The USA will face Paraguay, Ghana and defending champion Japan in the first round of 2016 U-17 Women's World Cup (Sept. 30-Oct. 21) in Jordan, the first Middle East nation to host a FIFA women's championship.

In its third international tournament of the year, the U.S. U-17 boys national team finished runner-up at the AIFF Youth Cup in India, which will host the 2017 U-17 World Cup for which Coach John Hackworth aims to qualify.

If your children play soccer in the USA, they may be playing under the umbrella of AYSO, U.S. Youth Soccer, U.S. Club Soccer, SAY Soccer, or the Super Y-League. There's the ECNL and the NPL, sanctioned by U.S. Club Soccer, and the Development Academy (USSDA), launched in 2007 by U.S. Soccer, the nation's soccer governing body also known as the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Forgive me if I've left out an acronym.

Daniel Karbassiyoon jokes that Arsenal kept him from going to college twice. The first time, at age 18, he signed with the English Premier League club, in 2003, despite being courted by top programs in the ACC and Ivy League. The second time came after injuries ended his pro career at 22 and he had returned to his home state of Virginia.

My favorite youth soccer story of the spring comes from Birmingham, Alabama, where police officers responded to complaints about kids playing pickup soccer -- by joining the game.

The U.S. U-17 girls national team, which is preparing for the U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan (Sept. 30-Oct. 21), will play two games against the Switzerland team that is prepping for July's U-19 European Championship.

I was recently with a friend watching his daughter in a NorCal Premier State Cup soccer game on a beautiful spring afternoon. The girls were skilled players and the game was played at a high level. The players were fit and athletic, and yet I was reminded that female athletes in many sports have unique pressures that can predispose them to injuries only girls can get.

I started refereeing in 1978 and for every game that I officiated in the United States for my first decade or so of refereeing -- nearly 2,000 games -- I did not see one player take a dive. Certainly, my ability to detect simulation was not as good as it is today as I now have much more experience.

Christian Pulisic, the 17-year-old Pennsylvania kid who has already played nine Bundesliga games, is one game away from winning his second German youth national championship.

This month's U.S. youth national trips include the U-17 boys going to India while the U-20 women are headed to Papua New Guinea.

For better or worse (almost always for the better) there will be parental influence in coaching and medical recommendations. It's their right, and an involved parent is a very good thing.

Lucas Mendes stands 5-foot-5 -- and is one of the top 18-year-old players in the USA. Playing with adults as a young child probably has something to do with his ability to outwit his bigger foes.

"This could change how we develop players in this country. And the hope is a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo will come from the United States." -- Los Angeles Galaxy president Chris Klein on the Galaxy providing high school studies with its youth program.

It's totally understandable to want your injured son or daughter to be healed and back playing sports as soon as possible after injury.

Jitka Klimkova grew up in a Czech village where girls weren't allowed to play organized soccer. That didn't stop her from realizing her dream of playing for the Czech national team. Now 41, Klimkova is a U.S. Soccer Development Coach, overseeing the West Coast Training Centers for girls 11 to 14 and head coaching the U.S. U-19 women's national team.