U10 State Cup Round 2 and Quarterfinals Preview

The U10 State Cup is back this weekend as all teams will participate in a second group stage of play followed by quarterfinal matchups at Legacy Sports Field in Tracy, Granite Regional Park in Sacramento, Mistlin Sports Park in Ripon, and Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center.

Every team playing in the competition will advance to the quarterfinals, where just eight teams will remain ahead of Finals Weekend, scheduled for November 7 and 8 at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex and Granite, with all final matches taking place in Davis.

“The U10 division delivers the perfect blend of development and competition,” said NorCal U9-U12 State Cup Coordinator John Stoppelmann. “Group play provides teams the opportunity to showcase their growth and talent, while knockout round play ups the stakes and gives everyone something to play for.”

Unlike other State Cup competitions, NorCal’s uses a system that reseeds teams twice, ensuring that all matchups include teams featuring roughly the same skill level.

The competition began all the way back in August with three club-hosted group stage matches before each team advanced to the second group stage alongside other teams that finished in a similar spot.

After three more group stage games this weekend, teams will again be reseeded into their quarterfinal brackets.

Overall this weekend also serves as one of NorCal’s busiest of the year as 452 teams will play more than 1,000 games on 66 different fields at the four participating venues.

Those who are victorious in their final game Sunday will advance, along with the top four U9 teams in each division, to Finals Weekend.

The U9 age group participated in the same process two weekends ago at Davis Legacy, Granite, and Mistlin.

“While the U9 division began with group play, the atmosphere changed dramatically once teams advanced to their quarterfinal games,” Stoppelmann said. “There’s something special about a win-or-go-home match, where you can feel and almost taste the excitement in the air. We’re looking forward to hosting this experience again with the U10 teams this weekend.”

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