35 Academy athletes wore big smiles as they returned to their families on Easter Sunday.
Two Toronto FC Academy teams travelled to Dallas for the Generation adidas Cup. The 1998-99 born athletes participated in the U17 GA Cup, while the 2003s competed in the first ever 7v7 U12 GA Cup.
U17 Generation adidas Cup
D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC and the Philadelphia Union. These are the teams this group toppled during the qualifying rounds.
Because of their success Toronto FC was slotted into the Champions Division for the final GA Cup event. Each group consisted of four clubs: two MLS teams and two international teams.
Toronto FC was placed in a group with River Plate (Argentina), Sporting Kansas City (MLS, USA) and Aspire Academy (Qatar).
TFC’s skills were quickly tested by River Plate.
The Argentine side was the best team in the tournament. They went undefeated and won the Championship.
“They were very good competition, which is what we came to Dallas for,” said head coach Stuart Neely. “Though the score was 0-0 at halftime, River Plate controlled the first half.”
River Plate’s quick tempo game relied on possession. They exposed vulnerabilities in TFC’s back line and executed two times in the final 70, this is the club that’s produced their fair share of fantastic strikers after all.
“We played much better in the second half,” continued Neely. “But we made it difficult on ourselves by not sticking to our own brand of football.”
With the top team of each group and the second best overall moving on, the River Plate blemish on TFC’s record meant there was a lot riding on their final group stage games.
The Reds leapt over their first hurdle, beating Sporting Kansas 2-0.
TFC would play their final group stage game against the Qatar-based Aspire Academy. With River Plate still undefeated, the Reds needed a major goal haul against Aspire to leapfrog the Argentinians on goal differential.
It was a game best described as “chippy”, but the Reds played with discipline and displayed cohesion. Despite their best effort to bag at least four goals, the game ended in 1-0.
“It was a better brand of football,” said Neely. “The team was far more competitive and the team spirit was very strong.”
“I’m quite pleased by how they responded to a very tough circumstance.”
Toronto FC finished the tournament in style, beating Pumas (Mexico), Real Salt Lake (MLS, USA) and finished in fifth.
Playing against River Plate, one of the most famous clubs in the world, was quite the experience for a group of kids that have been together for a long time.
“We want to compare ourselves to international clubs,” said TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko.
“In order to do that we have to play against the best and that’s what this competition provided our team. For us to go down there and come back with a winning record it’s a benchmark for the good things we’re doing and things we want to continue.”
U12 Generation adidas Cup
It was clear the trip was about much more than football as 15 youngsters arrived at KTG in the wee hours of the morning.
With the roster finalized only three weeks earlier, going to Dallas was about bonding with a new group in different ways, be it social, mental or the game itself.
The opener against DC United was what you would expect from a group of overly excited youngsters finding their feet,but the 1-0 win was a sign of things to come.
The squad eased through the round robin and finished first in Group A. By this time the players had spent every meal together. During downtimes they stayed together. The cohesion on the field showed how valuable those times are.
FC Dallas finished first in Group B and would be the competition in the final.
With the Under 17 squad and the boys’ families watching, the team registered their best performance of the tournament and took the title. Silverware is always nice. Team Captain Lowell Wright raised the Cup up high, Nakye Duncan won the tournament MVP award and Christian Calabro was awarded the Golden Glove.
The win means the team will compete in a 7v7 tournament in Arousa, Spain next month. There they will compete against Real Madrid and Barcelona.
