation of the Campeonato Inter Liga, a league championship series that will bring together representatives of independent leagues in Southern California.
Set to kick off in September 2012, the goal of the Campeonato Inter Liga is to provide playing opportunities for players of all backgrounds to compete against others with similar skills and desires. The Campeonato Inter Liga will initially include U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 boys divisions from Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The tournament will function as a supplemental regional league similar to South America’s Copa Libertadores or Europe’s UEFA Champions League, allowing independent leagues to continue playing in their current local format.
Each independent league will be able to choose one team to represent it at each age group in the Campeonato Inter Liga. These teams can be either league champions or a collection of top players from the league.
The inaugural season of the Campeonato Inter Liga will kick off in September 2012 with group play consisting of home and away matches running through the end of February 2013. The top two teams in each age group from each region will advance to the finals stage, which will include home and away matches until finalists are determined. The Finals will then be held in Spring 2013 alongside a showcase event featuring all other Campeonato Inter Liga teams.
The Campeonato Inter Liga will also include player identification programs and coaching education initiatives. The league will host regional Player Development Programs with top players also being scouted for inclusion in US Club Soccer’s id2 National Player Identification and Development Program.
An introductory meeting for the Campeonato Inter Liga was held on May 22 and included Uriel Chavez, Alfredo Gomez (Azteca SL), Leonel Perez (United Latin SL), Juan Majia (Olympic YSL), Israel Salaza (Continental SL), Ricardo Sandoval (Santa Ana SL), Hugo Fernandez (Club Unidos SL), Pedro Magallon (SYSA), Jorge Rodriguez (Santa Ana DSP) and Noe Valiente, as well as league representatives Hugo Salcedo, Joe Supe and Sacha van der Most.
“This is a real opportunity for our youngsters who dream of a chance to play the game at the highest level,” said SCYSO Founder and FIFA General Coordinator Hugo Salcedo. “This level of competition will open the gates for talented Latino players and place them on the map for the world of soccer to embrace them and welcome them into their ranks.”
“The Campeonato Inter Liga sets a proper mechanism to funnel the dreams, the passion, and the emotions of our Latino players into a path of success,” said Southern California Youth Soccer Organization (SCYSO) Executive Director Joe Supe.
“We are very excited about the creation of the Campeonato Inter Liga and the opportunities that it will create for players from independent leagues in Southern California,” said US Club Soccer Executive Director Bill Sage. “We believe that the Campeonato Inter Liga could ultimately be used as a blueprint to expand the program across the United States.”
US Club Soccer will introduce the Campeonato Inter Liga to the local market Memorial Day weekend at the Copa SCYSO, to be held May 26-27 at Whittier Narrows Soccer Complex in South El Monte, Calif. Registration for the Campeonato Inter Liga will then run from May 28 through August 10.
For more information on the Campeonato Inter Liga, please contact administrator Cynthia Pimentel at (310) 515-6344. For more information on US Club Soccer, please contact Southern California Membership Services Representative Sacha van der Most at svandermost@usclubsoccer.org or (562) 392-6056.
The Campeonato Inter Liga website is under construction and will be available soon at campeonatointerliga.com.
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US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization committed to the development and support of soccer clubs and players in the United States. A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer maximizes flexibility and offers youth and adult player and staff registration, integrated competition platforms at the recreational and competitive levels, as well as a variety of other programming, including the Olympic Development Program-sanctioned id2Program and Player Development Programs.
Unique to US Club Soccer is the ability of member clubs to unite youth and adult programs within one organization, creating a "members for life" culture" within each club.