This weekend at three different sites across Northern California, the U9 age group of the NorCal Premier Soccer State Cup returns to play for second group stage and quarterfinal action.

In a competition that started two months ago, with teams playing in a preliminary group stage at club-hosted sites, this Saturday and Sunday will see the reseeding of squads followed by an elimination match.

“This is one of the most exciting weekends of soccer for the younger age groups,” said U9-U12 State Cup Coordinator John Stoppelmann. “We’re looking forward to some great play between evenly matched teams in what should be a festive environment.”

All 349 teams in the U9 division will be in action this weekend, with games scheduled for play at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex, Granite Regional Park in Sacramento, and Mistlin Sports Park in Ripon.

Overall, there will be 798 games played, with every team guaranteed a quarterfinal match. The winners of those knockout round ties will qualify for finals weekend, which is set to be played November 9 and 10.

Already the largest state cup competition in the country, NorCal’s State Cup grew by 13 percent in the U9-U12 age groups this year, with 54 more teams in the U9 divisions than last year.

The U10 age groups return to play in the same format November 2 and 3, with finals weekend for those divisions set to coincide with the U9 teams as well.

For more information on the NorCal State Cup, click here.