National Sports Center (Blaine Soccer Complex)

The National Sports Center (Blaine Soccer Complex) hosts numerous state, national and world events on its 180-acre site. The U.S. Olympic Cycling Trials, International Special Olympics and USA Cup Soccer have all taken place here. Each year hundreds of youth soccer teams from all over the world make their way to this facility, just 30 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, to participate in the USA Cup. With 52 outdoor soccer fields and an indoor facility, the site is in constant use for practices and tournaments. Besides soccer, the field house is used year-round for basketball, volleyball and track events. There are four separate ice rinks built to Olympic and international competition standards, plus the nation's only all-weather wood cycling track nestled neatly in an inclined velodrome that is not for the faint of heart. There is seating for around 12,000 people to enjoy the outdoor events while the velodrome bleachers can handle over 2,000 fans.