TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Information for Working Media 2. Tournament History 3. Facts and Figures 4. Special Tournament Programs 5. Famous People at USA CUP 6. About the National Sports Center 7. Top Story Leads The 35th annual Target USA CUP will be held July 12-20, 2019 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, 20 minutes north of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. With an economic impact of $36.4 million, Target USA CUP is Minnesota's largest annual sports tourism event. The event is also the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere. All Target USA CUP games are free and open to the public. INFORMATION FOR WORKING MEDIA WEBSITE www.usacup.org SOCIAL MEDIA Hashtag: #usacupsoccer Facebook: facebook.com/usacup Twitter: @usacupsoccer Instagram: @usacupsoccer MOBILE APP USA CUP, for iPhone and Android MEDIA CENTER The Media Center is located in Centerview Elementary. Please report to the Media Center to pick up media credentials, daily game schedules and to consult on story ideas. MEDIA CENTER HOURS July 12-20, 2019, 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. KEY STAFF CONTACTS Barclay Kruse, Media Director 763.458.6615 (cell) [email protected] Rob Lodge, NSC Marketing Director, managing NSC Gamecast during the tournament 651.216.2860 (cell) [email protected] Carlee Hackl, Content Creator and Video Producer 920.246.5072 (cell) [email protected] Grace Tafolla, Media Intern 319.310.4576 (cell) [email protected] Aidan Berg, Media Intern 612.670.1723 (cell) [email protected] CAMPUS ACCESS FOR MEDIA Target USA CUP is a free event and we offer an open campus. But we ask working media to wear media credentials at all times. This is a youth sports event, and wearing credentials will answer parental questions about photographers shooting photos and video, or asking for interviews. TOURNAMENT HISTORY Sons of Norway initiated USA CUP in 1985 by inviting several Norwegian teams to play in Minnesota. The first USA CUP featured more than 1,500 players on 69 teams representing 51 local, 11 international and six out-of-state teams. The original site for the tournament was the Blaine Soccer Complex, and those fields are still used for Target USA CUP games. When the National Sports Center opened in 1990, tournament ownership was transferred to the NSC and most games were moved to the larger NSC campus. FACTS AND FIGURES A total of 16,324 players from 1,152 teams will compete during Target USA CUP. The National Sports Center will host teams from 22 states and 20 countries. The USA CUP Weekend tournament features 496 teams, while the USA CUP features 652. 2,537 games will be played over the course of the 2019 USA CUP. 10 clubs have played all 35 years, all Minnesota clubs: Blackhawks SC, Blaine SC, Burnsville Fire SC and Valley United SC (since merged into BV United), Coon Rapids Soccer Assn., Eagan Traveling Soccer, North Suburban Soccer Assn., Northern Lights (Anoka) SC, St. Croix SC and White Bear SC. 70 foreign countries have played in Target USA CUP over the years: Albania, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia, Malaysia, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Northern Ireland, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia (USSR), Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Scotland, Sweden, South Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Indies, Wales. 50 states have sent teams to Target USA CUP over the years: Maine and Rhode Island, the final two states to play in Target USA CUP, will be represented by Seacoast United U12 boys’ team and the North Kingstown 10U girls’ team. 22 states are represented in 2019: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 5 Canadian provinces represented in 2019: Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. 20 countries and U.S. territories are represented in 2019: Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Haiti, Iceland, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago and the U.S. Minnesotan teams from 95 different communities are represented in 2019: Albertville, Andover, Anoka, Apple Valley, Baxter, Becker, Bemidji, Big Lake, Blaine, Bloomington, Brainerd, Brooklyn Park, Buffalo, Burnsville, Byron, Cambridge, Champlin, Chanhassen, Chaska, Chisago City, Circle Pines, Cloquet, Coon Rapids, Cottage Grove, Crystal, Duluth, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Elk River, Esko, Forest Lake, Golden Valley, Hastings, Hopkins, Inver Grove Heights, Isanti, La Crescent, Lakeville, Lindstrom, Lino Lakes, Long Lake, Mahtomedi, Mankato, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Mazeppa, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Monticello, Mound, New Prague, New Ulm, North Branch, North Oaks, Oak Grove, Oakdale, Orono, Oronoco, Otsego, Owatonna, Pine Island, Plymouth, Prior Lake, Ramsey, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Rochester, Rockford, Rogers, Rosemount, Roseville, St. Anthony, Saint Francis, Saint Michael, St. Paul, Sartell, Shakopee, Shoreview, South St. Paul, St. Cloud, St. Croix, St. Louis Park, Waconia, Watertown, West St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Winona, Woodbury and Zumbrota. 26,596 teams have played over the 35-year history of the tournament. REFEREES A total of 482 referees from around the world and from across the U.S. will officiate games. Included in the count are 150 non-U.S. referees coming from the following countries (17): Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Sweden and the U.S. VOLUNTEERS More than 1,000 volunteers help out during Target USA CUP with everything from field managing, delivering supplies to fields, shooting photos, greeting international teams at the airport and chaperoning dances. ECONOMIC IMPACT From visitors (those staying overnight): $28.5 million Including local spending: $36.4 million Local tax revenue generated: $233,815 Source: Destinations International Event Impact Calculator SPECIAL TOURNAMENT PROGRAMS OPENING CEREMONIES • NSC STADIUM Target USA CUP is holding its very own Olympic-style Opening Ceremonies on Tuesday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the NSC Stadium. The Opening Ceremonies will include an Olympic-style parade of teams, Target skydivers and fireworks. The special guest will be Jimmy Conrad, former U.S. National Team player, 2006 FIFA World Cup veteran, and 12-year MLS veteran. This is the only time in the tournament where all the players will be in the same place at once. This year’s Opening Ceremonies will be followed by Rock the CUP, an on-field concert and dance party, featuring DJ Mad Mardigan, the Official DJ of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. This event is free to the public and will be a memorable evening. NSCtv AT USA CUP NSCtv at USA CUP will offer daily video segments of the best stories at Target USA CUP. Go to www.usacup.org. THE DAILY KICK The Daily Kick, Target USA CUP’s online daily newspaper, will feature daily articles written by the USA CUP media team, running July 12-20. Go to https://blog.nscsports.org/index.php/category/daily-kick/ LIVE BARN GAME STREAMING Target USA CUP will offer live streaming of all the tournament games being played on the two Stadium fields (north and south) and the adjacent field 60. KICK CANCER AT USA CUP On Wednesday, July 17, Target USA CUP will raise money and build awareness for the treatment and prevention of pediatric cancer. For every goal scored and shutout recorded, USA CUP will donate $1 to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. Additionally, anyone can text USACUP to 41444 to make a donation to help fight pediatric cancer. Dress up your uniforms and/or sidelines on Wednesday, July 17 with the color gold to show support for the cause. Some of the vendors on campus will be donating a portion of their proceeds from Wednesday to Kick Cancer. MINNESOTA UNITED AT USA CUP The National Sports Center is the home of Minnesota’s MLS team, Minnesota United FC (MNUFC). The team has invested in a locker room at the east end of the Sports Hall. Additionally, fields C1 and C2 have been converted into the team’s exclusive training fields. Minnesota United plays at its new 20,000 seat stadium in Saint Paul, Allianz Field, but it will continue to make the NSC its training home. The team will play two home games during Target USA CUP – Saturday, July 13 vs. FC Dallas and Wednesday, July 17 vs. Aston Villa. MNUFC will have an activity hub outside Centerview Elementary. Players will conduct autograph and meet-and-greet sessions during the week, and the MNUFC mascot, PK, will be appearing at USA CUP throughout the week. MEDALLION HUNT, SPONSORED BY TARGET A medallion has been hidden somewhere on the NSC campus. Two clues will be posted each day, July 16-20, one in the morning one in the afternoon. The first person (or group) to find the medallion will win the grand prize, donated by Target. Clues will be posted on usacup.org and on Facebook and Twitter. FAMOUS PEOPLE AT USA CUP FAMOUS FORMER USA CUP PLAYERS Zlatan Ibrahimovic • Swedish National Team, Manchester United and now LA Galaxy Taylor