By TESS NACELEWICZ

Staff Writer

SOUTH PORTLAND —There were no parking problems, few complaints and lots of happy soccer moms like Rosalie Alvarado on Friday at Wainwright Fields.

"I love Maine," the New Jersey resident said. "And yes, we'll spend lots of money."

The U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships began with opening ceremonies in Portland on Thursday and will run through Tuesday, bringing more than 5,500 young soccer players and their families to the state.

It's the second summer in a row that the tournament has come to Maine. Last year, games were held in Falmouth and Brunswick, and this year South Portland is hosting games, too. Some wondered how the city would cope with such a large influx of visitors and traffic.

On the first day of play Friday, everything went smoothly, according to police, parents of soccer players and officials with Soccer Maine, the organization that brought the tournament to the state.

There was plenty of parking at the city's Wainwright Fields, where 36 games are being played daily through Sunday, and parents and soccer players interviewed generally praised the way the tournament was organized. The major downside was some rain that fell in the afternoon.

Between games, the players and families -- who come from 13 states -- flocked to an information booth set up on-site to learn about places in Maine to eat, shop and have fun.

"Directions to L.L. Bean. That's the No. 1 question," said Karen Ouellette, who volunteered to help run the booth.

She said the second most frequently asked question was: "Where's the best lobster roll?"

Ouellette also is director of sales for the South Portland Hampton Inn, and she said the tournament is great for business. "We're booked 100 percent solid for five nights," she said.

The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland estimates the tournament will bring $10 million to southern Maine.

Alvarado and other parents of youths playing with the Red Bulls, a team with members from New York and New Jersey, estimated that each soccer family would spend from $1,000 to $2,000 on hotels and food alone.

The families are also likely to spend as they explore Maine. Alvarado, who fondly recalled the lobster she ate while attending last year's tournament, was among those planning to go to Peaks Island for a lobster bake today.

Carl and Joy Wise, soccer parents from West Virginia, said they wanted to see picturesque parts of Maine with lobster boats.

"We haven't seen the ocean yet," Carl Wise said. The Wises planned to visit Old Orchard Beach.

Games are also taking place at Bowdoin College in Brunswick and at Falmouth High School, where the tournament also appeared to be running smoothly.

Last year, all the games were in Brunswick and Falmouth. In Falmouth, some of the play was on fields at Community Park, which is in a residential neighborhood and has little parking.

More parking and a location off Gary L. Maietta Parkway that's not close to many homes was a major reason why South Portland's Wainwright Fields were chosen for play this year, said Kyle Dixon, a site coordinator for Soccer Maine.

At the South Portland site early Friday afternoon, Dixon said there had been no problems with parking -- more than 500 spaces were provided at the site, and the games are staggered so the vehicles of players and their families could easily come and go.

Police Sgt. George Berry said police had received no complaints about traffic.

Extra police are on duty at the games and to direct traffic, with the cost borne by Soccer Maine, Berry said.

"We're very happy with it," Berry said of the tournament Friday afternoon. "Right now, everything is going smoothly and we're hoping it stays that way."

Staff Writer Tess Nacelewicz can be contacted at 791-6367 or at:

tnacelewicz@pressherald.com