With the Region III Championships beginning Friday in the greater Dallas area, a host of teams from across the South will gather to contend for berths in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship Series, to be played in late July in Massachusetts.

At Region III, hot temperatures are guaranteed as squads are required to play six matches in six days in order to win, so fitness will be as important as the quality of soccer.

Following is a look at the fields for younger boys’ age groups.

U14

Group A is a decidedly tough bracket with CASL Elite (North Carolina), South Florida Elite, Birmingham United and Tulsa Thunder grouped together. Premier League West winners Albion Hurricanes are in Group B with CESA Premier (South Carolina), Baton Rouge Black (Louisiana) and Brentwood Premier of Tennessee. In Group C, North Texas winners Dallas Texans and Premier League East champions Concorde Fire will collide, with Premier League West winners Lonestar SC and Arkansas’ champs Little Rock FC also in. Group D features Georgia champions Atlanta Silverbacks, Mexicas 95 (South Texas), Gulf Coast United (Premier League Central) and Jackson FC (Mississippi).

U15

Premier League Central winners Kaos Arsenal of Tennessee lead Group A, and will face Capital City Streaks (Alabama), Baton Rouge Black (Louisiana) and Norman Celtic (Oklahoma). Group B features South Texas winners Lonestar SC, defending regional champions South Charlotte SA, Florida winners Kendall SC and Premier League winners Solar Red. In Group C, Tennessee champions Brentwood Premier are drawn with North Texas winners Solar SC, Georgia winners Concorde Fire Elite and an as yet undetermined Premier League East representative. In Group D, Tulsa SC will face Arkansas winners Ingram Comets, Gulf Coast United (Mississippi) and South Carolina’s CESA Premier.

The event begins Friday June 19th (See TopDrawerSoccer.com’s special LIVE event for that day) with group matches through the weekend. Quarterfinals are Monday the 22nd with semifinals and finals to follow the 23rd and 24th.

Also on TopDrawerSoccer.com: Region III Younger Girls preview

Region IV Younger Girls preview
Region IV Younger Boys preview
Region IV Older Girls preview
Region IV Older Boys preview