Dear Coach,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. These past months have been difficult times for everyone and I pray that this virus will start to ease the hold it has had on our country and the world.

We are tracking the 34 states that play High School Soccer in the fall to determine whether states will be playing and the status of start and end dates. More about fall awards planning below but allow me to recap what we were able to provide for schools that played this past winter and spring:

  • Five of the winter states were able to finish their seasons. Only Texas unable to complete their state championships. Spring seasons were hit hard with every state eventually cancelling their season.
  • We were able to recognize 45 All-Americans (26 girls and 19 boys).
  • 121 student-athletes (69 girls and 52 boys) were named Scholar All-Americans.
  • The states recognized 58 coaches with the State Coach of the Year
  • 175 seniors were designated by their school to receive our Senior Excellence Award.
  • Winter High School Rankings were completed but unfortunately, spring had to be cancelled.

Many thanks to our United Soccer Coaches State and Region Chairs that helped in so many ways during the winter and spring to help us deliver these recognition programs to our members.

Planning is underway for the fall season and we are monitoring the status of high soccer in the various states. Seven states and the District of Columbia have made the decision to move their seasons to the spring. The rest have decided to play as of now. Many states have shortened their season and/or cancelled state tournaments.

As schools open this fall there could be changes in earlier decisions. See below a chart with an update for each state that we have received from our network of representatives.  Please email me if you have any new information and we will keep this updated.

We will communicate with coaches on final details but rest assured the following awards and recognition programs will be available to our members:

  • Team Academic Award – Applications remain open until September 11. We have nearly 200 schools that have already submitted. CLICK HERE if your team had cumulative team GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale for the 2019-2020 academic year.
  • All-America – Our National Chairs will be providing our Region and State Chairs the information they need for nominations and voting this fall. Remember that the number of All-Americans allotted to each state depends on the number of High School coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches in each state. Please check your membership profile and make sure you have indicated High School as your primary coaching level and your status as a coach of boys, girls or both programs. This is necessary for your state to get its accurate allocations.
  • High School Coach of the Year – The National and Region Chairs will be in touch with State Chair this fall with the timetables to have this process completed so we ca recognize State, Region and National Coaches of the Year.
  • Assistant Coach of the Year – This program is a great opportunity to recognize those assistant coaches on the sidelines offering extra words of encouragement and direction to spur on your players. Nominations will be open online beginning October 12.
  • High School Rankings – Verizon will collaborate with United Soccer Coaches on team rankings beginning this fall. We will assess how many states will be playing and when the rankings will begin.
  • Senior Excellence Award – This award is a way to honor a senior student-athlete based on exceptional contributions to the team while exemplifying the finest attributes of a high school student-athlete.
  • Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award – Teams recognized for sportsmanship at one of four levels based on accumulation of cards during the season. There is a minimum number of matches to be eligible, which is 10 or the number required to qualify for state play.
  • Team Pinnacle Award – This team award is for accomplishment on the field (minimum .750 winning percentage), in the classroom (Team Academic Award winner) and sportsmanship (Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award winners).
  • Coaching Milestones – Available for coaching milestone wins at the 100, 2000, 300, etc. levels. Please send us a notice when you have reached a milestone so that we can provide these certificates.
  • Robert W. Robinson High School Long-Term Service Award – This career award recognizes coaches who have been a United Soccer Coaches member for at least 20 years and who have demonstrated service to the association and high school soccer. Complete criteria and a nomination form can be found by CLICKING HERE.

If you have any questions, contact me by email or any of the chairs for our various awards listed in the awards section of our website by CLICKING HERE.  Please take care and stay healthy.

 

John Mayer

Awards Committee Chair

jmayer@unitedsoccercoaches.org

 

2020 Fall High School Soccer Status Report
State Gender As of date Status*
Colorado Boys 8/5/20 moved to Spring
Connecticut Boys and Girls 8/24/20 playing
District of Columbia Boys and Girls 8/1/20 moved to Spring
Delaware Boys 8/8/20 moved to Spring
Idaho Boys 8/7/20 playing
Illinois Boys 8/2/20 moved to Spring
Indiana Boys and Girls 8/2/20 playing
Kansas Boys 7/29/20 playing
Kentucky Boys and Girls 7/20/20 waiting
Maine Boys and Girls 8/8/20 playing
Maryland Boys and Girls 8/3/20 suspended
Massachusetts Boys and Girls 7/23/20 playing
Michigan Boys 8/24/20 playing
Minnesota Boys and Girls 8/4/20 playing
Missouri Boys 8/6/20 playing
Montana Boys 7/16/20 playing
Nevada Boys and Girls 7/15/20 moved to Spring
New Hampshire Boys and Girls 8/2/20 playing
New Jersey Boys and Girls 8/17/20 playing
New Mexico Boys and Girls 7/15/20 moved to Spring
New York Boys and Girls 8/24/20 playing
North Carolina Boys 8/12/20 moved to Spring
North Dakota Boys 7/28/20 playing
Ohio Boys and Girls 7/19/20 playing
Oregon Boys 8/6/20 moved to Spring
Pennsylvania Boys and Girls 7/15/20 playing
Rhode Island Boys and Girls 8/6/20 waiting
South Dakota Boys 7/28/20 playing
Tennessee Girls 8/3/20 playing
Utah Girls 8/6/20 playing
Vermont Boys and Girls 8/11/20 playing
Virginia Private/Parochial 8/4/20 waiting
Washington Girls 7/21/20 moved to Spring
West Virginia Boys and Girls 7/16/20 playing
Wisconsin Boys 8/17/20 playing
*NOTE: Some states allow play on a district-by-district basis