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)
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
