Three Coronado Middle School boys travelled with their Albion Soccer Club to the Dallas Cup Soccer Tournament March 23-31. Nick Lorr and Dylan Groeneveld, seventh graders, and Jack Hunt, an eighth grader, proudly joined almost 100 other players and their families from the San Diego area as they competed against teams from around the world. Albion Soccer Club of San Diego is among the 224 participating teams that are divided into nine age brackets: U13, U14, Univision Deportes Super 14’s, U15, U16, U17, U18, U19, U19 Gordon Jago Super Group. According to the Dallas Cup website, “throughout the tournament’s history, Dallas Cup has hosted teams from 47 U.S. states and over 100 countries, across 6 continents. Over 900 international players participate in the tournament each year.”
The tournament held opening ceremonies at the Cotton Bowl March 25th. Susan Hunt, Jack’s mom, said, “So exciting and a bit emotional to see teams from 28 countries come out at the Cotton Bowl for Opening Ceremonies here at Dallas Cup! So excited for Jack and his team to be invited to play. Looking forward to an amazing week of great soccer!!” During the tournament there will be displays of incredible soccer talent, but the Dallas Cup mission statement describes the goal as “to promote the well-being of young people through athletic competition, cultural appreciation, and educational opportunities.” Friendships, respect and appreciation for different cultures will all come of this experience.
Lorr’s Albion 2005 US Developmental Academy team is part of the U13 bracket and won their first game against FC Durham Academy of Canada. Later in the week the U13 team will play Chivas San Pedro and Solar 05 Castro. Groeneveld and Hunt are playing with the Albion 2004 US Developmental Academy team in the Univision Deportes Super 14’s facing tough competition, and took a loss in their first game against Real Oviedo of Spain 4-2. As the week progresses they will match up against F.C Dallas and FC Dinastia of Mexico. If the teams advance they will have the opportunity to play in the semifinals and finals Thursday-Saturday. If they don’t advance, the club will schedule friendly matches with international teams.
Dallas Cup is one of the largest international soccer tournaments held in the U.S. According to the website, “several of the world’s most prestigious clubs have participated in the Dallas Cup, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, River Plate, “Chivas,” Flamengo, Boca Juniors, Club America, PSG, and AC Milan. Dallas Cup has seen some of the biggest soccer stars in the world play in the tournament. The list of alumni includes David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Wayne Rooney, Chicharito, Raul, Andrea Pirlo, Giovanni dos Santos, and many more.”
RESULTS:
U13 bracket – Albion 2005 US Developmental Academy team
Univision Deportes Super 14’s – Albion 2004 US Developmental Academy team
