NEW YORK, NY (Thursday, March 12, 2015) – Major League Soccer today announced the details for the 2014-15 Generation adidas Cup. FC Dallas and Dallas Cup will host the week-long youth tournament that begins on March 29 at the Toyota Soccer Center at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. This year’s U-17 showcase will feature a total of 17 MLS Academy teams, as well as the Chivas USA youth squad, and a wide breadth of international clubs such as River Plate (Argentina), Athletic Club Bilbao (Spain), Pumas UNAM (Mexico), Palmeiras (Brazil), Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) and Aspire Academy (Qatar).
“The Generation adidas Cup, now in its eighth year, continues to provide MLS Academy clubs the chance to compete alongside some of the best North American and international players and youth teams in a world class tournament. With the participation of 10 international clubs this year, it will be the most challenging edition in the history of the Generation adidas Cup. The growth of the MLS Academy system has been unbridled and this tournament remains a great opportunity to evaluate and develop our young talent at a world class level,” said MLS Technical Director of Player Programs Alfonso Mondelo.
Tournament play began with three regional tournaments (East, Central and West) featuring U-17 teams from nearly all 20 MLS clubs. Each team competed in two regional qualifying events from August 2014 to February 2015, with the top three finishers in each region advancing to the Champions Division of the GA Cup finals and sorted into the following three groups:
Champions Division
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP A</b></span> |
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP B</b></span> |
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP C</b></span> |
<span class="s1">Toronto FC</span> |
<span class="s1">FC Dallas</span> |
<span class="s1">San Jose Earthquakes</span> |
<span class="s1">Sporting Kansas City</span> |
<span class="s1">Real Salt Lake</span> |
<span class="s1">Philadelphia Union</span> |
<span class="s1">River Plate</span> |
<span class="s1">Athletic Club Bilbao</span> |
<span class="s1">Palmeiras</span> |
<span class="s1">Aspire Academy</span> |
<span class="s1">Pumas UNAM</span> |
<span class="s1">Eintracht Frankfurt</span> |
The remaining MLS Academy squads will compete in the Premier Division, consisting of four groups of four teams. Clubs include New York Red Bulls, Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, Chicago Fire, Orlando City SC, LA Galaxy, Chivas USA, D.C. United, Columbus Crew SC, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution. The Premier Division will also feature four international youth teams: Sport Club de Recife (Brazil), Tigres UANL (Mexico), Sagan Tosu (Japan) and Club Deportivo Independiente Medellin (Colombia).
Premier Division
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP A</b></span> |
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP B</b></span> |
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP C</b></span> |
<span class="s1"><b>GROUP D</b></span> |
<span class="s1">New York Red Bulls</span> |
<span class="s1">Chicago Fire</span> |
<span class="s1">Chivas USA</span> |
<span class="s1">Medellin</span> |
<span class="s1">Houston Dynamo</span> |
<span class="s1">Orlando City SC</span> |
<span class="s1">Sagan Tosu</span> |
<span class="s1">Portland Timbers</span> |
<span class="s1">SC Recife</span> |
<span class="s1">LA Galaxy</span> |
<span class="s1">D.C. United</span> |
<span class="s1">Colorado Rapids</span> |
<span class="s1">Seattle Sounders FC</span> |
<span class="s1">Tigres UANL</span> |
<span class="s1">Columbus Crew SC</span> |
<span class="s1">New England Revolution</span> |
“adidas is once again excited to partner with Major League Soccer for the Generation adidas Cup. As the global leader in soccer and the fastest growing league in the world it is only fitting that adidas and MLS have created one the strongest and most competitive tournaments in youth soccer. We’re thrilled to host both the top domestic youth players and those abroad. We fully expect these players to become the leaders of the sport in the years to come, and we look forward to watching them grow up as members of Generation adidas,” said Liam Hoban of adidas America, Director Sports Marketing Soccer.
Generation adidas group play begins on Sunday, March 29 with the tournament final set for Saturday, April 4. A full Generation adidas Cup schedule and information on the tournament can be found here. A live stream schedule will be finalized in the coming days.
