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Over the last two months, we have had the pleasure of hosting all of U.S. Soccer’s youth and adult members in Chicago. One of the largest takeaways the meetings produced from both the group and individuals was that there was a desire for more communication. As a result, we have created this monthly Membership Update. The intent of this newsletter is to ensure that our members are proactively informed and up to date with what is happening and what is being planned at U.S. Soccer and throughout the membership. We will follow up on this communication with phone calls to get your direct feedback.
March Membership Meetings
This month, our main topic is the summary from our March Membership Meetings, which can be downloaded here. We will host a webinar Tuesday, May 31 from 12-1pm, and will hold a call during each time zone. Details on the login/call information are available here.
Going forward, we also plan to schedule future in-person meetings. For the remainder of this year, we want to work with all of you to have a U.S. Soccer presence at the existing pre-scheduled meetings, such as Mid-Year Meetings and AGMs, but are also looking to plan for future meetings with all of our membership groups, similar to those we held in March 2016.
In the interim, we are also available for individual conversations, meetings, etc. at your request. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
Concussion Initiative Statement
We incorporated your feedback into the Concussion Initiative Statement and updated it accordingly. Please find the updated Statement here, and feel free to share with your members.
Field Ranges and Roster Sizes
Below is an updated table of the field sizes and corresponding roster sizes for small-sided games. These standards were finalized based on the input from the Youth Members Technical Leadership Group and feedback provided by Directors of Coaching.
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Age
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Game
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Field Size
Length Range
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Field Size
Width Range
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Roster Size
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U6
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4v4
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25-35
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15-25
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No more than 6*
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U7
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4v4
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25-35
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15-25
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No more than 6*
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U8
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4v4
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25-35
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15-25
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No more than 6*
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U9
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7v7
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55-65
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35-45
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No more than 12
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U10
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7v7
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55-65
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35-45
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No more than 12
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U11
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9v9
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70-80
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45-55
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No more than 16
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U12
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9v9
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70-80
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45-55
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No more than 16
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* 4v4 soccer is meant to be played in a less structured environment in order to maximize fun and participation; thus, players eight-years-old and younger should play without formal teams and rosters. Conducting play through in-house programs with flexible and fluid teams is the best approach.
Elena Reed Retirement
After 24 years of service with U.S. Soccer, Elena Reed will retire on May 27, 2016. She has been a valuable part of our team, and we will miss her expertise, unwavering dedication and friendly demeanor to both those in the office and in the membership. We wish her all the best in the years ahead.
We have also added two new members to our team to replace Elena: Caitlin Spika (cspika@ussoccer.org) and Matthew Topi (mtopi@ussoccer.org), who began at U.S. Soccer in April and May, respectively. Caitlin and Matt join our existing team members in Member Programs, Alex Greenman (agreenman@ussoccer.org) and the head of the Member Programs team, Caitlin Carducci (ccarducci@ussoccer.org).
Development Academy
The Girls’ Development Academy Application Process opened on May 2, 2016 and will stay open until Friday, July 2, 2016. If you have any clubs that are good candidates for the Academy, please send us your recommendations once the club has confirmed they have completed the application process. The application and FAQs are available here.
Referee Department Update
Topics from this month include Development Academy Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year, Laws of the Game Video Series, 2017 Certification Requirements, 2017 Materials and Registration Survey, Fitness Test Updates and Concussion Initiative. Get the full Referee Department update here.
Training Centers
U.S. Soccer conducts training sessions in conjunction with local clubs and state associations to identify players with Youth National Team potential. You and your members can find the upcoming Training Centers schedule, which is updated monthly, here. More information about the Training Center program is available here.
Copa America Centenario
The historic 2016 Copa America Centenario kicks off in just over a week on Friday, June 3, when host United States welcomes Colombia to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in Group A action. The inaugural match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, Univision, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network.
Copa America Centenario will be televised in more than 120 countries across the world, with Univision Network and FOX family of networks broadcasting all of the games live in the United States. All of the matches will also be available live on Futbol de Primera Radio in the United States.
Copa America Centenario will feature some of the world's best teams and players from North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Lionel Messi, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, James Rodriguez, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and many more are anticipated to take part in the tournament. U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann named his 23-man squad on May 21, and rosters for the other teams are listed here.
U.S. Women’s National Team
The U.S. Women’s National Team kicks off its preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio with two friendly matches against Japan. Head Coach Jill Ellis called 24 players to a training camp beginning May 27 in Denver, CO with games scheduled for June 2 (7p.m. MT on FS1) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO and June 5 (12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2) at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. Ticket information for each match is available here.
2017 AGM Location
As announced at the National Council Meeting in San Antonio, the 2017 AGM will take place from March 2-5 at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort in Hawaii. Registration will open this September and further details will be forthcoming. We look forward to hosting you in Hawaii!
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