Although the rules still state the girls have limited substitution, I contacted Disney and received clarification concerning the girls (all age groups) "...the no re-entry substitution rule is for the boys side of the Showcase only. The girls still have liberal substitution." I suggested they update the posted rules to avoid future confusion.
I was also informed by the folks at Disney that the rules change is, as some of you stated, an effort to include the USSF Development Academy teams. At this time, of course, this only includes boys teams. And, the posted academy rules at the USSF site are "7 max, no re-entry". However, USSF academy game rosters are limited to 18, and the posted "thought process" behind the substitution rule is this... "Allows the entire travel party to be eligible to participate; no re-entry ensures that the coach is looking at managing the entire game and not segments of the game through multiple re-entries in a single game." I guess they see the "7 max" as a relaxation of the "3 max", but with an allowed roster size of 22 I think application of the rule will have an opposite affect of the intent of the USSF... "Allows the entire travel party to be eligible to participate".
Well, I guess that is for the boys side to be concerned about. I can keep the hotel reservation for my daughter that will be traveling to the tournament with a 20 member team.
