Two Former Champions and 2014 Finalist Are Among Six English Teams Also Participating
Soccer News: The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup announced TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has been accepted into the Gordon Jago Super Group. The German side will join the previously announced, Coritiba FC from Brazil and England’s Middlesbrough FC, in the elite division of Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXVII, which will be held from March 20 through 27, 2016.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has recently risen to the upper echelon of the U19 Bundesliga. The German side are back-to-back champions of the South/Southwest division and have advanced to the U19 Bundesliga Championship game the previous two seasons, winning the title in 2014. They currently sit second in the division with a record of seven wins and one loss, and a +17 goal differential.
In continuing with the tradition of showcasing top youth teams from England in the U19 age bracket, the Dallas Cup has also announced the acceptance of six English teams into next year’s tournament. Liverpool FC Foundation College, AFC Bournemouth CST, United Services Portsmouth FC, Knowsley Youth, Truro College, and Barking Abbey Football Academy will all be competing in the 37th edition of the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup. English teams have claimed a total of nine Dallas Cup iconic “Boot and Ball” trophies throughout the tournament’s 36-year history.
A finalist in 2014, Liverpool FC Foundation College, an affiliate of Liverpool FC’s charitable arm that allows players to compete at a high level of soccer while simultaneously focusing on educational pursuits, will be making their third consecutive Dr Pepper Dallas Cup appearance, where they will compete in both the U19 bracket, and the Super 17’s, Dallas Cup’s elite U17 division. Truro College, who made their Dallas Cup debut in 2015, will also return, while AFC Bournemouth Foundation CST and Barking Abbey Football Academy will be making their tournament debuts.
Rounding out the English contingent in the U-19 group are two former Dallas Cup champions and long-time participants. Knowsley Youth, winners of the 2011 U-19 championship, will make their 26th consecutive Dallas Cup appearance. Attending their 36th consecutive tournament will be United Services Portsmouth FC, winners of the 1981 U-19 championship. United Services Portsmouth previously competed under the name “Royal Navy” before expanding to include all English military branches in 2014.
