Each year U.S. Youth Soccer organizes the national Championship Series that involves 185,000 players from 10,000 teams. Maryland teams first participate in this Championship Series by entering the State Cup tournament hosted by MSYSA that involves over 300 teams from U-13 to U-19. In 2007, the U-14 Maryland State Cup Champions, the Casa Mia Bays, were crowned national champions.

The 2008 Maryland State Cup will have a new look this year.  For the first time ever, the U-12 age group will not be included in Stat Cup play.  The Maryland State Youth Soccer Association Executive Board has followed the recommendation of US Youth Soccer and established a formal policy that, starting with the fall 2007 season, all league play at U-11 will be no more than 8 v 8. 

Also starting with the fall 2008 season, 8 v 8 will be the mandated format for U-12 play.  Both NCSL and WAGS have adopted the 8 v 8 format for all U-12 play for the fall of 2007. For the past year, MSYSA has been examining the best way to formally recognize the player development benefits of small-sided play and implement the US Youth Soccer recommendations. With the direction of the movement adopting small-sided play being very clear, the MSYSA Executive Board concluded that the only appropriate action would be to simply adopt a policy making small-sided play (maximum 8 v 8 format) as the only acceptable format for play at U-11 and U-12.

In view of the adoption of this policy for short sided play and the belief that U-12 is still a developmental year, the Maryland Youth Soccer Association Executive Board felt that competition at the state level was in direct conflict with the concept of continued player development at this age and, in their June Board meeting, the Board of Directors agreed to exclude this age group from Cup play.

For all other age groups, the format of the State Cup will remain the same. The deadline for the online applications will be midnight January 4, 2008 for the U-13 to U-18 age groups.  The U-19 applications will be due by midnight May 2, 2008. 

The 2008 State Cup Draw will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center on January 19, 2008 in conjunction with the NSCAA convention and the MSYSA Workshop.  State Cup play will begin on April 5, 2008.  The format for State Cup will remain as single elimination with the finals being played on May 31, 2008.  Venues for State Cup play have not been finalized at this time. 

We welcome all USYS registered travel teams, who play in either a MSYSA sanctioned league or affiliate club between the U-13 and U-19 age groups, to apply. Arlene W. Rodway again will serve as State Cup Director.