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Cleats clack together, whistles blow and applause and shouting ring in the air as soccer balls are kicked around on 23 fields.
They are the sounds of the 2019 US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships hosted at the Saginaw Township Soccer Complex.
The boys and girls teams weren’t the only ones competing. There were 224 referees seeking one of 26 spots to officiate at the upcoming national competition.
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![Three referees take a lap around their field, warming up alongside a U18 girls team, before the coin toss for the final games of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
Three referees take a lap around their field, warming up alongside a U18 girls team, before the coin toss for the final games of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![Cristian Vorovenci attaches his state referee badge to his uniform as he gears up to officiate a final match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
Cristian Vorovenci attaches his state referee badge to his uniform as he gears up to officiate a final match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
The referees, ages 18-54, traveled from all over Michigan and 12 other states by invitation to oversee the regional games in Saginaw County. They were judged based on their knowledge of the sport, ability to manage a game and meet demanding fitness standards.
Light-hearted jokes about getting a nice tan on the job eased the pressure of knowing that long days in the sun and one-on-one and group training sessions off the field would determine which referees would be among the top 10 percent selected to work nationals.
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![Mark Casper applies sunscreen to his arms as he gets ready to take the field to officiate a final match of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
Mark Casper applies sunscreen to his arms as he gets ready to take the field to officiate a final match of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![A bag of coins, state referee badge, clipboard with rosters and schedules, and other miscellaneous items rest on a table as referees gear up to take the field for final matches at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township]()
A bag of coins, state referee badge, clipboard with rosters and schedules, and other miscellaneous items rest on a table as referees gear up to take the field for final matches at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![Nabil Bensalah adjusts his wristband inside of a tent outside of Valley Lutheran High School where he gets ready to officiate a 10 a.m. a match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, Jun]()
Nabil Bensalah adjusts his wristband inside of a tent outside of Valley Lutheran High School where he gets ready to officiate a 10 a.m. a match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![Adrienne McDonald, national assistant referee, (left) and Danielle Chesky, national referee, stand on the sidelines in between two fields watching officials perform, taking notes and discussing different observations together, during the U.S Youth Soccer]()
Adrienne McDonald, national assistant referee, (left) and Danielle Chesky, national referee, stand on the sidelines in between two fields watching officials perform, taking notes and discussing different observations together, during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
![National referee Danielle Chesky goes over her list of referees and assignments as she comments to assistant national referee Adrienne McDonald about her notes during U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex o]()
National referee Danielle Chesky goes over her list of referees and assignments as she comments to assistant national referee Adrienne McDonald about her notes during U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
Surviving as a group of eager referees, however, is more about becoming family than competing against each other, they say. It’s about making friends and reuniting with people who understand what it’s like to officiate soccer.
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![Youssef ElMessoussi pulls a player aside to explain his decision on a call he made during a final 18U boys match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
Youssef ElMessoussi pulls a player aside to explain his decision on a call he made during a final 18U boys match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![Ryan Homik stands on the sidelines, intently watching the game he is officiating as he holds his flag ready to make a call during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.]()
Ryan Homik stands on the sidelines, intently watching the game he is officiating as he holds his flag ready to make a call during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
![A referee sprints down the sidelines as he reacts to plays being made on the field during final matches of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
A referee sprints down the sidelines as he reacts to plays being made on the field during final matches of the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
A referee banquet was held to honor those who made the tournament such a success on Tuesday, June 25, at Curtiss Hall at Saginaw Valley State University.
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![Kalani Burghard, 27, smiles as she hugs a peer, celebrating an award she won, after the conclusion of the referee banquet hosted on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at Curtiss Hall at SVSU. Burghard, who is from Kalamazoo, MI, received the Margaret Domka Award, whi]()
Kalani Burghard, 27, smiles as she hugs a peer, celebrating an award she won, after the conclusion of the referee banquet hosted on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at Curtiss Hall at SVSU. Burghard, who is from Kalamazoo, MI, received the Margaret Domka Award, which recognized her performance, professionalism, leadership, integrity and respect as a referee during regionals. "This award is important because it's about taking care of others," she said. "This is an emotional week, so I tried to lessen the burden and be there for others." -
Jonathan Meersman, US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championship chairman, congratulated the group that there were zero complaints from parents and coaches, and how instead of an overwhelming amount of negative comments, he jokingly acknowledged the whopping amount of positive emails: three.
The debate on who to choose for nationals was not an easy one, said Francisco “Chico” Villarruel, US Youth Soccer Midwest Region Referee administrator. And before the first names appeared in a slideshow presentation, Villarruel said regardless of which referees move on to nationals, the journey of each individual to get to this point is something to be celebrated.
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![Cristian Vorovenci runs on the field as he officiates a match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.]()
Cristian Vorovenci runs on the field as he officiates a match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
![Vince Ragone, 27, stands in the middle of the field as he officiates a final 19U boys match for the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Ragone has been a regional referee for]()
Vince Ragone, 27, stands in the middle of the field as he officiates a final 19U boys match for the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Ragone has been a regional referee for four years, and was invited to officiate his second nationals. "I like reffing because I love making sure kids have the best game possible," he said. -
Emotions were high as final selections were finally revealed, as people began to cry, embrace, and congratulate those who were honored.
Among the 26 names announced was Samantha Cary, 18, a first year regional referee from St. Louis, Missouri. Not only was she chosen to referee at nationals, but she received the Outstanding New Referee Award. “Since this was my first year at regionals, I told myself to do my best,” Cary said. “I’ve always had this intuition as a soccer player, which helps me with what I call my ‘gut check’ in reffing, and I’m humbled to be recognized and inspired to keep going.”
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![Samuel Reynolds is approached by his referee coach Toby Tomazic after encountering a tough situation with a coach during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.]()
Samuel Reynolds is approached by his referee coach Toby Tomazic after encountering a tough situation with a coach during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. -
![Jordan Castillejo calls out to an athletic trainer after a player on the field goes down with an injury during a match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.]()
Jordan Castillejo calls out to an athletic trainer after a player on the field goes down with an injury during a match at the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
The passion and determination for the game of soccer is in the hearts of the athletes, but also the officials. It takes hours of physical and written tests, experience, and commitment to move up in the ranks, something hard to accomplish in such a competitive job.
“Coaches and parents have no idea how much it takes to administer games,” said Marley Wilson, general manager of the West Region for US Youth Soccer.
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![Cristian Vorovenci pauses for a moment in between plays to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he officiates a match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.]()
Cristian Vorovenci pauses for a moment in between plays to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he officiates a match during the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. -
![A group of referees selected to officiate the 8 a.m. final matches huddle together for a photo before parading off in golf carts to the fields in celebration of being chosen to manage championship matches for the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Champion]()
A group of referees selected to officiate the 8 a.m. final matches huddle together for a photo before parading off in golf carts to the fields in celebration of being chosen to manage championship matches for the U.S Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships at The Saginaw Township Soccer Complex on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.
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