The Junior Kia Toronto FC Academy team travelled to Italy to participate in the fifteenth “Torneo Dell’Amicizia Giovanile Internazionale", a tournament that ran from the 26th to the 29th of August in San Giorgio della Richinvelda and other areas in the province of Pordenone.
The tournament hosted 12 clubs including several well-known European teams such as FC Porto, Inter Milan, and Udinese Calcio. It was a great experience for the young Reds to play against top European teams and talent.
Prior to travelling to Italy, the team took on Rijeka FC in Umag, Croatia, in an exhibition match in preparation for the tournament.
The Juniors put on a impressive offensive performance, winning the match 4-2.
Kia TFC Academy Juniors moved onto the tournament in Italy and picked up a 1-0 victory in their opening match against Udinese Calcio.
The Academy's goal came from Shaan Hundal who headered home a cross from the left flank by Dante Morrissette in what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
TFCA’s defense was stellar in the match against Udinese, allowing only one shot on goal.
The very next day the young Reds took on Inter Milan in the second match of the group stage.
It was an electrifying battle between the Academy and the Italian powerhouse that ended in a 1-1 draw.
TFC Academy went down just before halftime as Inter capitalized on a TFC Academy turnover from a free-kick inside their half.
The Juniors had a glorious opportunity to equalize two minutes into the second half after an Inter defender was called for a handball in the box.
Glenn Muenkat stepped up to spot but couldn’t convert, hitting the penalty over the bar.
TFCA eventually got the equalizer from Shaan Hundal with 10 minutes left in the match.
A long pass was played into Hundal from just past the halfway line and he was able to get a head on it and beat the Inter goalkeeper from just inside the box.
The Academy’s final match of the group stage came against USD Gravis. The team went into the match knowing a win would guarantee a spot in the semi-finals against Dinamo Zagreb.
Again TFCA found themselves behind a goal but this time was able to draw level in the first half.
Michael Procopio pounced on a loose ball after Gravis’ goalkeeper spilled a cross to level the match at 1-1.
TFCA had 17 attempts on goal in the second half but were unable to find the game-winner.
Although TFC Academy went undefeated in the group stage (1-0-2), it wasn’t enough to put them through into the semi-finals.
"This was a fantastic opportunity for the players and our staff to get a good gage of where we are at against stellar European competition,” said Head Coach Danny Dichio following the tournament.
“It was a wonderful experience that I am sure the players took a lot from and will remember for many years to come,” he added.
With Inter finishing top of the group, TFCA were contending against the other two second-place teams for the final spot in the semis.
Unfortunately for the young Reds, Liventina went 3-2-0 in Group C, finishing with one point more than the Academy and securing the final spot in the semi-finals.
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/torneogiovanileamicizia
