Summer is almost here and you know what that means…. tournament time! It’s interesting to see how different clubs/coaches approach the summer tournament season. As a crazy soccer parent, I really enjoy going to tournaments, but this year, both my girls’ coaches feel that less is more. One of my girls’ teams is limited by the club as to the amount of tournaments they do (I had never heard of this before, but I guess there are several clubs who do this) and the other’s coach strongly feels that the girls shouldn’t overdo it during the summer.
One of the fun things about being the manager is talking with the coach about what tournaments to do. I’m sure everyone has their favorites and there are also tournaments that attract the top teams. A good way to start your search is by looking at the Cal South (or whatever is appropriate for your region) website for sanctioned tournaments. Obviously if you are a top team, you’ll want to attend the top tournaments. If you are an “up and coming” team, you might want to look for top tournaments with multiple tiers or smaller tournaments so that you can find the appropriate placement for your team.
Here’s my own personal list… of course this is all my opinion and experience and there are many, many more quality tournaments out there to choose from!
Click the images for more information and registration.
My Favorite Tourney- Blues Cup
Blues Cup | Labor Day | San Juan Capistrano | is organized, well run, has awesome pins and medals, great fields, top competition, and multiple brackets. Not all teams are accepted- especially at the younger level so apply early!
This labor day tourney is run by a GU12 Forum Favorite “the Mayor” and is for girls only. We attended with our U12 team last summer- click here for my full review.
My Wish List Tourney- Surf Cup
Surf Cup |August 3,4,5 for girls | San Diego | is the most prestigious and selective So Cal summer tournament. A very limited number of teams per age level are accepted to this tournament. Winners of the Surf Thanksgiving Tournament (review here) and the top finishers of State or National cup receive automatic bids, but the rest of the teams apply and cross their fingers!
Other High Level Summer Tourneys
Slammers Futbol Classic | July 13/14 | Orange County | has great competition and is well organized with multiple tiers. Our 12s played at UC Irvine last year which has really nice fields and a fun atmosphere.
West Coast Futbol Classic | August 17/18 | Orange County | also has great competition and is well organized. It was really hot for this one last year and we were in the “bracket of death” but we had great experiences playing top teams. It was a really hot weekend, but that’s not the fault of the tourney.
Eagles Summer Classic | July 27/28 | Camarillo | has great fields and ocean breezes! Camarillo is a fun place to stay and I really like that almost all the teams play at the Pleasant Valley complex. The Eagles also always have great teams to provide a very competitive tourney.
Carlsbad Cup |August 3,4,5 youngers | San Diego
I haven’t been to this one, but it’s a great choice with good competition in a beautiful area for teams who don’t get into Surf Cup. There are also multiple flights for those “up and coming” teams.
Other Tourneys of Note
LA Premier FC SoCal Showcase | June 29-July 1 | Pasadena Area |
Click here for my review from last year
Dave Shelton Memorial Tournament | August 17/18 | North County San Diego
Super Hot, Hot, Hot!! (But we won!!)
Click here for my review from last year
Cypress Cup | August 4/5 | Cypress Area
Smaller tournament with some strong teams. We won…and met an awesome coach and fun parents.
Click here for my review from last year
United Cup | August 10/11 | San Juan Capistrano | is a new one for us this year.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
NHB Cup | August 24/25 | Orange County
We haven’t been to this one in a while, but it has the reputation of an awesome check in and trophies for all the winning players.
OC Kickoff Classic | August 17/18 | Orange County
Another we haven’t been to in a while, but I remembered good fields and scheduling.
What are some of your favorite tournaments??
My daughter’s team was a late entry into the United FC cup – our coach just wanted them to play their first tournament – when we registered we stressed that we were a newly formed team and only 2 players had played club before. They put us into the Supaliga with the top teams and it was soul destroying for the girls as well as the parents to have to watch. One team even had their goalie score against them.
However it was a baptism of fire for the girls who hadn’t played club before as they realized that this was the standard that they had to aspire to play.
At least they hand out beer when you’re waiting in line to check in.
Oooh ouch- that’s brutal. Sorry that happened 🙁 I’ve been on both sides of that situation and it isn’t pretty. They should have told you that the only possibility was playing in the top division. Too bad there was no beer handed out on the sideline!! Hopefully this summer will be much better. Thanks for reading.
Come on now soccermom,..show the love,…where is Carlsbad Cup on your list? For those not getting the invite to Surf Cup, but have the San Diego plans set,…a great back-up plan in the Carlsbad Cup. Everyone is down this way anyway over that weekend. Climate, competition, and facilities much more favorable than some of the ‘Other tournys of Note’
Ha,..
Soccermom bring your teams to the Carlsbad Cup. I can introduce you to some of the forum favorites!!!
Updated with some love! We haven’t been, but I’ve heard it’s a great tourney and you gotta love Carlsbad. Anyone else with suggestions/favorites?