Copa Rayados West- A World-Class Youth Soccer Tournament Experience

Premier Soccer Services and CF Monterrey Rayados are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Copa Rayados Tournament Series: Copa Rayados West. After exploring numerous cities on the West Coast, we've chosen Las Vegas, Nevada, as the inaugural site for this international youth soccer event. With its pristine fields, close proximity to major clubs in the Southwest, and a plethora of extracurricular activities, Las Vegas is the ideal location for this tournament.

"We're excited to have Las Vegas as the chosen spot for the newest and most thrilling addition to the Copa Rayados tournaments. Over the last 11 years, we've watched the Copa Rayados grow, and we're delighted to bring it closer to the West Coast youth soccer clubs. You haven't truly experienced a youth soccer event until you've been to the Copa Rayados," said Scott Spencer, President of Premier Soccer Services.

Copa Rayados West will take place from June 14 to 17, 2024, at Heritage Park in Henderson/Las Vegas, NV.

A Unique Tournament Experience

As part of the Copa Rayados ecosystem, Copa Rayados West promises to incorporate many of the unique features that Copa Rayados Internacional and Easter International Cup have offered. Notably, the tournament is renowned for its participation of international youth soccer academies. Academies from Canada, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, the UK, and even Africa have all taken part in the Copa Rayados. This provides a unique experience for all youth soccer clubs, especially those who may not have had the opportunity to travel overseas to experience international competition.

In addition, academies from the "Elite" leagues join in to face off against foreign competition and each other. It's not uncommon to see a team from ECNL playing against an MLS Next or an ECNL team facing off against a GA team. Scott Spencer said, "The ability to host teams from these high-level leagues and match them against each other, even when they couldn't play against each other in their own leagues, is truly remarkable."

Proving Player Pathways

As always, Copa Rayados will host college scouts from all across the country. With over 500 invitations sent annually to college programs in the US, Copa Rayados is a preferred destination for college coaches in the recruitment calendar. Copa Rayados West will provide a closer proximity for West-based schools to observe talent both nationally and internationally.

For Copa Rayados West, when it comes to player pathways, our goal is to go above and beyond current tournament offerings. Scott explained, "We really wanted to do something unique with this event. We understand there are so many tournaments teams can attend. But how many are actively helping players within the team to support their goal of playing professionally one day?" With that sentiment, Copa Rayados will offer a first in the youth soccer tournament landscape: guaranteed player trials at the best pro academy in Mexico, Monterrey Rayados. Together with Rayados, four players from the U17-U19 age groups will be chosen to train with Rayados' youth teams after the tournament. To assist with travel costs, room and board will be provided, along with a travel stipend. For winning teams, there's free entry to the Copa Rayados Internacional Houston later in the year, and winning coaches will receive complimentary hotel stays for the November event. Additionally, an "All-Star" U15-U17 team will be formed to travel to Mexico for a series of friendlies against local competition. Scott added, "All in all, we believe the benefits we've provided make this tournament the event to attend this June. You won't find another event like this."

By Invitation Only

Due to these exclusive benefits, Rayados is committed to selecting the best of the best for this event. Copa Rayados West will be an "Invitation Only" event. Teams will need to register their interest before being officially allowed to register. In the interest form, teams will have to provide details about their league affiliation, their performance within that league, any national team players, and other relevant criteria. The Rayados team will review each pre-application and send out invitations to register for the accepted teams. Additionally, each age group is slated to have four international teams, and only 16 teams will be invited per age group.

First Seven Clubs Announced

As of October, the first seven clubs to be accepted have been announced: Albion SC (Cal South), SDSC Escondido Surf (Cal South), Downtown LA Soccer Club (Cal South), Elk Grove United (Cal North), Las Vegas Sports Academy (Nevada), LAFC Socal (Cal South), and RSL-El Paso (Texas). The second round of applications is currently being processed, and accepted teams will be announced in November.

Scott stated, "We've already received 80+ applications, and more are coming in every day. We anticipate reaching capacity very soon." Teams interested in having their applications reviewed are encouraged to submit their pre-application via the link below. Scott concluded, "This event will likely showcase several future pros who will one day play for major clubs, even internationally. It's truly exciting to think that this event may be the launchpad that begins their careers."