Over the last week, The El Paso Locomotive U-19 USL Academy team has been in Dallas, competing in the most prestigious youth soccer tournament in the United States.
The Dallas cup is an invitation-only tournament that features the best youth soccer teams from around the world. These teams include teams affiliated with clubs in Major League Soccer, the English Premier League, Liga MX, the Bundesliga, and more. In front of more than 100,000 spectators and scouts from around the globe, these elite teams compete for the coveted “Boot and Ball” trophy and the title of Dallas Cup Champions.
The Locomotive USL Academy U-19 squad has been dominating in the group stages of the 2022 iteration of the international youth soccer tournament. The Locomotive USL Academy contingent was placed in Group D alongside Ikapa United U-19s of South Africa, Strikers Miami FC of Florida, and the Dallas Texans 04 squad from the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).
The El Paso team provided a clean sweep of the group, first beating Ikapa United on a 4-3 score line behind goals from Julian Maud, Félix Casas, Diego Abarca, and Raúl Vázquez. The U-19 team moved on to find another four goals against Strikers Miami FC with Abarca, Oscar Sosa, Joel Maldonado, and Noe Coutino contributing to the 4-2 final. Finally, the Locomotive USL Academy team completed the sweep, beating the Dallas Texans 3-1 with Abarca, Venancio Calderon, and Bryan Salas recording goals.
Now with the group stages done and dusted, the Locomotive USL Academy team is heading into the knockout stages where its first hurdle will be the Louisville City FC USL Academy contingent in the Quarterfinals on Friday, April 15. The winner will move on to the Semifinals on Saturday, April 16, to play the winner Solar Soccer Club U-19s from MLS Next and ECNL’s La Roca FC.
Kickoff for the Locomotive USL Academy team’s Quarterfinal clash in the Dallas Cup is set for 12:00 p.m. MT at Moneygram Soccer Park. While the game will not be streamed, stay tuned to El Paso Locomotive Youth Soccer on Instagram for the latest information.
For more information on the prestigious Dallas Cup, visit their website at www.dallascup.com.