Dear Coach / Manager:

Here are the simple and easy instructions for getting your team ready for the MSSL U23 REGIONAL LEAGUE 2008 SUMMER SEASON! If you have registered online already, great, let’s get you carded. If you still have not registered your team, please do so at this time so that we are ready to go by the end of the month!

1)  ONLINE REGISTRATION

If you have not yet registered with the league, go to the website at www.socceragency.net/maps

Click on the MSSL icon which will take you to
http://www.socceragency.net/maps/MSSL/2008/U23.htm

Click on the first button that states U20 & U23 ONLINE APPLICATION which will bring you to our online application. We need you in our database for communication and messaging purposes.

2)  LEAGUE AND USASA FEES

Forward League Registration Fees of $1000 made payable to MSSL U23 League, to:

MSSL U23 Regional League

One Beekman Road

Suite A

Kendall Park NJ 08824

This amount breaks out as follows:
$575  MSSL League Registration Fee for 2008
$125 USASA Team Registration Fee
$300 20 Player Passes at $15 each (add'l players/passes can be added during the season)

[Add $15 for each additional pass over the 20 initially being provided]

If you already have USASA player passes from another source (for example, a different adult league), reduce the player registration cost to $5 per player; USASA does nonetheless require the additional amount for dual registration.

Remember, USASA is the US Adult Soccer Association, the primary governing body for all non-professional play beyond the U19 level in the United States. MSSL is a sanctioned Regional League, chartered in the northeastern Region One of USASA.

For budgeting purposes, you should also take into account the following costs:
Ref Fees which will typically cost each team about $70 per game for a three-man system;
Facility Fees which averaged about $15-20 per game last year, to defray any costs

incurred by hosts at central sites;
U23 and / or U20 Regional Cup competition;
Uniform Costs;
Club Trainer Fees, if any

3)  REGISTERING PLAYERS

Contact MSSL Registrar Jan Yager at MSSLadmin@comcast.net as soon as possible. The USASA site is still under construction, with the final stages of online roster registration and passes not ready until July 2008.
In the meantime, Jan will be relaying your rosters to USASA for electronic issuance of the player passes. It is IMPERATIVE that each team provide their roster ELECTRONICALLY to Jan in EXCEL format so Jan can import into the USASA system for pass issuance (Jan's number is 908-277-4116, but most contact should be by email.). Any additional players will be added as the season goes along by sending an email with the information and Jan will upload the player information to the USASA site for issuance of the pass.

On the Homepage, click on ROSTER REGISTRATION FORM, and choose the SAVE option to download the Excel spreadsheet for entering Player Registration data.

The initial information you need to provide Jan will be:
Club and Team Name
Gender
U23 or U20 team
Contact Name
Contact Phone Numbers
Contact Email Address

The online registration process will require you to input for each player:
Player Name
Player Address
Player Phone Number
Player Email Address
Player Date of Birth
Additionally, each player will have to provide you with:
Passport-sized Photograph
Proof of Birthdate (Copy of Drivers License, Passport or Birth Certificate)

Plus, for each team:
Coach Name, Address, Phone Numbers, Email Address
Manager Name, Address, Phone Numbers, Email Address

4)  TEAM UNIFORMS

MSSL requires identical jerseys that are individually numbered for each player on the field. Tee shirts are acceptable. Players must have same color shorts and same color socks, but these need not be identical.

5)  SCHEDULING

The normal MSSL play-date involves two seventy-minute games at one of several central sites designated for that Sunday. Occasionally, scheduling may involve only one ninety-minute game for the weekend. 

MSSL will schedule games for the following Sundays:
 June 1
 June 8
 June 15
 June 22
 July 6
 July 13
 July 20
 July 27

Note that July 12-13 are the dates for the U23 Regionals. We will adjust the schedules for participating and qualifying teams.

Similarly, July 19-20 will be the date for the U20 Regionals, and July 27 will be the date of the MSSL Cup. On all three weekends, regular season games will continue to be scheduled for non-participating teams.

Please advise Director Bohdan Porytko at bohdan@mssl.org by Thursday May 15 as to the following:
Which dates your team requests NOT to participate in league games
Which dates your club would be able to host games, and how many fields (1 to 4?)
would be available
Whether your team intends to enter U23 Region One Cup qualifying
Whether your team intends to attend the U20 Region One Cup tournament
Note: By mutual agreement, teams may also agree to schedule an additional match-up on a date other than Sunday; advise me at bohdan@mssl.org, and I will place the game on the calendar and ensure that referees are assigned.

6)  REFEREE ASSIGNMENTS

Once the schedule is set for the weekend, referees will be assigned by MSSL Head Assignor Bob Mykulak (bobmykulak@yahoo.com). Teams that withdraw from the following weekend's games after 6:00 PM on Monday will be subject to Referee fees incurred. In general, teams that cannot meet their game obligations will be dropped from the schedule and their games re-assigned.

7)  OPENING WEEKEND

Our Season Opening Date for games is Sunday June 1. Teams ready to go will be scheduled for games. Try to get your team registered and ready for this kickoff weekend, the summer is short, and every weekend precious.

Teams ready and able to host games on June 1, please advise me at bohdan@mssl.org as quickly as possible.

8)  USASA REGION ONE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR U23 and U20

Very Important! The deadline for declaring for the USASA Region One U23 Championship is May 31. The Regional Champion gets a partially-subsidized trip to the four-team USASA National Championships late in July.

U20 Region One Cup Registration is also due early June. (MSSL U20 Men will want to defend the title won by NJ Rangers FC Golden Hawks last year!)

We will advise you in a subsequent email of the exact format of this year’s competitions. USASA Region One is considering changes in format from last year. Typically, you will need to forward payment of $150 to register, and I will advise you of the deadlines shortly.

We encourage MSSL teams to take advantage of this opportunity to compete for this significant adult soccer crown. MSSL representatives have made the semi-finals and finals of the U23 Regional Championships in recent years.

The USASA U23 Region One Cup finals will be in Pennsylvania on July 13-14 this year.

There is also a  USASA Region One U20 Championship at stake, to be held on July 20-21 in New Jersey. Alas, there is no National Championship (at the moment) to move on to after winning the Regionals, but Region One is seeking to arrange a championship game with Region Two (Mid-West), the other USASA Region that contests this age group. Teams can apply for this event later on in the season.

Note that teams can strip out overage players to be eligible for U20 and U23 championship play. To be eligible for U23 competition, a player must be born after August 1, 1984; for U20, after August 1, 1987.

9)  MSSL CUP

The league championship MSSL Cup will be decided on July 27. The top six team records as of July 20 will be invited to participate in a one day showdown: two group games and a final.

Note: Teams not qualifying for MSSL Cup will still be scheduled for regular season games on July 27.

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Just follow the steps above, and we'll get you ready to play in no time. Any further questions, let me or Jan know.

Bohdan E. Porytko
Director
973-998-9731
bohdan@mssl.org