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Tournament Headquarters will be located at the Red Mountain Soccer Complex, 905 N Sunvalley Blvd, Mesa, AZ 85207. Tournament Director: Mike Miller * PatriotsCupSoccer@gmail.com
The Patriot’s Cup Tournament shall be open to all teams comprised of properly registered youth players (as defined by the rules of the affiliated organization) in all age groups listed in the “Tournament Rules,” provided such team is in good standing with its youth association.
Tournament officials shall conduct all credential checks:
At MANDATORY initial registration. One hour prior to your first game.
Prior to games player passes will be inspected by the game Referee. Tournament officials may assist under necessary circumstances.
Documentation required at initial registration: Teams from the United States:
The Players and bench personnel must present picture identification cards issued by the team’s Federation Organization Member (USYS, US Club, USSF, other).
Identification cards must be verified, photo attached, and laminated (if your association does not allow lamination, cards must be encased in plastic sleeves).
Teams from a US Youth Soccer National State Association outside of Arizona must provide proof of permission to travel.
Teams must provide a certified/approved tournament roster from the team’s Federation Organization.
Players must present passports at registration or, if from a nation that the United States does not require a passport, proof of entry into the United States that is required by the United States.
Teams are required to have and present player picture identification cards.
Teams must have a completed form from its Provincial or National Association approving the team’s participation in the tournament.
Teams must provide a tournament roster.
Documentation required for pre-game check-in: All Teams
Only at the pre-game procedure may a player be challenged by an opposing manager/coach. Challenged player(s) will be noted by the Referee on the game report and will be allowed to participate in the game (if said player has been certified as eligible by the Patriot’s Cup Tournament Credentials Committee). A late-arriving player may be challenged at the time he/she is allowed to participate by the Referee. ANY TEAM USING AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER WILL FORFEIT ALL TOURNAMENT MATCHES PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE AS WELL AS ALL TOURNAMENT FEES. A report will be filed with the offending teams National Organization or National State Association.
All teams must enter their rosters complete with bench personnel into the tournaments on-line Got Soccer scheduling system no later than 21 days prior to start of event. The minimum required information is Name, Date of Birth, player ID number, Uniform number and gender. Revisions can be made to the roster up to 72 hours prior to the night of team registration. This information will appear on the tournament game reports to be used by the Referees for check-in on the field prior to each game. Teams failing to input this information are subject to removal from the event.
In no event will a player be allowed to participate who has not been certified by the Patriot’s Cup Tournament staff.
All matches must be played in accordance with the FIFA Laws of the Game, except as specifically modified as follows in the tournament rules.
Match Ball:
The home team will provide the match ball. This ball is to be presented to the Referee at the start of each match. The ball is the team’s responsibility and will not be replaced if lost or stolen.
Number of Players:
U-7 and U-8 Consist Of 4 A Side Games without a Goalkeeper (Academy Style)
U-13 Plus Consist Of 11 A Side Games
Substitutions:
Referees will comply with FIFA rules regarding substitutions. Substitutions can be made at any stoppage or dead ball but ONLY with the permission (discretion) of the Referee. Substituted in players must remain on the sidelines until the player they are replacing has completely left the field. There are no limits to the number of substitutions.
Players’ Equipment:
Player equipment must conform to FIFA rules. All players will wear shin guards (under the socks). It will be at the Referee’s discretion to determine the safety and suitability of player equipment including the wearing of an orthopedic cast or hard brace. No hard casts are permitted. No jewelry or hair pins allowed. Teams will wear uniforms of matching design and color with a minimum of six (6) inch numbers affixed to the back of the uniform shirt. In case of similar team colors, the home team will be required to change to a color accepted by the
Referee:
The first team listed on the game report will be considered the home team. In playoff matches a coin toss will decide which team is required to change to a color accepted by the referee. The first team listed on the game report will call the toss. The uniform of the goalkeeper must be distinctly different in color from the basic colors of the competing teams and the Referee.
Duration of the Match:
The duration of
AGE
U7
U8
AGE
U9-U10
U11-U12
U13-U14
U15-U18
All preliminary games will be called not less than five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the next game regardless of the amount of time played up to that point. A game is “complete” upon completion of one half of play regardless of the circumstances of termination with the final results based on the score at the time the game is terminated. Preliminary games can end in a tie. Quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches tied at the end of regulation time will be decided by kicks from the mark, according to FIFA rules. There will be no overtime.
Referees:
All matches will use Referees certified by the US Soccer Federation.
Each team is guaranteed a minimum of 3 games, with a maximum of 2 games per day.
U7 – U10 Age Group:
Teams will be placed in flights of four, five, or six teams. Teams in flights of four will play each of the other teams in their flight. Flights that have five teams in them will only have a fourth match if it is possible to produce a schedule with adequate rest between matches. There will be no play-offs for U7-U10. We will be using the Academy guidelines for U7, U8, U9, and U10 play as set forth by AYSA. U7-U8 will play 4v4 without a keeper. U9- U10 will play 6v6 with a keeper.
U11 and U12 TEAMS WILL PLAY 9-A-SIDE:
Tournament rules shall comply with those of the US Youth Soccer Association 9v9 program. All teams wishing to play 11-a-side must enter the tournament specifically requesting to enter the U13 age division and play up one year. Special U13 flights will be considered for U12 teams playing 11v11, numbers permitting.
Flights consist of one bracket of four teams. Each team will play the other three teams in its bracket for a total of three preliminary round matches. Standings shall be determined by the total points accumulated during this round robin play. In the event of a tie after all scheduled matches have been played, the tie shall be broken under the preliminary tie-breaker format. The top two teams will meet again in a Championship match.
Flights consist of one bracket of five teams. Each team will play the other four teams in its bracket. Final standings shall be determined by the total points accumulated during this round robin play. In the event of a tie after all scheduled matches have been played, the tie shall be broken under the preliminary tie-breaker format.
The game will be:
4 – 8 Min Periods 3 – 15 Min Periods HALVES
25 minutes
30 minutes
35 minutes
35 minutes
5 minutes 5 minutes HALFTIME 10 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes
Flights consist of two brackets (A and B) of three teams each. Each team will first play the other two teams in its bracket for a total of two preliminary round matches. The teams in each bracket with the highest number of points and second highest number of points will advance to the semifinal matches. The first place team in bracket A will play the second place team in bracket B. The first place team in bracket B will play the second place team in bracket A. The winners of the semifinal matches will advance to the Championship match. Teams with the lowest number of points after the two preliminary matches will advance to a consolation match. In the event of a tie after the preliminary matches have been played, the tie shall be broken under the preliminary tie breaker format.
Flights consist of two brackets (A and B) of three teams each. Each team will play the three teams in the other bracket for a total of three preliminary round matches. The teams with the highest number of points in each bracket will advance to a Championship match. In the event of a tie after the preliminary matches have been played, the teams that advance to the Championship match shall be determined under the preliminary tie breaker format.
Flights consist of two brackets of four teams. Each team will play the other three teams in its bracket for a total of three preliminary matches. The team in each bracket with the highest of points will be bracket winners and will advance to the Championship match. In the event of a tie after the three preliminary matches have been played, the teams that advance to the Championship match shall be determined under the preliminary tie breaker format.
Flights consist of three brackets of three teams. Each team will play the other two teams in its bracket for a total of two preliminary matches. The team in each bracket with the highest number of points will be bracket winners and will advance to the semifinals. The second place bracket team with the highest number of points will advance to the semifinals as a wildcard. The winner of the semifinals will play Championship match. In the event of a tie after the preliminary matches have been played, the teams that advance to the semifinals shall be determined under the preliminary tie breaker format. If a scheduled semifinal pairs a bracket winner and a wild card team that played in the same preliminary-round bracket, the wild card team will play one of the other bracket winners -the one with the highest point total. Teams that do not qualify for a semifinal match will play one additional consolation match. The tournament committee will make schedule adjustments to ensure semifinal and consolation matches are not played between teams that played in the same bracket.
Flights consist of one (l) bracket of four (4) teams and two (2) brackets of three (3) teams. All teams will play the others within its bracket for a total of two (2) or three (3) preliminary games. The two winners of the three (3) team brackets advance to the semifinals. The winner of the semifinal will play the winner of the four (4) team bracket for the championship. Teams not advancing to the semifinal round will play a consolation game.
Flights consist of four brackets of three teams. Each team will play the other two teams in its bracket for a total of two preliminary matches. The team in each bracket with the highest number of points will be bracket winners and will advance to the semifinals. The winner of the semifinals will play the Championship match. In the event of a tie after the three preliminary matches have been played, the teams that advance to the Championship match shall be determined under the preliminary tie breaker format. Teams that do not qualify for a semifinal match will play one additional consolation match.
As a mutual courtesy, both teams will meet at the center circle and congratulate each other for a game well played. Manager/coach of both teams will insure their respective sideline areas are clean and that all trash is in containers. At the end of each game a team representative must sign/initial the game report at the field. The ultimate responsibility of collecting the passes from the field official lies with the coach/manager of the teams participating. Teams are not allowed to leave passes with the field official between games; they must be picked up at the conclusion of each game. A completed game report will be submitted to the tournament director complete with scores and a supplemental report for send-offs, injuries, or special circumstances that need explanation.
Players, reserve players, managers, coaches, and fans are expected to conduct themselves within the letter and spirit of “The Laws of the Game.” Tournament Officials have the authority and the responsibility to remove any person(s) from the tournament for abuses of conduct, in addition to any specific disciplinary action brought about by any other authority. In addition to good manners, the following rules will apply to the Patriot’s Cup.
It shall be solely the team’s responsibility to determine the status of its players. Any suspension from a tournament, local league, etc. is the responsibility of the team to notify the Tournament Director of this suspension at the time of the player’s check in. The Patriot’s Cup Tournament will have a Discipline Committee of no less than three (3) members. The Discipline Committee will review and rule on all reports of unacceptable conduct by players, manager, coaches, referees, spectators, etc. All players and managers/coaches shall be subject to Arizona Youth Soccer Association Discipline and Sanctions. A player, manager, or coach ejected will have an automatic minimum one (1) game suspension regardless of the cause of the ejection.
A coach who is ejected must leave the field area immediately (out of sight and sound). Failure to comply will result in suspension from the entire event and jeopardize inclusion into future events. Suspended Coaches may not be present while serving their suspensions; players may sit with the team but may not be in uniform. Depending on the severity of the unacceptable conduct, the Discipline Committee may recommend the suspension of up to the duration of the tournament with further disciplinary action by the appropriate National and State Association, Federation or any other USSF affiliated organization. The Discipline Committee recommendations will be available to the affected parties no later than before their next scheduled game. At the conclusion of the Patriot’s Cup Tournament, it is the responsibility of the team’s coach or manager to pick up the passes from the tournament officials (even if suspension has not been completed). A complete report will be sent to the Arizona Youth Soccer Association Review & Discipline Committee for forwarding to the appropriate State and National Association.
There will be no overtime games. Standings in a group will be determined by:
Semifinal and final matches tied at the end of regulation time will be decided by kicks from the mark according to FIFA rules. There will be no overtimes. In the event of a three-way tie at the end of bracket play, the winner for advancement will be determined as above without consideration for comparison of head to head competition to eliminate one team. If the teams are still tied and FIFA Kicks have to be taken there will be a draw by the Tournament Committee. The first team drawn will receive the bye; the next team drawn will be the home team against the remaining team in the first contest of penalty kicks. The winner of the first contest will then compete against the bye team in penalty kicks to determine the group winner. The bye team will be the home team. In the quarterfinal, semifinal and final game, if a clear winner is not decided after regulation time, penalty kicks will be taken in accordance with FIFA “Taking of Kicks from the Penalty Mark.” No overtime will be played. The tournament reserves the right to adjust pairings of the first elimination round so teams will not play teams already played.
Referees are responsible for reporting the match results, cautions, and ejections to the tournament headquarters at the completion of each match. A team representative will be required to sign the completed game card at the end of the match. Tournament officials will update the tournament scoreboards from the official game cards.
Games will start at the given start time. In case the team does not have the minimum players present, there will be a maximum of five (5) minutes grace period before awarding the game to the opponent. A forfeit will be scored 1-0. In no case shall a team which forfeits a game be declared a division winner or wild card team. The team with the next best record will advance. Any team forfeiting a game will not be eligible to advance into the playoff rounds of the tournament.
There will be NO PROTESTS. Decisions by referees may not be appealed. All disputes will be resolved immediately by the Tournament Director or Site Director. These decisions will be final and may not be appealed.
In the event of inclement weather or other events which affect our ability to play as planned, the Tournament Committee may modify Tournament Rules in order to safely and fairly complete the tournament successfully. We do our very best to start games on time, but the Tournament Director may make adjustments as necessary. This includes modifying game times and duration of halves as necessary to complete the tournament in a timely manner. The Tournament Committee will make its decisions on what is best, considering the health and safety of the players. The fields being used are all owned/operated by the City of Mesa. During inclement weather, the city will take into consideration the need to prevent the destruction of the fields and facilities. The Patriot’s Cup/MSC United does not own the fields, nor does it have any authority over their usage. Coaches and team managers are asked to remain flexible to the changes in fields/locations as required and to keep in contact with tournament officials for these changes. Regardless of weather conditions, players and coaches must be on the field at the scheduled time, ready to play. In case of inclement weather, unplayable field conditions, or games running behind on Sunday games may:
A. Be shortened. The Tournament Director may reduce the length of matches due to weather conditions or time constraints before the start of a match; all such matches will be considered official.
B. Be rescheduled (time and location determined by Tournament Director)
C. Go to “Taking of Kicks from the Penalty Mark” (time and location determined by Tournament Director)
D. Be canceled. If matches are unable to continue due to any reason(s), tournament placement will be based upon the last fully completed round of play. Bracket tie-breakers will be used to satisfy any ties that remain. If bracket-tiebreakers cannot resolve a tie, the Tournament Committee will utilize a coin toss to resolve the situation. In the unlikely event of game cancellation(s) due to inclement weather, entry fees may be forfeited, in whole or in part. MSC United will make no guarantees of any refunds. However, MSC United recognizes the financial commitments of teams entering the tournament. As such, MSC United may, at its discretion, refund a portion of the entry fee(s) after all other expenses have been paid.
If the Tournament Director rules that during the preliminary round “Taking of Kicks from the Penalty Mark.” will be done due to inclement weather or field conditions, the following rule will apply:
Games terminated for inclement weather
In the event a referee terminates a match (different from temporarily suspending), before half time, it will be up to the Tournament Director whether to record the score at the time of the termination or finish the game at a rescheduled time and location.
In the event a referee terminates a match (different from suspending) the score will be recorded as it was when the game was stopped. In the event, a match, other than the final, ends in a tie, the team that earned the most points during the round robin play will be declared the winner. If the teams have the same number of points, the criteria in the DIVISION RANKING CRITERIA will be used to break the tie.
In the event a referee terminates a final match (different from suspending) while the teams are tied, co- champions will be declared.
Games terminated for other than inclement weather, i.e. violent or uncontrollable situations will not be replayed.
The decision as to the score of such games and whether teams advance will be made by the Tournament Director after receiving reports from game officials. The decision of the Director will be final and is binding on all parties. Further disciplinary actions may be taken.
Following the completion of each championship game, the two competing teams will present themselves to the Awards area for awards.
The Patriot’s Cup Tournament does not issue entry fee refunds to any team for any reason once accepted to participate in the tournament. The Patriot’s Cup Tournament, the Tournament Committee, Arizona Youth Soccer Association and/or the host affiliate will not be responsible for any expense incurred by any team due to the cancellation in part or whole of this tournament. The tournament committee’s interpretation of the foregoing rules and regulation shall be final and reserves the right to decide on all tournament matters. The Tournament Director reserves the right to modify the rules at any time in the interest of the tournament and fair play. The tournament committee has the responsibility to uphold any previous suspension imposed by Arizona Youth Soccer Association, US Youth Soccer and/or affiliates of USSF; The Patriot’s Cup Tournament is not responsible for the behavior of players, coaches, and spectators off the field, or damages resulting from such behavior. Coaches and players committing breaches of the law may be ejected from the tournament at the discretion of the tournament committee.
PLEASE REMEMBER AT THE END OF EACH GAME, A TEAM REPRESENTATIVE MUST SIGN/INITIAL THE GAME REPORT. PICKUP YOUR PLAYER CARDS FROM THE REFEREE AT THE END OF EACH GAME. RED CARDS MUST BE RETRIEVED FROM THE AYSA STATE OFFICE. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR TEAM REMOVES ALL TRASH FROM THE SIDELINE AFTER EACH GAME. COACHES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF THEIR SPECTATORS.
