This year, the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships were held in Westfield, Indiana. Amongst the competition between some of the best teams in the region, TOPSoccer hosted its Midwest Classic event on Monday, June 23rd. As this was an off day of competition for the teams participating in the Midwest Championships, the tournament referees and several teams supported the TOPSoccer players as they took the pitch inside the Grand Park Fieldhouse. The TOPSoccer athletes engaged in some warm-up and skill-building activities. During the soccer limbo, the group enjoyed working on their dribbling and passing skills.
Things got a bit competitive during the soccer version of Hungry Hippos.
Two games were then played-one for players who benefitted from buddy assist and one for players who could participate more independently. Both games were very competitive, and both were goal fests. Thankfully, the games were held under the watchful eyes of the Midwest Regional Championships referees, who brought a ton of energy to the event along with their fantastic officiating. Fan support was FUNtastic as several teams and their families lined the fields to celebrate goals and push the players to compete.
The event ended with a medal and trophy presentation, which was the day’s highlight. The players all enjoyed posing with the trophy and their buddies. Shawn Danhouser, who has been the Midwest Region TOPSoccer Chair since 2012, said, “The event seems to get better every year. We had more teams attending on their day off than ever before, and the games have never been more competitive. We had massive support from the referees, who served as buddies and supporters for the entire event. It was so much fun that I did not want it to end.”
Shawn was joined on the planning committee by Roni Andrew and Meghan Ward from Wisconsin Youth Soccer and Sean Addision from Soccer Indiana. Jonathan Meersman from US Youth Soccer and Joy Carter from Soccer Indiana were integral in their support for the event. Chico Villarruel was responsible for coordinating the referees’ participation in the event. As the number of TOPSoccer programs and players participating continues to grow, this was an excellent opportunity to showcase TOPSoccer and its opportunities for players with diverse abilities to enjoy the sport.
