Youth Soccer Takes Over Blaine While The World Cup Plays On A Big Outdoor Screen

BLAINE (WJON News) -- One of the biggest sports complexes in the United States has been closely watching this year's World Cup competition.

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The National Sports Center in Blaine features 50 soccer fields on campus, with 17 of those on artificial turf, along with indoor facilities, making it a year-round mecca for soccer fans.

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Sara Soli says the facility is unique because everything is on one campus, bringing soccer players from all levels together.

Little kids learning how to play any sport, including soccer, up to the pros.  The Minnesota United call this their official training facility; they are here when they are not at Allianz or out on the road.  We also have a local club team that calls us home.  So, a variety of different levels of play on our campus.

The National Sports Center in Blaine opened in the mid 1980s.

International Youth Soccer Tournament

The annual USA Cup starts Friday at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Soli says over 1,150 teams will be competing.

You can come here and play teams from other countries.  So, not only is it a soccer experience, it is a cultural experience.  This year, we have teams coming from more than 13 countries and 25 states.  For the first time, we have three teams coming from Mongolia.

Soli says they have several teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota as well. The teams range in age from eight years old to 19 years old.

The USA Cup is ranked in the top three for international youth soccer tournaments.

They do a weekend tournament Friday through Sunday, they take Monday off, then do a week-long tournament Tuesday through Saturday of next week.

Soli says they'll be sure to have the FIFA World Cup games available to watch as well. She says they'll have four official watch parties, including a big screen TV outside.

It's exciting.  We see the energy every year, the passion that other countries bring to their game; they have their own chants and cheers.  It's always exciting to see everyone coming together for something they love.

The World Cup quarterfinal matches are Thursday through Saturday, the semi-final round is Tuesday and Wednesday, and the final is on Sunday, July 19th at 2:00 p.m.