Into the Final Stretch...
Over these final four weeks of the regular season, players and parents in competitive divisions are probably checking the standings to see where their teams might land in the playoffs, AKA, the Rose City Cup. Tensions can run high this time of year, but remember: the best way to help everyone play their best is to build each other up, not tear each other down.
The end of the fall season may be in sight, but there are lots of opportunities to keep playing soccer in winter and beyond…
All-Star Tryouts Begin
Region 13 All-Star tryouts begin this Sunday at Rose Bowl Area H:
How Are All-Star Players Chosen?
Selection for All-Star teams is a collaborative effort with all coaches providing input. Players are chosen based on a combination of many factors, in addition to tryouts: performance during the fall season, team needs, age, roster limits, commitment to extra practices and games, and family volunteerism. Just as important are sportsmanship and teamwork—today’s opponents could be tomorrow’s teammates!
Unfortunately, not every deserving player can be placed on a team, and decisions are never easy. Coaches will do their best to evaluate each player fairly, and no matter what, we hope that every player will continue to stay active and enthusiastic about playing soccer.
Questions? Contact Samir Singh, Advanced Play Coordinator.
On to the Rose City Cup
Every 10U, 12U, and 14U fall league team that has achieved the minimum requirement of referee points* gets a shot at the Rose City Cup, our end-of-season, single-elimination playoffs. Teams are grouped into “flights” based on their final standings. Every game has to have a winner, so get ready for some thrilling PK shootouts. Flight champions earn trophies, and everyone else takes home a commemorative medal.
The Rose City Cup begins the weekend of December 6-7, and will continue for some teams on December 13. Everyone plays at least one match on the first Saturday, and winners might play again that same day as well as on Sunday. Each division’s top-flight champion will go on to play in the Area 1C playoff, with a chance to go on to the SoCal Section 1 Finals. Keep winning, and your team keeps playing (and practicing) together!
*If your team needs to make up referee points and would like help to figure out how to do that, please reach out to harry@ayso13.org.
For 8U Players Moving Up: Grad Series
Grad Series is a thrilling 8-week program designed for players moving up from 8U to 10U (born in 2015 or just finished a season in 8U). Players experience real 10U soccer with 7v7 games on a 10U-sized field with goals, goalkeepers, and all the official Laws of the Game, including offside.
All sessions will take place on Saturdays in January through March, with a 45-minute practice followed by a 50-minute game, all in one fun, fast-paced session! Grad Series is one of our most popular programs. It’s a fun, supportive, and confidence-building way to prepare for the jump to 10U soccer. Spots fill quickly, and registration is first-come, first-served.,
Priority is given to coaches and referees—the best way to make sure your player participates is by volunteering.
Head over to the website to learn more & register.
Sunday Skills is open to enthusiastic players of all ages seeking additional play. Professional coaches from Launch Sports run skills-focused drills. 🥅 Goalkeeper Academy returns this week!
Join Sunday Skills from 3:30–5pm at the La Canada High School JV fields.
The Thanksgiving Tournament in ON!
Our tournament is back and being held on the three days immediately after Thanksgiving:
Friday. November 28, Saturday, November 29. Sunday, November 30
The tournament is open to all interested teams in the 10U, 12U, and 14U divisions. Every team is guaranteed three games with additional games for playoffs.
Player Cards & Emergency Prep from New York Life
Stop by the New York Life Foundation tent at Victory Park this weekend to get a custom-made trading card for your soccer player, and a child’s ID kit for your emergency binder. The NY Life Foundation educates about sudden life changes. Check out their sample emergency kit, and learn more about what should go in your own family go-bag.
Project Play Youth Sports Survey
Project Play is conducting a National Youth Survey to gather feedback from young people on their feelings about sports. This survey covers a range of topics, including current participation, interest in trying new sports, and much more. No personally identifiable info is collected.
All children 10-18 years old are invited to take the National Youth Survey here.
Please respond by 11/30/2025
Hello Region 13 Family,
As we approach the end of the fall soccer season, I’m sure many of you are fielding questions from your kids about, “Why does it end?”, “Can’t I keep playing soccer?”, and perhaps the occasional, “That’s good soccer ’s ending, because it’s time for Thanksgiving!” I can’t help you with the last comment, but I can give you some ideas for those who are asking how they can play more.
Although AYSO has its foundation in fall soccer, we now support programs that run all year round. In the winter, we have All-Stars for our older 10U-14U kids, and also our specialized “Grad Series” for 8U kids moving up to 10U (which is a fantastic program btw!). We also run a “Winter Stars” program in January and February for everyone else to get out there and play soccer on the weekends. In March, we launch our Spring Soccer program, which again gives all of our youth a chance to play soccer similar to our fall core program. This runs alongside NEXT and numerous Tournament Teams that compete in all the Southern California AYSO Tournaments. So, if your kid is one of those asking, “What can I do next?”, we have lots of answers, and I hope you will check out our winter and spring programs. AYSO Region 13 is not just a Fall gathering; we work with our community to be a home for soccer year-round. I hope you will take us up on some of these opportunities—you will not regret it!
—Patrick Shopbell, your volunteer RC
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