Toronto FC Academy's Under 16 team leaves for Colorado on Thursday to take part in the SUM 17 Cup. Toronto will play against Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards and New England Revolution in the group stage. The winners of the group will advance to the semi finals.
"It's a tremendous tournament for us", said U16 Head Coach Stuart Neely. "It's an under 17 tournament so the majority of our players will be at least a year younger than the other participants. We're looking forward to the challenge of going up against the older players. A lot of the MLS academies have been up and running for a couple of years and we're only two months into our program."
Neely knows this is a big opportunity for his players to impress on a big stage. "The players are very excited about this opportunity and there are going to be about 250 scouts from colleges and universities as well as scouts from overseas. It's a great chance for our coaching staff to look at players from outside Canada as well."
Despite Toronto FC's Academy only being established for a short time, Neely believes the team can be competitive at the tournament. "For the last two months we've seen the team come together more. They've come out of their shell and we've started to see some characters develop which has been exciting. Now we're taking them on the road with what we feel is a solid group of players. Given some of the training they have had over the last couple of months as well as previous training, I think we're going to be in a good position to compete with the other teams."
Neely feels it is a realistic expectation to get out of the group stage. "I certainly think the goal for us is to get into the semi finals, especially given some of the rewards for teams that progress."
The 2008 SUM U-17 Cup Final will be played on the stadium field at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The winner will be invited to represent Major League Soccer in the 2009 Torneo Quixote in Madrid, Spain. The runner-up will be invited to participate in the Dallas Cup Super Group with the two losing semifinalists competing in the regular U-19 groups.
SCHEDULE
Friday, July 4 - Toronto FC vs. Colorado Rapids B
Saturday, July 3 - Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution
Monday, July 7 - Toronto FC vs. Kansas City Wizards
Tuesday, July 8 - Semi finals
Thursday, July 10 - Final
Toronto FC TV will have daily updates of TFC Academy at the SUM U17 Cup. Form more information on TFC Academy: Click Here.
