97 Referees Announced To Officiate US Youth Soccer National Championships
The referees for the US Youth Soccer National Championships have been selected. As we read which referees will attend nationals in Oklahoma and celebrate their achievement, it’s important to note that these men and women play an integral role in the world’s favorite sport. Their responsibilities include enforcing the official rules and guidelines for soccer—in this case youth soccer. By doing so, the referee is able to keep control of the game and make the right calls, helping the game to flow smoothly.
Soccer News: US Youth Soccer announced the 97 referees who, based on their performance at the state and regional level, will be officiating the games at the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships, July 21-26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The selection process for referees for the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is based on performance throughout the Series. Just as the teams advance from the state to regional to national level, so do the referees.
The United States Soccer Federation is sending eight referee assessors to Tulsa, in addition to several US Youth Soccer assessors. 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 their development.
While US Youth Soccer has been represented by several former players on the world stage, the same can be said of referees. Mark Geiger, who worked several matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, began his refereeing career with New Jersey Youth Soccer games before working his way up to the National Championships.
“I went to the [US Youth Soccer Region I] Regionals for six years. Each year, it was a goal to get myself selected for Nationals,” Geiger said. “It took a number of years to get there, so to finally achieve it was very exciting… We’re able to be seen at the National Championships by U.S. Soccer national assessors and national staff, so things started taking off from there.”
This year, 21 referees will be returning to work at their second consecutive US Youth Soccer National Championships.
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 referees 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.
Region I Referees
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Region II Referees
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Region III Referees
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Region IV Referees
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*Returning referee from 2014 National Championships
Each summer, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series crowns the boys and girls National Champion in seven age groups (Under-13 through Under-19). The finals are a culmination of a year-long series of competitions at the state and regional levels which provides approximately 185,000 players on over 10,000 teams from 55 US Youth Soccer State Associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation.
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.
The year 2015 holds special significance for the four teams in the Under-19 Boys age group at the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The 2015 National Champion will hoist the James P. McGuire Cup, the oldest trophy in youth sport dating back to 1935 with the inaugural youth championships, on the 80th anniversary of the storied cup. In addition to the McGuire Cup anniversary, the Under-19 Girls Ross Stewart and Under-16 Girls Mavis Derflinger Cups will celebrate their 35th and 30th anniversary, respectively.
