The Charlotte FC Academy will be participating in their first-ever Generation adidas Cup. The GA Cup is a competition run by Major League Soccer and this year’s edition will be the biggest one yet.
The elite youth tournament will have 80 professional academies from 10 countries across four continents that will compete in U-17 and U-15 tournament play at the Toyota Soccer Center at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas from April 9-17.
Charlotte FC got a taste of what it was like to play MLS academies in a competitive tournament at the GA Cup Qualifiers, where they played for GA Cup seeding. Both the U-17 and U-15 teams went undefeated winning three straight matches against other MLS academies, but the GA Cup is a step above in competitiveness.
“The most valuable part of the GA Cup is the level of competition with the international clubs and MLS academies. It’s high visibility,” says CLTFC Director of Academy Bryan Scales. "The players have to play at a different speed with a high level of concentration."
“It’s a really, really valuable event. It’s long– 9 to 10 days. You’ve got River Plate, Man United, Celtic, Santos Laguna, Club América, you have a really good pool of teams that will be at this event. SO it’s a great test for our guys, especially since it is the first time we’ve ever gone to it.”
CHARLOTTE FC SCHEDULE:
Apr. 09 15:00 CT | U15 | Club America vs Charlotte FC Academy
Apr. 10 11:00 CT | U17 | Seattle Sounders FC U17 vs Charlotte FC Academy
Apr. 10 19:00 CT | U15 | Charlotte FC Academy vs New England Revolution NEXT 07
Apr. 11 09:00 CT | U17 | Santos Laguna vs Charlotte FC Academy
Apr. 11 19:00 CT | U15 | Montreal Impact U15 - Academy vs Charlotte FC Academy
Apr. 12 13:00 CT | U17 | Charlotte FC Academy vs Austin FC U17B
Of course, every academy team wants to make it as far as possible in the tournament but more importantly, it’s a rare chance for players to challenge themselves against the stars of tomorrow. For coaches, it’s an opportunity to further evaluate their players in an elite competitive setting.
“You’re obviously going there to test yourself against some of the best players in the world. For us, when we look at it, yes, you are trying to win these games. It's competitive, there is a trophy, there is a final, you want to do well and progress as far as you can progress.”
“But ultimately when we look at it, you start to look at guys and see how they cope with international football. How they cope with playing against their MLS peers on a daily basis. And you can start to see little indicators of how guys look and what their potential is to play at the highest level.
“That’s the best part of it for us. When you kind of pull back and take a look at how do these guys cope with being in a really, really challenging environment, in a high-level competition.”
Naturally, there is a surplus of excitement surrounding the group in the buildup to what is the culmination of a long season of hard work for both coaches and players alike. But it’s that work throughout the regular season that prepares a group the best they can for GA Cup.
“When you are going to a high visibility, international event like this, yeah there is a lot of excitement with the players and the staff. We’ve been going for 7 months, so the players are fit, they know how we play, they know their roles, and now it is just trying to make sure they are rested, sharp, and focused when they arrive in Dallas.
More than 30 games throughout Generation adidas Cup will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube. Additional GA Cup broadcast details, including the schedule of games featured, will be announced in advance of the tournament.
U-17 Division International Participants
A.S. Roma (Italy)
CA River Plate (Argentina)
Celtic F.C. (Scotland)
C.F. Monterrey (Mexico)
Club Tijuana (Mexico)
Cruz Azul (Mexico)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Manchester United (England)
Remo Stars Academy (Nigeria)
Santos Laguna (Mexico)
Tigres UANL (Mexico)
U-15 Division International Participants
CA River Plate (Argentina)
Celtic F.C. (Scotland)
Club America (Mexico)
Club León (Mexico)
Club Tijuana (Mexico)
FC Porto (Portugal)
Flamengo (Brazil)
Manchester United (England)
Monterrey (Mexico)
Tigres UANL (Mexico)
Valencia CF (Spain)
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