BURLINGTON — Soccer balls flew as whistles blew Friday to Sunday at Skagit River Park in Burlington as 269 youth teams from along the West Coast participated in the Washington Rush Cup.
The three-day tournament brought in teams from 38 soccer clubs from Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia.
The weekend marked the 15th year the worldwide soccer organization Rush Soccer has held the Washington Rush Cup.
Rush Soccer brought 71 of its teams to play, which is the most any club brought to participate.
Players in the tournament ranged in age from 7 to 19 years old, and up to 31 matches were played at a time.
Fields stretched from the northern half of the park near the Gilkey Road entrance to the area surrounding the West Lobe Playfields along Whitmarsh Road.
Every match had a crowd of spectators, with varying levels of interest. While adults mostly paid attention, younger attendees stayed occupied with electronics.
Due to the sunny conditions, many fans sat under umbrellas and canopies as they cheered on their favorite teams, and took photos and videos.
Many players and their families and friends stayed in RVs and tents on-site or opted to stay in nearby hotels.
Alongside the RVs and tents, players and attendees sat in the shade talking among themselves, while others practiced for their next match.
Alongside the matches on the northern side of the park, a row of local food and beverage vendors sold everything from hamburgers and hot dogs to plastic buckets of lemonade.
The tournament will return next year. For more information about Washington Rush, visit washingtonrush.com.