GENERAL TOURNAMENT INFO

2024 VERMONT ALLIANCE CUP TEAM REGISTRATION LINK

Teams/Clubs looking to register, please do so on gotsoccer at this link - REGISTER HERE

2024 VERMONT ALLIANCE CUP REFEREE REGISTRATION LINK

If you are a USSF certified referee and you are interested in attending our event as a referee - please register here

FAN CONDUCT AND REFEREE ABUSE

There will be zero tolerance for referee abuse and poor fan conduct.  The northeast is experiencing a referee shortage and hundreds of new and young referees have been infused into our game.  Please remind your families that there is no tolerance for referee abuse and that field marshals or officials may remove parents/fans from games if they are berating officials and/or at their discretion may abandon a game due to poor fan conduct.  Additionally, all of our referees at the tournament are USSF certified and have passed appropriate referee certifications.

ATHLETIC TRAINERS

There will be certified athletic trainers available at both sites in case of injuries.  

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

The tournament schedule should be released approximately 2 weeks before the event on or around June 10th, 2024.  Please be patient as we create brackets and release the schedule.

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

All teams finishing in first place will receive championship medals provided by the tournament directors at Cup Headquarters, VT Alliance Cup staff will take a team photo of your team with a tournament champions sign.

TOURNAMENT BALLS AND BENCHES

All fields will have a tournament ball for games as well as benches for both teams.

ONLINE TEAM CHECK-IN:

Vermont Alliance Cup will have an online check in process only (no in person).  While we will be flexible with inter-club movement of players between rosters, all players need to be registered with your state association.  All coordinators and/or coaches need to email rosters to vermontalliancecup@gmail.com before Monday, June 17, 2024.  You are not fully checked in until you have received an email from a tournament representative saying you are all-set and checked in.

The following materials are required by June 17, 2024.

• Official State Roster (if you are combining two teams together, please email the pdf of both teams rosters and put a check mark next to the players who are participating)  
• Vermont Alliance Cup Roster (seperate roster document which is a list of names)
• A copy of Player Passes for all participating players (If your roster has player photos, we do NOT need copies of the player passes).
• Guest Players: Please supply a copy of an Official Roster that lists the guest player, or a current copy of a player pass for that player.  (note guest player rules: no more than 3 guest players for 7v7 or 9v9 and 4 guest players for 11v11).  For the purposes of the Vermont Alliance Cup, we are defining guest players as a player from outside your club.  If you are combining teams with players from within your own club, these DO NOT count as guest players.
• Max roster size: U-10=14,  U-12=16,  U14/HS=22
• Alliance Cup Medical Release Form (or VSA Medical Release will be accepted) - For each player attending

TOURNAMENT RULES

GAME LENGTHS

- All 7v7 and 9v9 games will be 2 x 25 minute halves

- All 11v11 games will be 2 x 30 minute halves

GUEST PLAYER LIMIT

Guest player rules: no more than 3 guest players for 7v7 or 9v9 and 4 guest players for 11v11.  For the purposes of the Vermont Alliance Cup, we are defining guest players as a player from outside your club.  If you are combining teams with players from within your own club, these DO NOT count as guest players.

TOURNAMENT SCORING:

Our tournament standings will be determined by classic tournament scoring.  Here are the rules/protocols for tournament scoring:

Win - 3 points

Tie - 1 point

Loss - 0 points

Max Goal Differential: 5

TIEBREAKER HIERARCHY:

Tie-Breakers in order:

1) Head to Head

2) Record against common opponent ranked in highest order

3) Goal Differential

4) Most shutouts

5) Least goals allowed

6) Most goals scored

7) Coin Flip

NOTE, in a three way tie, the tie-breaker will find out who the number one seed is.  Once the number one seed is determined, the tie-breaker will go back to the top and reset with the two remaining teams.  

Example Situation (3 Way Tie-Break)

STANDINGS

Team A: 2-1 w/ +5 GD (Beat Team C+D and lost to team B)

Team B: 2-1 w/ +3 GD (Beat Team A+D and lost to team C)

Team C: 2-1 w/ -1 GD (Beat Team B+D and lost to team A)

Team D: 0-3 w -10 GD (Lost to team A+B+C)

In the following scenario, Head to Head and Record Against Common Opponent, can not be used because there is a 3 way tie and each team that is tied at 2-1 beat each other.  The GD tie-breaker would determine that Team A is the #1 seed because they have the highest GD.  Now that the #1 seed is determined, the two teams left in the tie-breaker are Team B and C.  Despite Team C having a lower GD, they would advance as the #2 seed, because with the two teams remaining, Team C beat Team B.

TEAM ADVANCEMENTS/CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:

GROUPS OF 4:

- Each team plays 3 games against the other teams in their bracket 

- The top 2 teams will play in a Championship match on Sunday based on pts and the tie-breakers below

GROUPS OF 5:

Everyone will play two group games on Saturday.  Every team will then automatically be entered into a playoff.  You will get your third game in that playoff.  After the end of group play, teams will be ranked 1-5.  Seeds 1-2-3 will get a bye to the semi-finals where they will get their 3rd game.  Seeds 4 and 5 will play a play-in match for their third game.  The winner will advance to the semi-finals.

GROUPS OF 9:

The groups of 9 were split into 3 groups of three.  You will play the other two teams in your group on Saturday.  On Sunday, you will crossplay a team from one of the other groups.   The top team in each group will advance to a semi-final with one wild-card team.  Additionally, one team will get a 4th game in the round robin stage, that teams 4th game will not count towards the standings for the team playing a 4th time (however, it will count for the team playing a 3rd time).

PLAYOFFS OVERTIME PROCEDURE
If any championship game is tied, teams will play 5 minute golden goal overtime.  If there is still no winner, teams will then go into FIFA penalty kicks.  Any shooter on the team may shoot.  PKs will be a group of 5 shots.  If still tied, it will be golden goal pks with the remaining players who have not taken a penalty kick