SANDY, Utah — United States forward Jozy Altidore stole the headlines in June for scoring four goals in four games, but he said his offensive outpouring starts much farther back on the field.

“I think if you look at it today from Omar [Gonzalez] to [Matt] Besler, those guys have always been great in terms of always looking for a solution [and] making the long ball the last option,” Altidore said after the U.S.’s 1-0 win over Honduras on Tuesday. “I think if we do that against these teams, we can make them defend, and eventually, they’ll crack.”

Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann agreed.

“They are forced then to move the ball around quickly,” he said. “It’s not only the defending side of it.”

But on that defensive side, center backs Gonzalez and Besler, under the tutelage of goalkeeper Tim Howard’s demanding style of leadership, anchor a back line that has given up just one goal in its last five World Cup qualifiers.

The Hexagonal opener in Honduras on Feb. 6, where both goals in a 2-1 loss came directly from defenders’ errors, is a distant memory. Geoff Cameron started that game alongside Gonzalez. Since that match, Besler has been Gonzalez’s partner, and they have not conceded a goal from the run of play.

“Matt and Omar are both learning on the job really quick, and they’re picking things up,” Michael Bradley said last week. “They’re understanding what this is all about, what it means to play at this level.”

Klinsmann has long pleaded for patience to the media, believing that his young central defenders needed time to adjust to the international level and to playing with one another.

Besler, 26, is the reigning MLS Defender of the Year, and Gonzalez, 24, is his predecessor. Both received their first extended time with the senior national team at the January 2013 camp that ended with a drab 0-0 tie against Canada.

“More playing time means better understanding developed,” Klinsmann said after the U.S. defeated Panama 2-0 on June 11. “It is something that is impressive to see how Omar and Matt take their roles and how confident they are. They don’t shy away from anything.”

The young defensive pair defended resolutely against Mexico at Estadio Azteca on March 26, earning the U.S.’s second point ever in that stadium, in front of 85,500 fans. Both of them made a number of key interventions to keep Mexico from finishing off its attacks.

“It’s a position where you learn from experience, and the only way to gain experience is through games, so that’s kind of where we’re at right now,” Besler said before training on Monday.

Howard added: “It’s a trial by fire, and it’s not easy. There have been some bumps and bruises, there’s been some yelling and some curse words back there, but that’s how you learn. … That’s how you grow. You grow from mistakes and getting the talking-to and the dressing-down and coming back and doing better.”

Those growing pains continue within matches, even if the end result is usually a shutout. Against Honduras on Tuesday in Salt Lake City, Gonzalez and Besler both gave the ball away cheaply and conceded multiple dangerous scoring opportunities. In the 4-2 friendly loss to Belgium on May 29, Gonzalez made two goal-inducing gaffes against a top opponent.

The learning process can be painful.

“It will never be perfect,” Klinsmann said after the Honduras match. “They’re going through that kind of period right now where they learn … to decide everything a step faster, which is required on the international level.”

As for his goalkeeper’s role, Klinsmann pinpointed Howard’s “way of calmly talking to them, guiding them,” although the Everton FC man often gestures emotionally and yells loudly enough for pitch-side television microphones to pick up his impassioned commands.

“I can only do so much. I just try to stay on top of them, always reminding them. But at a certain level, you have to learn for yourself,” Howard said. “It’s easy when it’s one young guy with a veteran, and he’s kind of pulling him along, he’s got him on a string. That’s not the case. These are two guys learning, really maturing, and that’s going to be the key for them is maturing and learning because it gets harder from here.”

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By the end of June, Seattle Reign FC will have the personnel in place to earn its first-ever National Women’s Soccer League win. On Wednesday, the club announced Megan Rapinoe would be added to the active roster, and Seattle signed United States veteran Stephanie Cox and Trinidad and Tobago international Kennya Cordner.

The club waived Canadian national teamer Tiffany Cameron and Seattle native and fan favorite Lyndsey Patterson to make room for the new acquisitions. Rapinoe and Cox are expected to debut on June 29 against the Chicago Red Stars at Starfire Stadium, while Cordner will play as soon as her visa and medical clearance are received.

Rapinoe was one of three U.S. players originally allocated to Seattle, but she elected to play out the rest of her contract with Olympique Lyonnaise in France before returning to the U.S. to play. She started in the UEFA Champions League final for Lyon, in which it lost 1-0 to VfL Wolfsburg.

She is currently on national team duty until June 20, getting set for the second of two consecutive friendlies against Korea Republic (4:30 p.m. PT, NBC Sports Network).

“Megan is a world-class talent that would make a positive impact on any club in the world,” Reign head coach and general manager Laura Harvey said in a club release. “Megan’s experience … will provide out club with a much-needed infusion of talent and experience.”

Cox also brings national team pedigree to Seattle, as an Olympic gold medalist at Beijing 2008. She should provide some stability for a shaky defense that has been ravaged by injury, alongside goalkeeper Hope Solo, who also joined the team after the start of the season.

She lives in nearby Gig Harbor, Wash., and coached at University of Puget Sound in 2012. Both Cox and Rapinoe played for the Seattle Sounders Women in summer 2012, after Women’s Professional Soccer folded.

Cox recently gave birth, which is why she was not signed before the season, but she has been a constant presence at Reign training sessions and matches since preseason.

“She has demonstrated that she can consistently compete at the highest levels, which should help us significantly strengthen our defense as we move into the second half of the season,” said Harvey, whose team has given up a league-worst 19 goals in 10 matches and sits at the bottom of the table with no wins, nine losses and one tie.

The final signing of the trio, Cordner, played for the Issaquah Reign FC Reserves in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. She was called up for Seattle’s 6-0 friendly win over the Haitian national team, where she scored a goal.

Cordner is the leading scorer for her national team, for whom she scored nine goals against Dominica in a recent 15-1 victory in Olympic qualification. She is the first reserve player to be called up to the NWSL club on a permanent basis.

“We are clearly a club in need of a player who can consistently deliver goals,” Harvey said, “so we are excited to see the impact Kennya can have in the NWSL.”

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The U.S. defeated South Korea 4-1 on Saturday, June 15 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. in front of a crowd of 13,035 in the teams’ first meeting since November 2008. Two goals in the first seven minutes of the first half sparked a dynamic offensive showing for the U.S., as Kristie Mewis and Lauren Cheney broke the game open on assists from Sydney Leroux and Tobin Heath. Korea Republic’s Cho Sohyun countered in the 26th minute, scoring on a feed from Jeoun Eunha to cut the lead to one going into the half.

In the second half, the U.S. defense locked in, allowing just one significant scoring opportunity in the opening minute which was keenly knocked away by second half substitute goalkeeper Hope Solo. The match was Solo’s first appearance since Feb. 13 against Scotland in Nashville, Tenn. The 31-year-old keeper had been recovering from wrist surgery that she underwent in March.

Carli Lloyd restored the U.S.’ two-goal lead in the 57th minute on an assist from Heather O’Reilly, and Abby Wambach capped off the scoring late in stoppage time with a converted penalty kick. Wambach’s goal was the 156th of her career in international competition, which is just two shy of Mia Hamm’s all-time record.

“We weren’t perfect, but I think next game will be a little easier because we know what to expect,” Leroux said. “I think (South Korea) is very good with keeping possession and picking off those little passes so I think we need to be more and careful and just be a little bit better.”

The No. 1-ranked U.S. Women will seek to continue what has been a dominant 2013 campaign when they complete the two-game series with No. 16 Korea Republic on Thursday night. They enter the match 8-0-2 so far this year, with draws coming against Germany and Sweden. Another win or draw on Thursday would extend the team’s unbeaten streak to 34, which began after their most recent loss to Japan in March 2012 at the Algarve Cup in Portugal. Over the course of their current 33-game unbeaten streak, the U.S. Women have scored 105 goals while allowing 26 in 28 wins and five ties.

Thursday’s match at Red Bull Arena will be another opportunity for the U.S. to extend its 71-match home unbeaten streak. The last loss on American soil for the U.S. Women was back on Nov. 6, 2004, a 3-1 setback against Denmark in Philadelphia.

Having recently recovered from a hamstring strain, which saw him miss two months of action, the ‘Caps Designated Player was the driving force behind Vancouver’s 4-3 comeback victory over New England Revolution this past Saturday.

Trailing 2-0 at home after only 20 minutes, Miller turned the match around three minutes later. Young Canadian international Russell Teibert found the Scotsman in behind New England’s defence on a brilliant run from the left. Before Miller was able to get a shot off, he was tripped up by Revs rookie defender Andrew Farrell in the box. The result was a red card for Farrell and penalty kick confidently converted by Miller’s strike partner Camilo.

Miller, wearing the captain’s armband, continued his outstanding play on 39 minutes with a fine individual effort. Upon receiving the ball some 40 yards from goal, the experienced striker flicked it over the head of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, headed it down to himself, and then finished with a slick left-footed strike to tie the match at 2-2.

Finally, to cap off his performance, the ‘Caps in-form goalscorer put the match to bed in the 68th minute. After a long ball up field from Camilo, Miller let the ball bounce, took a touch off his chest, then struck a sweet half-volley from outside the box over the head of goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for his second goal of the match and the eventual winner in a 4-3 victory for Vancouver.

At 0.93, Miller now leads MLS in goals per 90 minutes among players who have played at least 100 minutes this season. Miller is also tied for second in the league with three game-winning goals.

Prior to Saturday, New England had conceded the least goals against in MLS, having only surrendered a stingy nine goals in 14 games.

Miller becomes the second Whitecaps FC player to win the honour, as Camilo was previously named Player of the Week following his two goal, one assist performance against Sporting Kansas City at Empire Field during Week 3 in Vancouver’s inaugural season in 2011.

Nicht put in a standout performance in the Rhinos’ 3-0 win against VSI Tampa Bay FC on Friday night, recording a five-save shutout to help his side take its second win of the season. Nicht made three second-half saves and commanded his penalty area well as VSI outshot Rochester 17-8 for the night, only to be denied. The 6-foot-5 German continued his outstanding form on Sunday, making five second-half saves to preserve a 1-1 draw with the Charleston Battery.

Joining Nicht in the Team of the Week is his teammate Tam McManus, who had a goal and an assist in the Rhinos’ victory against Tampa Bay. The Scottish forward made good runs throughout the game, and scored his third goal of the season in the 53rd minute to give Rochester a two-goal cushion. McManus then set up Blake Brettschneider for the Rhinos’ third goal, which capped a fine performance.

Joining McManus in the Team of the Week attack is Los Angeles’ Chris Cortez, who had a big impact as a substitute for the Blues as he scored the game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy Reserves. Jose Angulo also earned a place as he scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with the Charleston Battery.

The Battery’s goal scorer in that contest, Jose Cuevas, leads the midfield selections, with his beautiful curling shot one of the standout moments of the weekend’s action. He is joined by Wilmington’s Daniel Steres, who scored the only goal as the Hammerheads defeated the New York Red Bulls Reserves, and Richmond’s Brian Ownby, whose two goals led the Kickers past Antigua on Friday night. Dayton’s Joel DeLass completes the quartet after a strong two-way performance in the Dutch Lions’ 2-1 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Charlotte’s Ben Newnam leads a trio of defenders that complete the team, with the rookie scoring the game-winning goal – his first as a professional – against the Chicago Fire Reserves. Harrisburg’s Stephen Basso also earned selection after a good performance in a 3-1 win against Antigua, as does Phoenix’s Devon Grousis, who featured strongly in the Wolves’ 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake Reserves.

USL PRO Team of the Week

Honorable Mention: Antigua – Orlando Mitchum, Eugine Kirwan; Charleston – Shawn Ferguson, Odisnel Cooper;Charlotte – Christian Ramirez, Nate Thornton; Dayton – Tjeerd Westdijk, Matt Williams; Harrisburg – Morgan Langley, Yann Ekra; Los Angeles – Rodrigo Lopez, Mohammad Mohammadi; Phoenix – Donny Toia; Pittsburgh – Matt Dallman, Sterling Flunder; Richmond – Jason Yeisley, William Yomby; Rochester – Blake Brettschneider, Tyler Rosenlund; Tampa Bay – J.T. Noone; Wilmington – Troy Hernandez, Gareth Evans.

SANDY, Utah — For 70 minutes, the United States found nothing but frustration against Honduras. Then, 18 minutes from time, Jozy Altidore came through once again to hand his team a 1-0 win in a World Cup qualifier.

The on-field temperature matched the sweltering air temperature at kick-off, as players were not shy about going into hard tackles. Honduras was on the receiving end multiple times, but none of its early free kicks near the penalty area truly troubled Tim Howard.

“It’s been exactly what we expected: a very difficult game,” U.S. head coach Jürgen Klinsmann said after the match. “We expected them to play very defensively, to be with nine, 10 guys behind the ball, to make all the spaces really tight.”

The U.S. had its best scoring opportunity of the early going in the 17th minute, as a sustained bout of possession led to Eddie Johnson nearly side-footing in Fabian Johnson’s cross from the left flank. Only Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares’ outstretched hand prevented the goal.

If referee Enrico Wijngaarde had any sympathy for Honduras’ early pleas, they waned as the half progressed. Player after player remained on the ground after innocuous challenges, drawing loud boos from the 20,250 fans in attendance at Rio Tinto Stadium.

“They took time off the clock with little antics and stuff like that,” Altidore said. “I think it was difficult for us to find a rhythm.”

Honduras striker Carlo Costly succumbed to the conditions in the first half, coming off in the 33rd minute with apparent cramping. Roger Rojas replaced him, moving to the striker role.

The first half ended much as it began, with opposing players cranky at one another and the referee and multiple stoppages for fouls and injuries offering brief reprieves from the oppressive heat.

With shadows descending over the majority of the field, both teams offered more substantive play in the second half. Still, with Honduras bunkering on defense, the U.S. found most of its early chances on set pieces.

“It’s been very difficult to play through their wall,” Klinsmann said. “We told them at halftime to keep pushing, to raise a little bit the tempo even more.”

Valladares got in the way of a Brad Evans header in the 57th minute, swung in from the right by Graham Zusi on a dead ball. Two minutes later, the Americans had a goal from Jozy Altidore correctly ruled offside.

Zusi provided the night’s most chaotic sequence when he dribbled to the endline and cut the ball back. His service deflected off the post and multiple bodies in the penalty area, eventually ending up in Valladares’ hands with the goalkeeper on the ground.

Dempsey missed two close chances soon after, first whacking a shot wide after winning a knockdown off the Honduras back line, then when Valladares stoned him on a diving header.

Barely in the game, Honduras had its best chance of the second half in the 71st minute, but Evans cleared Andy Najar’s cutback from the endline under no pressure. Shortly after that, the U.S. found its breakthrough.

“In a game like this, what really matters is that you keep on going, be patient and find the one goal,” Klinsmann said.

Dempsey fed a ball toward Zusi on the left side, who flicked it on to an overlapping Fabian Johnson. As he did several times in the match, Fabian Johnson got around the outside and played a dangerous ball back through the Honduras defense.

Altidore met it underneath the Honduran defense, easily side-footing in his fourth goal in as many games. In the 78th minute, Altidore nearly doubled his tally, but his bending shot was again turned aside by Valladares.

“Maybe a couple more goals would have been a fair result tonight,” Eddie Johnson said. “Jozy’s been on fire. … We couldn’t have asked for a striker to step up at a [bigger] time.”

After defending fiercely for most of the game, Honduras struggled to get forward after going down a goal. Possession through the midfield yielded few opportunities in the attacking half.

With the win, the U.S. met its goal of finishing its stretch of June qualifiers on a high note. Nine points from three matches leaves the team at the top of the table in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. The win over Honduras also extended the U.S.’s home unbeaten run in qualifiers to 25 games — the last loss coming on Sept. 1, 2001, against Honduras.

In September, matchups in Costa Rica and against Mexico at home loom. Another positive set of games could conceivably see the U.S. qualify for World Cup 2014 with room to spare.

“We’re licking our chops,” Altidore said. “That’s what you want: to qualify as early as possible.”

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – It’s lunch break on day one of the Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association’s 2013 FASA Girls Collegiate Soccer Camp, and as FASA general manager Pete Cinalli, the camp’s architect, predicted, the girls are acting shy.

All 40 of the teenage players taking part in the six-day event (spread over two weeks) harbor dreams of college soccer, and their curiosity is palpable as they sit in front of the three NCAA Division I coaches who made the trip to central Virginia to run the day’s sessions.

But no one pipes up with a question during the hour or so that’s budgeted for frank conversation about (to name just a few) the recruiting process, the basics of scholarship and financial aid awards, the challenges of selecting a university and the day-to-day rigors of college soccer. (Mindful of previous editions of this camp, Cinalli says the group will be comfortable enough to broach all kinds of silly topics by the end of the week.)

That doesn’t stop the trio of coaches from driving home some useful information about the challenging world these girls are moving into.

“What do you want your whole day to look like in four years?” asks Jonathan Morgan, head coach at the University of Maryland. “If you’re [at] a top-30, -40 program, probably even a top-100 program, you’re going to be spending close to 20 hours a week focusing on soccer, whether it be lifting and conditioning, meetings, video, training.

“That’s a lot. And that takes away from your academics a little bit, as far as time and availability. It takes a little away from your social [life] a little bit, your ability to hang out and spend time doing some things outside of academics and soccer. So you have to figure out how much of your world you want to spend on soccer.”

Morgan and George Mason head coach Diane Drake put the players (who are divided into two groups so that each of them can experience each coach’s style and methods) through high-energy, 90-minute training sessions on a muggy morning on two fields at Dixon Park, while Liberty University assistant coach Laura Armstrong worked with goalkeepers.

In a short while they will all return to the fields for afternoon sessions, where coaches and players alike benefit from spending time together in a small setting that helps cut through the layers that separate “big-time NCAA coach” from “eager recruit” – but not without some sobering perspectives from the elders.

NCAA regulations prevent them from discussing their specific schools, but they – along with the bevy of other top coaches FASA has lined up for each day of their collegiate camps – have a wealth of knowledge to share all the same.

“The good players aren’t getting as much money any more, because there’s so many,” says Drake, who was a top college and semi-pro player during her own playing days in the 1990s. “I’ll go run sessions for 16-year-olds that sometimes pick up concepts quicker than even my college kids will, [who are] four years, five years older. You guys are getting better training at a younger age.

“The problem is that there’s more layers of good players, too…I’ve seen recent kids that I’m able to get for a little bit cheaper [in terms of scholarship money] than I would’ve been able to three, four years ago. I know that’s not the information that you really want to hear, but I’m giving it to you hard.”

One camper asks about the kind of grade-point average that will be expected from them as they try to earn the attention of top schools.

“The higher that GPA is, the easier it is for us,” says Morgan, who then takes a moment to explain the ways different schools approach a recruit’s grades, test scores and financial needs.

“Aid is pretty difficult,” he adds. “Whatever you’re receiving, I think it’s something that you should take pride in, and realize that there’s a lot of people trying to get that money. If you’re receiving the money, that says a lot about you.”

These coaches recruit from a large, competitive and steadily-improving player pool, and at ever-younger age levels as well. They clearly want these grasp to know how exceptional they’ll have to be in order to get onto the radar of an elite D1 program, much less earn a sizeable scholarship or aid package.

“If you walk into a program and you’re offered anything over a quarter of the whole piece for your first year, it’s probably a good little setup to start,” says Drake. “And then you can continue to grow, and most programs will keep money aside for increases to reward and help kids that have given to the program…My senior year was my best year, [where] I got the most money.”

The youngest of the trio, Armstrong offers the perspective from a smaller school, and urges the campers to pick a school with holistic – not just soccer – appeal.

“You can look at turnover within schools or coaches and see, it’s pretty high, at least at the Division I level. Fairly often, coaches come and go,” cautions the goalkeepers coach. “Be mindful that things can happen – you can get injured, whatever – just make sure you’re picking a school for the right reasons.”

Morgan suggests getting an early jump on campus visits – as early as their freshman year of high school, in fact – to a diverse array of schools: large, small, public, private, D1, D3, local, out-of-state.

“It’s hard sometimes for you guys as 15-, 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds to figure out where you want to be and what you want to do when you’re 18 – and particularly wht you want to do when you’re 21 years old,” says the Terrapins boss. “So the best thing you can do is start getting yourselves out there, get some perspective, get a sense of what you think you’d like. If the soccer doesn’t work out, is it an environment that you can see yourself still enjoying?”

Each day of this camp brings two new college coaches for the players to experience and learn from. For those coaches, it’s a priceless opportunity to spread useful information, grow their program’s “brand” and build relationships with FASA coaches and players.

“Sometimes there’s a diamond in the rough, a kid that you’re hoping to see who maybe doesn’t get the exposure to some of the other big schools that maybe you can slip in and get,” says Morgan. “And for us, it’s trying to get the Maryland name out there. If we can find a player like that, it’s just a bonus. And creating a relationship with Pete and FASA, they’re really trying to help all the schools that are participating here…Eventually, there’s going to be a kid that comes around.

“So ID events like this are awesome, awesome.

”

Seattle Reign FC owner Bill Predmore told Cascadia Soccer Wire on Tuesday that his team is in the market for new players. However, he declined to comment on reports that LDB FC Malmö midfielder Therese Sjögran is one of those targets.

Nonetheless, Predmore said his club would announce at least one signing this week.

Swedish news site Sydsvenskan reported that Sjögran had a loan deal rejected by her Damallsvenskan club. Sjögran has 182 caps for Sweden, and she played for Women’s Professional Soccer club Sky Blue FC in 2011.

“We are doing everything possible to make our team better, and that means looking at players outside the league … in Europe and elsewhere,” Predmore said. “We have looked for longer and harder than anyone would possibly believe to try and find a player that fits what we’re looking for, [but] I don’t want to comment on whether [Sjögran] was a specific target or not.”

Sjögran told Sydsvenskan that she would be playing with Malmö’s under-19 squad this week, as she has fallen out of favor with the first team. Her contract expires at the end of next season.

The window for National Women’s Soccer League signings who do not have their international transfer clearance passed on June 14, but trades within the league and promotions from reserve squads are allowed until July 31.

Also, Predmore estimated a handful of players whose clearances have been approved would be announced around the league soon. Many are still waiting for visa approvals — such as the Washington Spirit’s recent loan signing Conny Pohlers — and other bureaucratic processes to run their course.

“I don’t know who they are or what teams,” Predmore said, “but I would be fairly certain that more than Conny will be in the league in the next two weeks as visas get taken care of.”

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The top 212 US Youth Soccer boys and girls teams from the 14 State Associations that make up US Youth Soccer Region IV compete for the regional title. States represented including host, Hawaii, are Alaska, Arizona, California North, California South, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Four champions from 2012 are back to defend their regional title – U-13 Boys Pateadores LA (CA-S), U-14 Boys United FC Gold 98 (CA-S), U-15 Boys Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) and U-18 Boys Sereno 95 White (AZ).

Under-15 Boys Santa Barbara SC has won three Cal-South State Championships and two Region IV Championships in the past four years, but last year went on to claim the National Championship and want nothing more than to make it back to defend their national crown. The team clawed their way to Nationals in 2012 by winning every game at the Regional Championships by a single goal, but they hope that toughness will carry them through again this year.

“I think it speaks highly of this team,” said Santa Barbara Head Coach Rudy Ybarra. “People say that it’s one goal, but most of the time that means we kept the other team to zero. I think the strength of this unit is that we read the game so well; we’re organized, we stay compact and we’re capable of scoring four or five, we’re so balanced. We can get goals from an outside back, a forward, or a winger. We try to attack from so many different places.”

Facing a difficult group, Santa Barbara will need two more solid performances to advance this year after an opening day draw against Far West Regional League champion Manchester Academy (CA-S), 2-2. Santa Barbara went ahead in the first half on a header from captain Tim Heiduk on an assist from Juan Pablo Alvarez. In the second half, Manchester equalized with a nice move down field, but Santa Barbara responded within minutes when Benjamin Garcia played a beautiful cross from the right side that found Raul Guerrero at the far post to reassume the lead. Santa Barbara had a chance to seal the game moments later, again on a strike from Heiduk, but a phenomenal save from the Manchester keeper kept the game within reach and Manchester capitalized with the tying goal from a later counter to earn the draw.

“I don’t think that was our best performance of the year, by far, but yet we didn’t lose. This team has worked together and the majority have been together now for four or five years. They seem to know what the other is thinking and they’re always playing like a unit. Not many people can say they won three Cal-South State Championships and now we’re trying to win our third Regional Championship in that same four years. I think it’s the consistency from them and they play as a team, they trust in themselves and they work together on offense, on defense and in transition.

“It would mean a lot, obviously, to get back and defend our National title. We were looking forward to the challenge ever since last year and we all talked about it. The players don’t like to hear this, but we’ve got a target on our back. People say, ‘Hey, we’re playing the National Champions.’ It’s great in a way because it’s respect, but at the same time that’s a target. We know that, but I think these guys have a confidence in themselves, they believe in themselves and they do everything together. It’s a really special group and I think they’re up to the task. They’re going to do their best and we’re hoping to advance. They believe they can do it.”

Also looking to defend their National Championship this year is Under-16 Girls Legends FC (CA-S). However, like last year, Legends have already qualified for the National Championships after gaining a berth through their finish in the US Youth Soccer National League.

Regional winners of the Under-13 through Under-19 age groups earn a berth to the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Championships July 22-28, at Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kan.

The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-15 through Under-18 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 88 teams.

Monday’s scores

]]> http://www.soccerwire.com/news/us-youth-soccer-region-iv-championships-kickoff-with-a-bang/feed/ 0 http://www.soccerwire.com/news/region-ii-teams-advance-to-2013-us-youth-soccer-national-presidents-cup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=region-ii-teams-advance-to-2013-us-youth-soccer-national-presidents-cup http://www.soccerwire.com/news/region-ii-teams-advance-to-2013-us-youth-soccer-national-presidents-cup/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:40:07 +0000 News Desk http://www.soccerwire.com/?p=20594 FRISCO, Texas – US Youth Soccer announced the 2013 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Presidents Cup champions, crowned Sunday in Overland Park, Kan. Winning teams in the Under-13 through Under-17 Boys and Girls age groups advance to the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup, July 10-14 in Auburndale, Fla.

The tournament featured 81 teams that had won their respective State Presidents Cups from 14 different State Associations – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio-North, Ohio-South, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup is designed for teams seeking additional challenges to play for a national title against teams of similar abilities. The cup provides a progressive, competitive experience to teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a series of unique experiences highlighting competition, camaraderie and community from the state to regional to national levels of US Youth Soccer.

2013 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup Champions:

*All teams advance to the National Presidents Cup.