A group of D.C. United Academy players born in 1999 and below will compete in the prestigious Macron Galway Cup in Galway, Ireland, from August 5-10 at the state-of-the-art facility at Drom Soccer Park. United will send 16 players and four coaches to represent the Academy in this exciting competition against other academies from across the world.
D.C. United is one of six teams from five countries that will compete for the ninth Galway Cup. The five other teams include the Republic of Ireland, Chivas Guadalajara (Mexico), Maccabi Haifa (Israel), Ipswich Town and Scunthorpe United (England).
Teams will each play five matches, each 50 minutes in length, with the teams advancing on points to a sixth and final match to determine fifth place, third place and the champion. During the trip United’s delegation will also tour Galway and other spots in Ireland.
The Galway Cup targets U-15 players and is solely dedicated to professional clubs and established academies. The competition has attracted clubs from the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, Russia and Mexico as well as several notable Irish clubs.
D.C. United Youth Development’s mission to develop individual players and provide a professional environment includes giving players the opportunity to test themselves in settings such as the Galway Cup. International competition helps expose players to different playing styles from across the world and enables them to measure themselves against other high level players.
2014 Galway Cup Travel Roster
Goalkeepers: Gio Diaz, Brayan Daniel Lopez-Rodriguez
Defenders: Luke Campbell, Michael Gaines II, Derin Kokuuslu, Jordan Matamoro-Mejias, Stephen Orsini, Jacob Velvel
Midfielders: Graham Bright, Iker Bustamante, Andrew Nicholas, Bryce Orsini, Luis Rodriguez Luna
Forwards: Kyle Davis, Conor Gill, Jonathan Godette
Coaches and staff: Jeff Carroll, Steve Olivarez, Maren Fletcher, Jonathan Frias
