HERRIMAN, Utah (Saturday, August 12, 2023) - The Real Salt Lake Academy U-15 squad is in Copenhagen, Denmark to compete in the 2023 Crowne Plaza Elite Cup. In the tournament, RSL has the opportunity to compete on the international stage with various clubs from across Europe, including the hosts, Danish side Brøndby IF, and teams from Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.
The tournament will allow RSL Academy Head Coach Jordan Allen’s side to get back into match form following the summer break, with new additions to the Academy also seizing the opportunity to display their skills for the first time in a formal game setting. With 15 other teams competing in the tournament from seven countries across Europe, RSL will have the chance to test their abilities and represent American soccer against some of the top academies in the world.
The team will arrive in Denmark on Sunday, August 13 just in time to watch the Brøndby IF first team take on Lyngby on matchday 4 of the Danish Superliga. After a few days of sightseeing and training, the RSL U-15s will play a friendly match against second division Hellerup IK at 7:00 p.m. local time. The tournament will then begin on Friday, August 18, with RSL guaranteed to play the following games:
Fri., August 18 - RSL U-15s vs K.R.C. Genk (Belgium) 4:00 p.m. CEST
Sat., August 19 - RSL U-15s vs Hammarby Fotboll (Sweden) 10:30 a.m. CEST
Sat., August 19 - RSL U-15s vs FC Nordsjælland (Denmark) 3:30 p.m. CEST
Further games will be scheduled on Sunday, August 20 based on results from the first three matches. Other teams in the tournament include: AaB Fodbold (Denmark), Aarhus Gymnastikforening (Denmark), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Brommapojkarna (Sweden), Brøndby IF (Denmark), Djurgården (Sweden), FC København (Denmark), FC Porto (Portugal), Fiorentina (Italy), HJK Helsinki (Finland), Malmø FF (Sweden), and NSA Oslo (Norway).
This trip marks the second in as many years for the U-15s, having traveled to Augsburg, Germany last August to compete in the Augsburg Whitsun Tournament. While in Germany, the team recorded a 2-4-1 (W-L-T) record, earning results against FC Augsburg, BSC Young Boys and FC Heidenheim. The Club’s U-17 group also made a trip to Europe last year, visiting Crystal Palace FC in London, England.
RSL Academy will begin the 2023/24 season on September 9 and 10 against the Colorado Rapids and Real Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Cup. The regular season will begin on October 7 against Seattle Sounders FC.
