Teams from 22 states and 16 countries descend on the National Sports Center soccer complex in Blaine starting Friday at the 28th Schwan's USA Cup tournament.
Locally, teams from Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope and Plymouth are among the 958 registered squads. The tournament is a two-part event, with a smaller three-day weekend tournament running Friday through Sunday.
That's followed by the main USA Cup tournament starting next Tuesday, July 17, and running through Saturday, July 21.
New features this year include "Rock the Cup" with pop music artists Chris Rene and Outasight performing a concert as part of the opening ceremonies July 17, a USA Cup mobile app for iPhone and Android users and an indoor tournament July 17 to July 20.
Other new features include a team camp for additional team training led by Twin Cities native and former U.S. national team member Tony Sanneh and a new PUMA store location.
Jay Wilcox reporting
jwilcox@twelve.tv
Tuesday, July 10, 2012