Toronto FC announced Monday that the club will host the first-ever BMO Champions Cup at TFC’s Kia Training Ground from Thursday, November 16th to Sunday, November 19th. The invitational tournament will provide post-season competition for elite teams in Ontario as well as a showcase for Canada Soccer.
“This is a tournament I’ve wanted to create since I joined TFC and learned more about the youth setup here in Ontario,” said Toronto FC President Bill Manning. “The level of soccer here in the GTA and Ontario is very high and we wanted to reward the best teams with a showcase event. Our plan is to make the BMO Champions Cup an annual event and the premier post-season tournament for elite youth teams in the province. We will continue to work with Ontario Soccer on rewarding and showcasing the best youth talent.”
The tournament will feature four different age groups: U14 (2003), U15 (2002), U16 (2001) and U20 (1997+). The respective leagues represented in the tournament are Canadian Academy of Futbol (CAF), Ontario Player Development League (OPDL), Ontario Soccer League (OSL) and Soccer Academy Alliance Canada (SAAC), along with the respective age group Toronto FC Academy teams.
The teams listed below have all qualified for this year’s tournament by winning or participating in the championship of their respective leagues, truly a best of the best competition.
BMO Champions Cup participants:
U14/2003
- Eurostar Academy Lions (6-2-1); London, ON – SAAC U14 Academy Cup Champion
- Ginga Soccer (7-5-2); Kitchener, ON – CAF U15 Division Runner-up
- Oakville Soccer Club (14-1-5); Oakville, ON – OPDL U14 Charity Shield Runner-up
- TFC Academy 2003 (14-2-4); North York, ON – OPDL U15 Charity Shield Champion
U15/2002
- Brampton Real International FC (11-1-2); Brampton, ON – CAF U15 Champion; Ontario Cup U15 Champion
- London Football Academy (7-3-0); London, ON – SAAC U15 Academy Cup Champion
- Richmond Hill Soccer Club (13-3-4); Richmond Hill, ON – OPDL U15 Charity Shield Runner-up
- TFC Academy 2002 (14-4-2); North York, ON – OPDL U16 Charity Shield Runner-up
U16/2001
- FC Durham Academy (9-1-0); Oshawa, ON – SAAC U16 Academy Cup Champion
- Kleinburg Nobleton Soccer Club Lions United (10-1-3); Kleinburg, ON – CAF U16 Division Champion
- TFC Academy 2001 (12-0-0); North York, ON – OSL U21 Provincial Central Champion
- Vaughan SC (13-3-4); Vaughan, ON – OPDL U16 Charity Shield Champion
U20/1997+
- Sigma FC A1 (9-1-0); Mississauga, ON – SAAC U20 Academy Cup Champion
- TFC III (14-5-3); North York, ON – League1 Ontario Men’s West 3rd Place
- Toronto Youth FC (12-2-1); Toronto, ON – CAF U20 Super Group Champion
- Vaughan SC Azzurri (12-1-1); Vaughan, ON – OSL U21 Provincial Elite Champion
“We are very excited to host and participate in this tournament,” said Toronto FC Academy Director Laurent Guyot. “This is a great opportunity for our young athletes to compete against the top players in Ontario that are not part of TFC and play meaningful matches during a time that is typically quiet for soccer in Ontario.”
To stay up-to-date on the competition visit http://www.torontofc.ca/academy and by following the club’s Twitter account @tfcacademy. The BMO Champions Cup match schedule can be found below.
BMO Champions Cup
All games at Kia Training Ground in Downsview
Thu, Nov 16
#1/1:30pm – U14: Eurostar Lions vs. TFC Academy 2003
#2/3:30pm – U14: Ginga vs. Oakville
#3/5:30pm – U15: BRI FC vs. TFC Academy 2002
#4/7:30pm – U15: London FA vs. Richmond Hill
Fri, Nov 17
#5/1:30pm – U16: FC Durham vs. Vaughan
#6/3:30pm – U16: KNSC Lions United vs. TFC Academy 2001
#7/5:30pm – U20: Sigma FC A1 vs. Vaughan Azzurri
#8/7:30pm – U20: TFC III vs. Toronto Youth FC
Sat, Nov 18
#9/1:30pm – U14: Game #1 loser vs. Game #2 loser
#10/3:30pm – U15: Game #3 loser vs. Game #4 loser
#11/5:30pm – U14: Game #1 winner vs. Game #2 winner
#12/7:30pm – U15: Game #3 winner vs. Game #4 winner
Sun, Nov 19
#13/1:30pm – U16: Game #5 loser vs. Game #6 loser
#14/3:30pm – U20: Game #7 loser vs. Game #8 loser
#15/5:30pm – U16: Game #5 winner vs. Game #6 winner
#16/7:30pm – U20: Game #7 winner vs. Game #8 winner
