Match Format and Timing at the Midwest Youth Cup, by Age Group

The Midwest Youth Cup is played under the FIFA Laws of the Game as modified by USSSA Soccer. Every age group plays a sized-side format with age-appropriate match lengths, a flat 5 minute halftime, and a running clock kept by the referee.

Format and match length by age

| Age group | Side | Match length | Roster max | Min players | |---|---|---|---|---| | U8 | 5v5 or 7v7 | 2 x 20 min (5v5) or 2 x 25 min (7v7) | 14 | 4 | | U9 to U10 | 7v7 | 2 x 25 min | 14 | 4 | | U11 to U12 | 9v9 | 2 x 30 min | 16 | 6 | | U13 to U15 | 11v11 | 2 x 30 min | 22 | 7 |

Halftime is 5 minutes at every age group. A running clock is used, and the referee is the official timekeeper. A game stopped after halftime due to weather is final.

Pool play

Pool play uses a round-robin within each pool. Standings are determined by points, 3 for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss, with a fixed tiebreaker sequence. See the scoring and tiebreakers page for the full order.

Knockout round

Pool results determine which teams advance to the knockout round in applicable divisions. There is no overtime in group play. In the knockout round, a match tied after regulation is decided as follows:

1. Two 5 minute golden-goal overtime periods. The first goal wins.
2. If still tied after both overtime periods, penalty kicks decide the match.

Penalty kicks

Penalty kicks are taken best of five per team, following the FIFA Laws of the Game. If still tied after five kicks each, the shootout continues to sudden death, one kick per team per round, until a winner is decided.

Ball size and surface

Every match is played on artificial turf. Ball sizes are Size 4 for U8 through U12 and Size 5 for U13 through U15. The Build-Out Line is enforced for U8 through U10. Home teams should bring a game ball in the correct size for the referee to check before kickoff.