Dallas Cup Headlines North Texas Soccer Week
{fshare id=6149}
DALLAS, Texas – The Dr Pepper Dallas Cup, the most prestigious international youth soccer tournament in the United States, is pleased to headline Soccer Week in North Texas. Starting next week, North Texas will host several high-profile, international soccer events, bringing in players, scouts, fans, coaches, and referees from around the world.
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. For 35 years, 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.
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 XXXVI
March 29 – April 5
188 teams from 17 countries will compete in eight age groups for the iconic “Boot and Ball” trophy. Highlighting this year’s Dr Pepper Dallas Cup will be the 2014 Gordon Jago Super Group Champion River Plate, the Dallas Cup debut of Spanish side Valencia CF, and the return of the U18 Premier League Champion Everton. River Plate will start the defense of their championship against Everton at the historic Cotton Bowl on Opening Day, immediately following the Dallas Cup Parade of Nations.
Major League Soccer
March 28
Led by Dr Pepper Dallas Cup alumni Chris Seitz, Zach Loyd, Moises Hernandez and Victor Ulloa, FC Dallas is currently atop the Major League Soccer standings at 3-0. They look to extend their streak on Saturday when they take on the Seattle Sounders at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Generation adidas Cup
March 29 – April 4
The Dallas Cup will co-host, along with FC Dallas, Major League Soccer’s Generation adidas Cup, the annual U17 MLS Developmental Academy tournament. The 2015 edition of the Generation adidas Cup will be played at the Toyota Soccer Complex in Frisco, and will feature 18 MLS academy teams and 10 international teams competing in two different brackets – the Champions Bracket and the Premier Bracket.
Generation adidas Cup – 7v7
April 2 – April 4
Select U12 MLS pre-academy and international teams will be competing in the inaugural 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.
adidas Young Champions
March 29 – April 5
For the second year in a row, adidas and UEFA have partnered with the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup to select a representative team from the United States for the Young Champions International tournament to be played in Berlin, Germany as part of the lead-up celebration of the UEFA Champions League Final. Seven players, picked from all US-based teams that are competing in the U16 Dallas Cup age group, will be chosen to represent the United States in the international 5v5 tournament.
CONCACAF Referee Symposium Presented by Comex/Futline
April 2
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.
North Texas Soccer Week by the Numbers
2 Stadiums
3 Soccer Complexes
5 FIFA Regions Represented: CONCACAF, UEFA, COMEMBOL, AFC, and OFC
19 Hotels
32 Soccer Fields
34 International Professional Academy Teams
41 Countries Represented
80 International Teams
200+ Referees
250+ Professional and College Scouts
1,500+ Volunteers
4,800+ Youth Soccer Players
100,000+ Expected Cumulative Attendance
$13,000,000+ Local Economic Impact of Soccer Week in North Texas
