Real Salt Lake READY FOR 2010 SUM U-17 Cup
2008 Champs Join Under-17 Sides from All MLS Clubs for Fourth Annual Edition of Tournament in Houston
SANDY, Utah (Friday, July 23, 2010) – The Real Salt Lake Under-17 Team is in Houston and ready to kick off play this evening in the 2010 SUM U-17 Cup, with the fourth annual edition of the youth tournament taking place at Houston’s Centennial Park as part of the festivities surrounding the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. This year, for the first time, all 16 Major League Soccer clubs will be represented in the youth tournament.
This year’s 23-man Real Salt Lake U-17 squad again draws from the defending MLS Cup champion’s three Youth Development branches – Utah (11), Arizona (9), and Florida (3). The squad will be led by RSL First Team Assistant Coach and Youth Development Technical Director Miles Joseph, Head Coach Greg Maas (RSL-UT), Assistant Coach Patrick Rennie (RSL-UT), and Assistant Coach Greg Vanney (RSL-AZ). The full RSL U-17 player roster is included below.
The RSL U-17s will begin their quest for a second title in the competition tonight at 7:00 p.m. MT, when they start Group D play against the New York Red Bulls. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s U-17s will continue pool play tomorrow evening against the LA Galaxy (5:30 p.m. MT) before rounding out their round-robin portion against the Kansas City Wizards next Monday, July 26 (5:30 p.m. MT).
Every team will be guaranteed a fourth match on Tuesday, July 27, with the four group winners advancing to the tournament’s semifinals and the other 12 squads facing off in placement matches. Additional placement games will be contested on the morning of Thursday, July 29, while the Championship Match will take place either Wednesday at Reliant Stadium at 3:00 p.m. MT (prior to the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game against Manchester United) or Thursday morning at a venue to be determined.
As has been the case in the first three years of the tournament, the SUM U-17 Cup winner will be invited to represent Major League Soccer in the prestigious 2010 M18 Mundial Clubes de Futbol Sub-18 competition in Madrid, Spain next spring.
The Real Salt Lake Under-17 Team has turned in impressive performances in its brief three-year history, claiming the SUM Cup crown in underdog fashion in 2008 and finishing third in last year’s competition after going undefeated with a 2-0-2 record. Last June, Real Salt Lake enjoyed the most success of any of the previous MLS teams that took part in the M18 Mundial Clubes de Futbol tournament, garnering a pair of ties and a loss in the group play portion of the competition against youth squads representing some of the world’s finest clubs.
Fans are encouraged to follow the results of the RSL U-17s at the SUM Cup on RealSaltLake.com and RSL’s official blog, Behind the Shield, located at www.RSLtotheCore.com. For more information on the tournament, visit the host Houston Dynamo’s SUM U-17 Cup website.
Real Salt Lake 2010 SUM U-17 Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Carson Elliot (RSL-UT; Bountiful, UT), Tyler Wilson (RSL-AZ; Tucson, AZ)
DEFENDERS: Julio Alcaron (RSL-AZ; El Paso, TX), Eric Christensen (RSL-UT; Layton, UT), Tanner Clay (RSL-AZ; Gilbert, AZ), Austin Jex (RSL-UT, West Haven, UT), Phanuel Kavita (RSL-UT; SLC, UT), Rayshawn Washington (RSL-FL; St. Petersburg, FL)
MIDFIELDERS: Aaron Caprio (RSL-UT; Lehi, UT), Lucas Cawley (RSL-UT; Centerville, UT), Joseph Metzger (RSL-FL; Tampa, FL), Antonio Murillo (RSL-AZ; Las Vegas, NV), Cole Nagy (RSL-AZ; Scottsdale, AZ), Alexander Rados (RSL-FL; Tampa, FL), Nick Semintendi (RSL-AZ; Phoenix, AZ), John Taylor (RSL-UT; Kaysville, UT), Richard Velasco (RSL-AZ; Tuscon, AZ),
FORWARDS: Alejandro Espinoza (RSL-UT; Park City, UT), Matt Gay (RSL-UT; Orem, UT), Richard Haddock (RSL-UT; Bountiful, UT), Junior Jbopau (RSL-AZ; Tuscon, AZ), Maikon Orellana (RSL-UT; Provo, UT)
Technical Director: Miles Joseph
Head Coach: Greg Maas (RSL-UT)
Assistant Coach: Patrick Rennie (RSL-UT)
Assistant Coach: Greg Vanney (RSL-AZ), Assistant Coach: Michael Munoz (RSL-AZ)
Trainer: Paul Lombardo
Team Administrator: Teresa Nelson
Real Salt Lake 2010 SUM U-17 Cup Schedule
Friday, July 23: RSL v. New York Red Bulls – 7:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, July 24: RSL v. LA Galaxy – 5:30 p.m. MT
Sunday, July 25: Off Day
Monday, July 26: RSL v. Kansas City Wizards – 5:30 p.m. MT
Tuesday, July 27: Semifinals OR Placement Game (5:30 p.m./7:00 p.m.)
Final: Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m. MT at Reliant Stadium OR Thursday, July 29 (Time/Location TBD)
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com
Couldn’t have said it better! 🙂 Well done..