The XXXVII Champions Crowned at Dr Pepper Dallas Cup
As the prestigious international youth soccer tournament Dr Pepper Dallas Cup comes to a close, the first four champions were crowned Saturday. The finals in the U-13, U-14, U-15, and U-16 championship matches included various American clubs as well as Mexican sides CF Monterrey and Tigres as well as German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
Super Group “Boot and Ball” trophy’s next stop: Merseyside, England as Everton FC wins their first Gordon Jago Super Group Championship
Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXVII, the oldest international youth soccer tournament in the USA, concluded today as Everton FC defeated Fulham FC, 2-1, in a battle of two English Premier League Academy teams.
The contest was the final game of Dr Pepper Dallas Cup’s “Championship Weekend”, in which eight teams, representing four countries, were awarded Dallas Cup’s iconic “Boot and Ball” championship trophy.
Gordon Jago Super Group
In an exciting matchup of two storied English clubs, Everton FC and Fulham FC, both showed they were worthy of deciding the Gordon Jago Super Group final. The much-anticipated match kicked off shortly after 6pm and both sides came out with an extra jolt as they demonstrated their speed, skillful dribbling, and their ability to string together quick passes.
In the early going, as the shadows stretched across the pitch, Everton had the upper hand in the match. They were able to control possession and they continuously applied pressure in Fulham’s half of the field. In the 27th minute, their efforts paid off when Delial Brewster, Everton’s leading scorer in the tournament, got the first goal of the match. He was the beneficiary of some good team play which started with a cross into the box that was headed strongly off the crossbar by Nathan Broadhead. Brewster cleaned up the rebound just inside the six-yard box and slammed the ball in the back of the net for his 4th goal of the tournament.
With the start of the second half, the two sides continued to offer the crowd at Toyota Stadium some very entertaining soccer. Fulham began to find their legs in the second half as they linked up on some well executed counter-attacks. One of their best chances came in the 62nd minute, when a long through-ball connected with forward, Joshua Walker. He hit the ball on the volley, but Everton’s keeper Benjamin Pierce was able to handle the shot and keep the match at 1-0.
In the 71th minute, Everton’s Delial Brewser scored once again. Everton midfielder, Jack Kiersey sized up the Fulham defense and played a well-timed ball into the box to give Brewster a chance at net. He took one touch and smashed the ball to the far post across the keeper for a stunning goal.
In the 84th minute, Fulham’s super-sub, Elijah Adebayo pulled a goal back to make it 2-1. The 6’ 3” brute of a forward used his size and strength to fend off defenders in the box. After he cleared some space, he got a shot off that went through an Everton player’s legs and into the back of the net.
The late Fulham goal proved to be a little too late as Everton was able to hang on to the 2-1 lead for their first Gordon Jago Super Group Championship. The win is the fifth Super Group championship by an English club since the elite division was founded in 1990.
Under 19
The U-19 Final was a matchup of rival Californian clubs, California Rush 97/98 and FC Golden State White. The first half saw very few good chances in front of net for either team and the match was scoreless at halftime. The second half was different for FC Golden State as they started to pepper the net with shots on target. After a few shots off the post and several good saves by Rush keeper Brendan Fix, FC Golden State was able to get on the board in the 76th minute. A good pass into the box landed at the foot of Maicon Abreu and he slotted the ball into the net. They maintained their 1-0 lead through the last whistle and were crowned Dr Pepper Dallas Cup U-19 Champions.
Super 17’s
Tigres of Mexico and California’s FC Golden State U16 USSDA squared off in the Super 17’s Final. In the 8th minute, Tigres’ captain, Jair Diaz scored a beautiful bending free kick from well outside the box to put the team from Mexico up 1-0. Tigres continued to apply pressure and in the 21st minute they were able to add to the score. After some skillful work down the wing, the ball was swung into the box where Hector Ortegon headed the ball into the net. In the 40thminute, FC Golden State pulled a goal back. Some lovely team-play led to a low cross into the box from Roberto Garcia-Vargas and a clinical first touch finish by Kevin Cervantes. The game remained 2-1 until the 89th minute when FC Golden State broke through on net and Harold Hansen was fouled and awarded a penalty kick. He stepped up to the spot and knotted the game up at 2-2. At the end of two extra-time periods, the match was still level and they moved on to PK’s. Tigres’ keeper, Raul Elizando, took the game-winning penalty kick to win the shootout 4-3. The Super 17s “Boot and Ball” trophy will be taken back to Mexico for the third consecutive year (Santos Laguna- 2015; Club America- 2014).
Under 17
In the first championship match of the day, New York SC and Solar Chelsea Red squared off with the U-17 Final on the line. New York SC got the scoring going after they were awarded a penalty kick in the 8th minute. Jack Beer stepped up to the spot and confidently stroked the ball into the back of the net. The match remained 1-0 until the 75th minute when New York SC earned another penalty kick. Jack Beer once again stepped up to the spot and made no mistake about it as he put his team up 2-0. The match ended 2-0 and New York SC became the third straight team from the U.S. to hoist the U-17 Championship trophy.
Saturday, March 26th Championship Matches
Four new champions were crowned Saturday at the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup. With sunny skies and pristine conditions, youth soccer talent was on full display in the U-13, U-14, U-15, and U-16 championship matches at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Under 13
In the first match of the day, local side Solar Chelsea 03B and Mexico’s Tigres squared off to determine the Under 13 champion. The winners of Group A and Group B, respectively, kicked off at 9:00am and the match got off to a quick start. In the 9thminute, Solar Chelsea’s Nicolas Nee received the ball on his right foot from the edge of the box and blasted his shot into the right corner of the net. Tigres leveled the match just after the half when Abraham Rodrigues sent a long free-kick towards goal and the ball sailed over the keeper’s head and into the back of the net. The game would remain tied through the end of regulation and overtime, so the match went to penalty kicks. Solar Chelsea’s keeper, Jackson Leavitt, made a several great saves to provide Solar Chelsea their first “Boot and Ball” trophy since 2012.
Under 14
The U-14 Final followed, as FC Dallas Youth 02B Central and FC Los Angeles B01 Black went head to head with the “Boot and Ball” trophy on the line. The match was scoreless until late in the second half. With just 8 minutes remaining, FC Los Angeles’ Victor Cano broke through the defense to put a strong shot on goal. The FC Dallas keeper was able to stop the shot, but not collect the rebound, which Cano pounded home from the six-yard box. FC Dallas continued to apply pressure in the FC Los Angeles half, but they were unable to level the score. This U.S. battle ended with FC Los Angeles taking home the 1-0 victory and the Under 14 championship trophy.
Under 15
Two former U-15 champions faced off against each other on Saturday, as Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt and Mexico’s Tigres matched up in the 2016 Under 15 Final. The match featured the last two previous U15 winners;Tigres won in 2014 and Frankfurt are the current title holders. In the 10th minute, Eintracht Frankfurt got the scoring going. After winning a corner, they whipped the ensuing kick into the box which landed on the foot of Fritz Oestreiche who tapped it into the goal. Just before halftime, the German side tacked on another goal. Max Bell stole the ball from his defender at the end-line and sent a nice pass into the box where Jonas-Gabriel Pfalz drilled the ball into the back of the net. The second half saw Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kahan Kuscu and Luca Uth add on two more goals in the 68th and 71st minute. The match ended 4-0, and Eintacht Frankfurt won their third U-15 Dallas Cup Championship in the last 7 years.
Under 16
The final match of the day took place between CF Monterrey and Andromeda FC 00B Red to settle the Under 16 Championship. Each side had their chances, but the match remained 0-0 into the second half. In the 47th minute, Monterrey’s Neder Medin struck first. He carved his way through three Andromeda defenders and blasted the ball past the keeper. After a hard tackle in the box in the 66th minute, Monerrey’s Alexis Avendaño stepped up to the penalty spot and made the game 2-0. Eduardo Banda scored one more goal in the 80th minute for Monterrey when Andromeda’s keeper was caught off his line and Banda chipped the ball in the net from outside the box. The match ended 3-0 in favor of CF Monterrey, as they added to their record Dallas Cup championships.
Source/Photo Credit: Dr Pepper Dallas Cup
The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXVII Champions are:
Gordon Jago Super Group: Everton FC (England)
Under 19: FC Golden State White (California)
Super 17’s: Tigres (Mexico)
Under 17: New York SC (New York)
Under 16: CF Monterrey (Mexico)
Under 15: Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Under 14: FC Los Angeles B01 Black (California)
Under 13: Solar Chelsea 03B (Texas)About Dr Pepper Dallas Cup: Dr Pepper Dallas Cup is the most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in the United States. Consisting of age groups from U13 to U19, Dallas Cup averages more than 100,000 spectators during tournament week. Since its inception in 1980, Dallas Cup has hosted teams and referees from across 47 states, six continents and more than 100 countries. Follow Dallas Cup on Twitter, Facebook and on Instagram.
