Dr Pepper Dallas Cup Headline Soccer Filled Week in North Texas
Dallas Cup is set to headline Soccer Week in North Texas as the notable international youth soccer tournament kicks off this weekend. The week is highlighted by a pair of Generation adidas tournaments along with Dallas Cup as well as FC Dallas hosting Didier Drogba and the Montreal Impact for the third week of the MLS season.
Youth Soccer News: The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, the oldest and most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in the United States, is pleased to headline Soccer Week in North Texas. Starting this week, North Texas will host several high-profile, international soccer events, bringing in players, scouts, fans, coaches, and referees from all corners of the world.
The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup is pleased to join with adidas, Major League Soccer, and FC Dallas to create Soccer Week in North Texas. Next week, the eyes of college coaches, professional scouts, fans of youth soccer, and soccer fans in general, all looking to spot the rising stars in youth soccer, will turn their attention to North Texas.
North Texas has long been considered one of the leading regions of youth soccer in the United States, and that reputation continues to grow with the addition of Soccer Week in North Texas. Here is a list of all the soccer happenings taking place this week in the area.
Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXVII
March 20 – March 27
184 teams from 5 continents will compete in eight age groups for the iconic “Boot and Ball” trophy. Highlighting this year’s Dr Pepper Dallas Cup will be the return of the U.S. U20 Men’s National Team to the Gordon Jago Super Group. They will take on 2015 Super Group finalist CF Monterrey of Mexico in a U.S. vs. Mexico battle at the historic Cotton Bowl on Opening Day, immediately following the Dallas Cup Parade of Nations.
Major League Soccer
March 19
2015 MLS Western Conference Finalists FC Dallas host Didier Drogba and his Montreal Impact teammates on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. Several Dallas Cup alumni figure to participate in the game including FC Dallas players Jesse Gonzales, Zach Loyd, and Victor Ulloa, while Harry Shipp and Donny Toia are likely starters for the Impact.
Generation adidas Cup
March 18 – March 26
The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup will co-host, along with FC Dallas, Major League Soccer’s Generation adidas Cup, the annual U17 MLS Developmental Academy tournament. All games will be played at the Toyota Soccer Complex in Frisco, and will feature 17 MLS academy teams and 11 international teams competing in two different brackets – the Champions Bracket and the Premier Bracket.
Generation adidas Cup – 7v7
March 24 – March 26
Twelve MLS pre-academy teams will join four international teams to compete in the U12 Generation adidas Tournament. Taking place at Toyota Soccer Complex, MLS, adidas, FC Dallas, and the Dallas Cup have joined to present this unique 7v7 tournament. The tournament will feature the pre-academy teams from future MLS expansion sides LAFC and Atlanta United.
CONCACAF Referee Symposium
March 24
CONCACAF, soccer’s governing body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, will once again partner with the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup to host an international referee symposium during Dallas Cup. Tournament officials will have the opportunity to receive elite referee training from current FIFA referee instructors through the highest level presentations in the confederation.
From its humble beginnings in 1980, when 32 teams from four nations gathered for the inaugural tournament, the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup has since become recognized as one of the premier international youth soccer tournaments in the world. The Dallas Cup has been a key development platform for the best youth players of soccer’s elite clubs from all corners of the United States and around the world.
General Dallas Cup Facts
– This year will be the 37th consecutive Dallas Cup tournament, making it one of the oldest youth soccer tournaments in the United States. In the 37 year history of the tournament, Dallas Cup has hosted teams and referees from across 47 states, six continents and more than 100 countries.
– The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup is one of the city’s most international annual events. This year, the tournament will host participants, including players, referees, scouts, and officials, from six different continents.
– The regional economic impact of the annual tournament is over $17 million making it one of the largest annual sporting events held in Dallas.
– The list of Dallas Cup alumni is a virtual Who’s Who of world soccer and includes soccer icons like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, among many, many others. Dallas Cup alumni have gone on to play in over 430 FIFA World Cup games and score over 38 goals in sport’s most popular tournament.
Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXVII Quick Kicks
– Thanks to a partnership with Dallas ISD, Sprint, and the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, every student in the Dallas Independent School District received a ticket voucher for the opening day games at the historic Cotton Bowl.
– Ramon Ramirez, two-time FIFA World Cup star and among the all time leaders in appearances for the Mexican National Team, will be the guest of honor during the tournament’s Opening Ceremonies.
– The tournament will open with games at the Historic Cotton Bowl at Fair Park and finish with the championship games at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. Additional games will be played throughout the week, free of charge, at MoneyGram Soccer Park in Northwest Dallas and the Classic League Soccer Complex at Richland College.
– Building upon a long history of bringing future National Team stars to the prestigious tournament, the U.S. National Team is appearing for the sixth time in the Gordon Jago Super Group.
– A few U.S. National Team players that appeared in Dallas Cup with the U.S. National Teams:
– Landon Donovan
– Michael Bradley
– DaMarcus Beasley
– Kyle Beckerman
– Once again the Super 17’s will showcase six international and six domestic teams. The twelve teams that will participate in the elite Super 17’s age bracket hail from five countries and four states.
2016 Dr Pepper Dallas Cup Super 17’s Participants
Club Name Country/State
Maebashi FC Japan
Tigres UANL Mexico
Toronto Lynx SC Canada
Queretaro FC Mexico
Birmingham City FC England
Club Lobos BUAP Mexico
FC Golden State California
Loudon SC Red Virginia
Utah Soccer Alliance Utah
Dallas Texans Texas
Aztecs FC Premier California
Placer United Gold California
– This year’s U19 Super Group participants include top academies from four continents, including three current domestic champions, making this year’s Super Group one of the most competitive in recent years. The teams include the Brazilian U20 academy champion (Fluminense), the current U18 England Premier League Champion (Middlesbrough), two former Super Group Champions (Fulham and Tigres) and the club with the most Dallas Cup championships (Monterrey).
– Of the nine Super Group teams that have made previous Dallas Cup appearances, seven have reached the Super Group semi-final round.
Source/Photo Credit: Dr Pepper Dallas Cup
