Youth Soccer News: Dr Pepper Dallas Cup Releases Full Tournament Schedule
The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, the most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in the United States, has announced the brackets and schedules for the 2014 tournament. The 184 teams, hailing from 18 countries and 21 states, will play their games at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, the Classic League Soccer Complex at Richland College, and Dallas’ brand new MoneyGram Soccer Park in Northwest Dallas.
The highlight of the tournament is the prestigious Gordan Jago Super Group, which this year includes such international heavyweights as Fulham Footbal Club from England, Atletico River Plate from Argentina and Eintract Frankfurt from Germany. Also taking part in the Super Group are American Sides LA Galaxy Academy, FC Dallas U18 Academy and the U.S. U20 Men’s National Team.
The Super Group excitement kicks off on April 13 when Coritiba Footbal Club of Brazil take on IF Brommapojkarna of Sweden in an early morning match at Richland College, followed by a meeting between RSC Anderlecht of Belgium and LA Galaxy. Eintracht will face Sinergia Deportiva Tigres of Mexico in the final match of the day at Richland College.
The Cotton Bowl will be the venue when Fulham take on FC Dallas just after noon, with Fluminense Football Club of Brazil taking on Mexico’s Deportivo Guadalajara Chivas right after. The day ends with River Plate facing the U.S. U20 MNT in an evening battle at the Cotton Bowl.
The complete brackets and schedules, along with ticket information, can be found at dallascup.com. Dr Pepper Dallas Cup will be celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2014 and will take place from Sunday, April 13 through Sunday, April 20.
General Dallas Cup Facts
- Dallas Cup’s reach is truly global. In the 35 year history of the tournament, Dallas Cup has hosted teams and referees from across 47 states, six continents and more than 100 countries.
- The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau states that the economic impact of the annual tournament is $12.6 million and is 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 350 FIFA World Cup games and score over 30 goals in sport’s most popular tournament.
Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXV
- This year will be the 35th Anniversary of the Dallas Cup, making it one of the oldest youth soccer tournaments in the United States.
- Building upon a rich history of bringing future National Team stars to the prestigious tournament, the U.S. National Team is appearing for the fifth time in the Gordon Jago Super Group.
- Approximately 50% of the U.S. World Cup team playing in Brazil this summer will be Dallas Cup Alumni.
- A few current U.S. National Team players that appeared in Dallas Cup with the U.S. National Teams:
o Landon Donovan
o Michael Bradley
o DaMarcus Beasley
o Kyle Beckerman
- Additional Dallas Cup Alumni that could possibly be on the U.S. World Cup squad in Brazil this summer:
o Jozy Altidore
o Brad Davis
o Clint Dempsey
o Omar Gonzalez
o Clarence Goodson
o Brad Guzan
o Michael Parkhurst
o Nick Rimando
- Reigning Super Group Champions, Fulham FC from England, will return to defend their crown. The team’s star midfielder is Emerson Hyndman, former FC Dallas Academy player, and grandson of former FC Dallas Head Coach, Schellas Hyndman.
- Fulham FC will not be the only returning team that has won the iconic Dallas Cup Boot and Ball trophy. In fact, seven of the twelve clubs in this year’s Super Group are previous Champions.
- The two Brazilian Super Group teams, Fluminense and Coritiba, are both from cities that will be hosting World Cup games this summer, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, respectively.
- This year’s Super Group consists of four clubs are the most decorated in their respective domestic league. River Plate (35, Argentina), Anderlecht (32, Belgium), Chivas Guadalajara (11, Mexico), and LA Galaxy (4, USA) have each won the most League Championships in their respective countries.
