(March 26, 2007) - The second annual US Club Soccer Champions Cup kicks off Easter weekend.  Why is it such a revolutionary concept and why are the invited clubs clamoring to be the winners of The Champions Cup?  We provide the answers and break down all The Champions Cup details:

Okay, so what is The Champions Cup?

The Champions Cup is an annual invitational tournament that allows the most competitive clubs in the country, at all age groups, the opportunity to compare their entire club against other top clubs.  Clubs will contest matches in U-13, U-15 and U-17/U-18 age groups.  (A maximum of five U-18 players are allowed to participate in the U-17/U-18 age group.)  Participants are limited in 2007 to eight boys and eight girls’ clubs. Clubs have not necessarily been invited to participate in both the boys and girls’ competition.  A separate boys and girls’ Club Champion will be determined.

Which clubs will be vying to hoist The Champions Cup trophy?

Some of the country’s most prestigious clubs are seeking to win Champions Cup titles.

The boys’ competition features: Atlanta Concorde Fire FC (GA), CASL (NC), Colorado Rush SC (CO), Internationals SC (OH), Los Angeles FC (CA), PA Classics (PA), San Juan SC (CA) and Scott Gallagher SC (MO).

The girls’ field consists of: Albertson SC (NY), CASL (NC), Colorado Rush SC (CO), FC DELCO (PA), Internationals SC (OH), Los Angeles FC (CA), San Juan SC (CA), and Weston Fury SC (FL).

Full bios for each club participating in The Champions Cup can be found in the Champions Cup program.

How will The Champions Cup winners be determined?

Teams will play a round robin schedule in a Group of Four for the first three days, and will then match up with their counterpart from the other Group of Four for a placement match.  Individual age group winners will be recognized, but the champion will be the club with the most cumulative points from its three age groups at the end of the four days of competition, thus making all games and all age group competitions meaningful for the participating clubs.

Points will be awarded in each age group in the following manner:

1st Place – 64 pts     5th Place – 16 pts
2nd Place – 49 pts     6th Place – 9 pts
3rd Place – 36 pts     7th Place – 4 pts
4th Place – 25 pts     8th Place – 1 pt

When is The Champions Cup taking place?

The opening Champions Cup matches are slated for 8AM (ET) on Thursday, April 5.  Round robin matches will continue through Saturday, April 7 with the first placement matches scheduled for that evening.  Placement matches will continue on Easter Sunday, April 8 with The Champions Cup titles being awarded to the top boys and girls’ club at 2PM (ET).  The full Champions Cup schedule is available online.

Where is The Champions Cup being held?

For the second consecutive year, all games will be contested on the Hess Sports Fields at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex just outside of Orlando, Fla. Spread over 220 acres adjacent to Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex plays host to more than 170 events each year for professional and amateur athletes in some 30 sports. The state-of-the-art facility includes multiple venues and is home to more than 40 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships, Atlanta Braves Spring Training, Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Sports Experience interactive area, and the All Star Cafe sports-themed restaurant. For more information, visit www.disneyworldsports.com.

Why is The Champions Cup such a revolutionary concept?

The key word is club.  Rather than focusing on teams’ showings, The Champions Cup revolves around the performance of the entire club.  A true national club champion for both boys and girls will be crowned with the awarding of The Champions Cup.  No other national event pits the country’s elite youth clubs against each other in a competitive environment designed to determine the very best of the best.  Furthermore, the unique format utilized by The Champions Cup promotes club loyalty, year-round club competition, and fosters the rationale and motivation for other clubs to build top-to-bottom competitive club programs.

Where can I find more information about The Champions Cup?

Further details regarding The Champions Cup are available on the Champions Cup page.