Downey soccer team wins national tournament

DOWNEY – The Downey 12U girls team won first place in the AYSO National Games tournament this past weekend. More than 7,000 players from 20 states – making up nearly 500 teams – competed in the bi-annual soccer tournament, which was held in Torrance and Riverside.

The tournament was structured in large part using the same model as the FIFA World Cup: teams were placed into groups of four teams each and played in a series of round robin qualifying games. Teams with the highest scores during the qualifying round then proceeded to a single-game elimination playoff system.

The AYSO National Games uses a unique scoring system that places as much emphasis on good sportsmanship as it does on win/loss records. During every game, teams receive points based on whether they won or lost, the number of goals scored, and the quality of sportsmanship demonstrated.

Good sportsmanship points are weighted equally to the win-loss-scoring points.

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Published: July 17, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 14