The U15 Toronto FC Academy team travelled to Italy to participate in an international tournament against teams from different parts of the continent.
The squad reached the finals of the tournament, falling to Serbian team FK VOJVODINA 1-0.
Although unfortunate to lose in the finals, the U15 squad had quite the successful trip.
The team was voted “Team of the Tournament” by the tournament organizers, winning all four games leading up to the final. They also competed in two friendly matches prior to the start of the tournament, a scoreless draw against Italian side AS Biellese ’99 and a 3-1 victory against Californian side Santa Cruz Breakers.
This was a great opportunity for the young Reds to gain experience playing against international competition, as well as watching some of the best players in the world in action, as they got a chance to watch the Italian Men’s National Team take on England in an international friendly held at Juventus Stadium.
Undefeated in the Group Stage
The young Reds started the tournament with flying colours, beating Finlandian team Ilves Tampere 5-0. The team started off strong, scoring 4 of their goals in the first half alone. Ilves Tampere began the second half with an offensive push but TFCA remained disciplined and worked hard to ensure a clean sheet.
TFCA faced a tougher opposition in their second match of the tournament as they went up against Swiss club AC Bellinzona. The young Reds struggled to control and maintain possession due to a rough pitch, but two goals in the late stages of the match ensured TFCA came away with the victory.
The final Round Robin match saw TFCA face off against Swedish club IFK Goteborg. This was a particularly strong effort defensively for the team, having to deal with many aerial balls that were being played over-the-top by the Swedish side. In the end the boys were able to contain the attack and finish with a 2-0 victory.
Road to the Finals
TFCA faced stiff competition in the semi-finals as they took on American club ODP Region 1. The young Reds started off sluggish but performed exceptionally well in the second half, creating several scoring opportunities that they were unfortunate to capitalize on. With both teams exchanging a goal in normal time, the match then went into a penalty shootout. TFCA was dominant from the penalty spot, scoring on all five attempts and solidifying their spot in the finals with a 5-4 victory in the shootout.
Young Reds Fall Short
TFCA took on a very physical team in Serbian club FK VOJVODINA in the finals of the tournament. The boys were up against a defensively sound team and found it difficult to build an attack on a grass pitch that was virtually unplayable. With FK VOJVODINA up 1-0, the young Reds had two excellent chances to tie the game but were unable convert and ultimately fell short of winning the tournament.
In the end the team went 5-1-1 in all competitions on their trip, scoring a total of 13 goals while allowing just 3 goals in 7 matches.
