After "average" performances in a highly competitive youth soccer tournament, Hawai'i teams look to improve in 2008 when they take on hosting duties.

Last week 17 Hawai'i teams traveled to Las Vegas for the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals.

Three teams — Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls 88 (under 19 boys), Ka'oi Rampage (under 12 girls) and Leahi 91 Premier (Under 16 girls) — advanced to the semifinals.

"It's kind of an average result," said Scott Keopuhiwa, the Hawai'i Youth Soccer Association President. "We had 17 teams there and nine advanced out of pool play to the quarterfinals. There have been a few years when we had more (10 of 18)."

Keopuhiwa said you can "see the progression" of Hawai'i teams over the years.

"We used to be happy to be at regionals, then it was to make it out of pool play," he said. "We used to be thrilled to make the semifinals. Now we're disappointed not to win and make it to the finals."

HYSA brings the regionals to Hawai'i from June 16 to 21 at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Park.

"There's a certain pride in knowing you are representing Hawai'i," Keopuhiwa said. "It will be a nice benefit of not having to prepare for other conditions, such as the altitude, heat, time change. It will be a luxury to play on fields we know as well."

Keopuhiwa pointed out that the player pool in the entire state is as large as some single clubs on the Mainland. For example, the Colorado Rush claim about 5,000 players — the same as HYSA.

Hawai'i hosts for the second time — the first was in 2003 — and hundreds of teams are expected to make the trip.

Approximately 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 state associations play in the US Youth Soccer National Championships Series, according to championships.usyouthsoccer.org.

The tournaments draw the nation's top collegiate coaches. In 2006, more than 500 coaches attended regional championships, many of whom headed top 25-caliber programs, according to the Web site.

Bringing in teams from USYSA Region IV — consisting of Alaska, Arizona, California (North and South), Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — will not only give Hawai'i soccer exposure to Mainland teams, but within the state as well.

"We're expecting a heavy turnout for the qualifiers next year," Keopuhiwa said. "When we hosted in 2003, we jumped from a normal of 35 to 40 teams trying for regionals to almost 90 trying for regionals.

"Since we hosted, it went from 30-something to 50-something. That's the impact hosting regionals had. I think we've got some teams that have legitimate shots when regionals is in our own backyard."

The Honolulu Soccer Club Bulls '85 boys team is the only one from Hawai'i to win a regional title, doing so in 2004. That team went on to win the national title as well.

Following the regionals, the American Youth Soccer Organization will host the 2008 National Games from July 6 to 13.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.