Metro Detroit

Soccer extravaganza

By Mark Vest
C & G Sports Writer

This year’s Michigan Soccer Classic Labor Day Tournament is scheduled to take place Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at Borden Park in Rochester Hills. Teams from around the state, Ohio and Canada are expected to participate.

The tournament may have as many as 100 teams participating and will include boys and girls squads from 7 and under to 19 and under.

The tournament is in its ninth year, and based on feedback she received in the early days of Michigan Soccer Classic’s Memorial and Labor day events, Director Linda Schlaupitz had an idea that the tournament had a pretty good chance of sticking around for a while.

“It was pretty smooth when we ran it the first time,” she said. “We got quite a few compliments, and people were telling me they were going to be coming back, so I knew that it was going to continue to grow.”

Select, recreational and premier teams will be broken up into divisions based on the competition level. Each team will play three preliminary games, with the final two squads left standing competing for the title.

Given the growth the event has already experienced over the last eight years, Schlaupitz doesn’t see any reason why the tournament won’t continue to be a yearly staple for youth soccer teams.

“We plan on continuing the tournament,” she said. “It seems like every year we end up with more and more teams because people end up telling their friends about it, and they end up coming back.”

The cost to register a team can range from $395 to $525, depending on the age of the squad.

Teams wishing to participate in the tournament should do so by Aug. 10, as registration after that date will depend upon availability.

For more information, contact Linda Schlaupitz at (248) 941-5160 or email at las1978@com cast.net. The website for the tournament is www.michigansoccerclassic.com.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mark Vest at mvest@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1112. Follow Mark on Twitter.