Youth soccer tournaments don’t get much bigger than this. Not when you’ve got names like Manchester United, CA River Plate, A.S. Roma and Celtic F.C. in the bracket. Names like those, right alongside Minnesota United.
Minnesota United’s U15 and U17 Youth Academy teams will have an incredible opportunity to see how they stack up against some of the world’s very best youth academies over the next several days as they travel down to Frisco, Texas to participate in one of the year’s biggest tournaments, the 2022 Generation adidas Cup.
For those not familiar, the GA Cup is an elite youth soccer tournament featuring more than 80 professional academies from 10 countries across four continents. It is largely regarded as the top youth soccer tournament in the United States and is quickly gaining recognition around the globe, as evidenced by this year’s participant list which includes academy programs from all 28 MLS clubs (plus St. Louis City) as well as international academies from the Premier League, Argentine Primera División, Liga MIX and Serie A, to name a few.
For a group of young men looking to chart a future in professional football, as well as a Minnesota United Youth Academy still relatively early in its existence, the next several days will prove a great measuring stick on exactly where they stand against the country’s and the world’s elite.
“We are excited to play in the GA Cup against the best soccer clubs from MLS and across the world,“ said MNUFC Director of Youth Development Noel Quinn. “These experiences are vital to the long-term development of players at MNUFC and helps prepare them for the demands of professional football, whilst also giving them the chance to represent our club at the international level.”
Each of MNUFC’s two Academy teams are guaranteed at least three games in the tournament — and potentially more depending on how they perform in the early stages.
The U15 team will face an early test as they take on Manchester United’s U15 team in their opening contest on Saturday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. CT. The U15s will continue play the next day with a 9:00 p.m. matchup against the Crew SC Academy U15, before wrapping up the guaranteed portion of their schedule against the San Jose Earthquakes U15B team on Monday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m..
Meanwhile, the U17 team will open their action bright and early on Sunday morning with a 9:00 a.m. matchup against the Chicago Fire Football Academy U17, followed by an 11:00 a.m. game on Monday against Orlando City SC U17, before wrapping up with the big finale, a showdown with Manchester United U17 that will be live-streamed on the MLS Twitch and MLS YouTube channels on Tuesday, April 12 at 11:00 am CT.
Loons fans wanting to keep up with the action can follow the results at mlssoccer.com, the MNUFC Twitter page, and of course, watch the live stream on Tuesday, April 12.
| Schedule
Saturday, April 9 - 4:00 pm CT
Manchester United U15 vs. Minnesota United Academy U15
Sunday, April 10 - 9:00 am CT
Chicago Fire Football Academy U17 vs. Minnesota United Academy U17
Sunday, April 10 - 9:00 pm CT
Minnesota United Academy U15 vs. Crew SC Academy U15
Monday, April 11 - 11:00 am CT
Orlando City SC U17 vs. Minnesota United U17
Monday, April 11 - 5:00 pm CT
Minnesota United U15 vs. San Jose Earthquakes U15B
Tuesday, April 12 - 11:00 am CT
Minnesota United U17 vs. Manchester United U17
Live streamed at MLS Twitch and MLS YouTube
Depending on results of the early games, Minnesota United Academy teams could play additional games between April 13-17.
