Playoffs FC Tucson vs Seattle U-23

Driving up with friends from San Diego on Saturday. It's going to be pretty late after the game for driving back (especially if we are celebrating), so will consider staying overnight. Q: Is this single game elimination or round robin? Do both winners go on to national finals, or will the winners play each other for the spot in the finals? (Ok just answered my own question from the link below--winners play each other on Sunday, so will be staying overnight for sure!)

According to the Ventura site, Ventura plays at 5 and our game is at 7:30.

http://www.vcfusion.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/Pages.Page/id/147

 

Thanks for the clarification. It is single elimination. Semifinals are played July 27-29 and Championship game the following weekend.

 

I was looking at FC Tucson roster and have a question. Does the fact that Danny Toia is a HG signee make it problematic for college players to play with him? I thought that the NCAA rule was that in order to maintain eligibility a guy cannot play on a team with professional players but can play against them. Please clarify.

 

Question I have regards NCAA eligibility as i believe a player becomes ineligible for further NCAA competition if he plays ON a PDL team that has CURRENT professionals on its roster. IF Toia has signed a HG contract then I was questioning whether the collegiate guys on the team are at risk of NCAA sanctions. Would NOT be a good thing. I would certainly hope this was determined ahead of time.

 

I think I may have figured it out. It appears that the violation occurs if the PDL team is paying any of its players. Apparently not a violation if a pro player gets his salary from some where else. Seems odd but that's how I read the rules. Thanks for the PDL link. BTW,I saw that you guys were blown out by Orange County...what happened?

 

The first two matches (Ventura/Timber U-23 & FC Tucson/Sounders U-23) take place on July 21st. The winners of those two matches then play the very next day (July 22nd) at 5 PM.

Any news on who could host these matches, or do we have to wait till Monday morning?

 

It's the status of the team, not the presence of professional players. The presence of professional players on an amateur team does not necessarily make a team a professional team. It's a huge misconception that amateurs can't play with or against professional players.

A player registered with USSF has one of two statuses: amateur or professional. Once you become a professional player, you're a professional, regardless of which team you're on unless you "buy back" your amateur status (which, oddly enough, you can do, or you used to be able to).

NCAA Bylaw 12.02.04:

12.02.4 Professional Athletics Team. A professional team is any organized team that:
(a) Provides any of its players more than actual and necessary expenses for participation on the team, except as otherwise permitted by NCAA legislation. Actual and necessary expenses are limited to the following, provided the value of these items is commensurate with the fair market value in the locality of the player(s) and is not excessive in nature: (Revised: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02)
(1) Meals directly tied to competition and practice held in preparation for such competition;
(2) Lodging directly tied to competition and practice held in preparation for such competition;
(3) Apparel, equipment and supplies;
(4) Coaching and instruction;
(5) Health/medical insurance;
(6) Transportation (expenses to and from practice competition, cost of transportation from home to training/practice site at the beginning of the season and from training/practice site to home at the end of season);
(7) Medical treatment and physical therapy;
(8) Facility usage; (Revised: 4/24/03)
(9) Entry fees; and (Revised: 4/24/03)
(10) Other reasonable expenses; or (Adopted: 4/24/03, Revised: 10/28/04)

(b) Declares itself to be professional (see Bylaw 12.2.3.2.4). (Revised: 8/8/02)

If you pay your players more than just expenses OR if you simply declare your team to be a professional team, the NCAA considers it a professional team. Whether there are players that have "professional" status or not. If those "professional" players aren't getting paid, no harm, no foul.

It doesn't happen a lot, but you will see former pro players sometimes play with their local PDL team. That doesn't make that PDL team a professional team by itself. (Nik Besagno, the former MLS #1 draft choice, plays for the Washington Crossfire, I believe, and I do not believe they are one of the handful of "PDL Pro" teams.)

 

Oh, and just because you can become an amateur again in the eyes of the USSF doesn't mean you can go back and play NCAA soccer once you've been a pro. It just means you can be an amateur again for purposes of playing in Amateur Cup competitions and stuff like that.

 

Thanks alot for the post.I really appreciate the information. You are correct about the misconception.

 

I would hope a pro player can get paid to play soccer on a pro team.