Assignors are the people who give referees their schedules. Depending on the league, some assign the entire season at once while others assign on a week-to-week basis. One of the most important relationships that refs have is with assignors. I have worked for dozens of assignors during the past four decades and have found that this works:

The U.S. U-16 boys national team, after opening the 13th Tournament Delle Nazioni with a 2-1 loss to Croatia and a 2-2 tie with Slovenia, beat Brazil, 2-1, on goals by Luis Arriaga and Marcelo Palomino on Wednesday.

Omid Namazi, who took charge of the U.S. U-18 men's national team in January, started his coaching career in indoor ball, has coached in U.S. women's pro leagues, and was Iran's assistant coach during its successful qualifying campaign for the 2014 men's World Cup. He continues to assist Tab Ramos with the U.S. men's U-20s, whose staff he joined before their quarterfinal appearance at the 2015 U-20 World Cup.

The U.S. U-17 boys national team hosted Canada for two friendlies in Fort Lauderdale and won each game, 3-1. Ayo Akinola, who was born in Michigan and grew up in Ontario, Canada, scored twice in the second U.S. victory.

He was this player of mine who wasn't particularly talented. In fact, he barely made the team his freshman year. He played a total of 21 minutes that season. When most of the squad got varsity letters, he got a certificate of participation.

Whether your child plays select or recreation soccer, chances are good that in the next six months you'll travel at least 300 miles to a tournament. It's not only becoming more and more acceptable for any team to travel, but it has also become expected.

I have now refereed and watched several games since the elimination of heading for children 10 and under - and have compared them to my notes and memories of games at the same level when heading was still allowed.

The U.S. U-16 girls national team, at the 1st International Women's Tournament of Gradisca in Italy April 19-29, will play Iran, marking the first U.S. women's national team game at any age level against a Middle East nation.

Mexican clubs heavily scouting the USA for Mexican-American talent has been one of the greatest developments in U.S. soccer history.

Efrain Alvarez, who turns 14 in June, was the star as the U.S. U-15 national team went unbeaten on its trip to Argentina.

There were some early signs that Mallory Pugh really, really loved soccer.

Over the years parents continue to ask, "How do you choose the right soccer club?" While the answer may seem as simple as picking a club or organization that is close to home and that's financially feasible based on your family's situation, the fact is that the decision-making can be much more complicated.

I might have officiated thousands of soccer games but wonder if I would have quit abruptly when I was starting out, like too many other refs, if not for Rocco Amoroso and the Sportsmanship Program he created.

In recent years there has been a growing discussion on youth sport injuries which I applaud wholeheartedly as it is a part of all of our jobs in youth sport to make sure the safety of children is a primary focus. It is also our job to view the growing number of overuse injuries from all angles to determine all efforts that could be made to curb this growing trend.