FRISCO, Texas – The U.S. Youth Soccer Regional Championships will return to Portland in 2008 after debuting in Maine this summer.

U.S. Youth Soccer announced Thursday the Region I championships will be held June 26 to July 1 with sites at Bowdoin College in Brunswick and Falmouth High School.

Region I encompasses an area from Maine to Virginia.

Also, the organization announced the national championships, which will take place July 22-27 in North Little Rock, Ark., will expand from 48 teams to 56 teams. The newly formed U.S. Youth Soccer National League, which begins play this fall, will send its inaugural champion and finalist to the Under-15 and Under-16 age group national championships.

The regional tourney, which is the second step after states on the road to the national championship tournament, were held for the first time in Maine this summer. One Maine-based team made it to age group finals and two others advanced out of pool play, including a Blackbear United Under-19 girls team believed to be the first Maine girls squad to make it out of pool play.