Mixed fortunes left all to play for at the close of the first day’s matches at the Manchester United Premier Cup at Carrington today with teams from South America dictating the pace.
Host team Manchester United opened with a comfortable 3-0 win over Villa 2000, but it was Brazilian Team Fluminense who firmly stamped their authority on the competition with a torrent of seven goals against Japanese contenders, Shizuoka Gakuen.
The tournament, jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United, brings together the twenty best U-15 teams in the world as they battle it out for the chance to become 2008 Manchester United Premier Cup World Champions.
Chilean Team Audax Italiano opened their Premier Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against European giants Real Madrid, followed by a 2-0 win over Villa 2000, while Mexican team Atlas also drew their first match 1-1 against Juventus and went on to beat Central United 2-0 in the afternoon session.
Following two consecutive defeats the Coach from Villa 2000 admitted, ‘It feels bad to lose but this is our first international experience at a world class level so we know we have a lot to learn. We did not expect to come here and win the tournament but to learn and benefit from the experience.’ He was particularly impressed by the pace of the Host team, ‘I really admired their speed and togetherness as a team. That’s something we’ll be working on in the future’.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
About MUPC
The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) gives talented under fifteen year olds the chance to show off their skills and come up against other young footballers from around the globe. They get to play on an international stage and meet and compete with the best of their class. It is the chance for football crazy kids from around the globe to play against each other on an international stage, bridging language and cultural barriers through sport.
Over the past 14 years, the Premier Cup tournament has travelled the globe and seen a lot of changes. What started out as European regional tournament in 1993 has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious football events of its kind.
Over 900,000 players have taken part in the tournament since its inception, with over 9,000 teams from more than 40 countries competing each year to represent their nation at the World Finals.
The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United as part of their commitment to grassroots development.
Over the past 14 years, the Premier Cup tournament has travelled the globe and seen a lot of changes. What started out as European regional tournament in 1993 has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious football events of its kind.
Over 900,000 players have taken part in the tournament since its inception, with over 9,000 teams from more than 40 countries competing each year to represent their nation at the World Finals.
The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United as part of their commitment to grassroots development.