FC Dallas’ new U-15 pre-academy team will have its first chance of the season to fill the shoes left by their predecessors in the 2014-15 season.
The newly-promoted U-15s head to Mexico on Tuesday to compete in the Bancomer Liga MX tournament beginning Thursday. FCD will play seven games in nine days in hopes of making it to the final that will be played in the prestigious Azteca Stadium.
“We got invited by the Mexican Federation,” head coach Jesse Suarez said. “They’re bringing in the top four teams from [Mexico], the two top teams in the Bundesliga and the top two MLS teams. It’s going to be a great opportunity for them to develop going against international teams.”
The former U-15s – who will have their own shoes to fill this season after the previous U-16s won the US Soccer Development Academy National Championship in July – won the National Premier League National Championship and Copa Chivas tournament during the 2014-15 season. This new U-15 squad finished its U-14 season last year unbeaten in five, including a 3-1 win over Chicago Fire who they will matchup against in the Liga Bancomer tournament.
“[The Liga Bancomer tournament] is my first taste with this team, but I’ve been with the program already for years. I’ve known most of the boys over the years,” Suarez said. “What I expect from them is to continue our style of play, our concepts that we have down as a club and as an academy, and continue to develop them.”
Heading into the tournament, the U-15s are looking to build upon the international experience they developed while competing at the Mundalito Tahuchi in Bolivia last season.
“Coming back from Bolivia, we saw what needed to be adjusted as individuals and as a team,” Suarez said. “The boys came back with a positive thinking. It helped them out to have a great end of the season. If you look back at their record, they only lost one game after coming back from Copa Tahuichi.”
One of the focal points in the FC Dallas roster is Jesus Ferreira, son of former FCD No. 10 David Ferreira. Jesus was the U-14s leading scorer last year and played a huge role in the former U-15s’ National Championship. He said he’s really excited about the upcoming tournament because it gives him and his team a chance to compete internationally against some of the best academy programs.
“I think it’s going to be a really hard tournament, but I’m really excited for this,” Jesus said. “[Playing internationally] teaches me how to play with teams from other leagues. It helps our team and myself play better [when] we play local teams like Dallas Texans or Solar. It helps to know how other teams from other countries play, their style and their type of play.”
FC Dallas will open the tournament against Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday.
Roster:
- Goalkeepers: Sebastian Zavala, Jerry Howard
- Defenders: Roba Negeri, Carlitos Garcia, Eric Romero, Octavio Gonzales, Chris Fuentes, Luis Cruz, Jose Rivera
- Midfielders: Harper Simmons, Brayan Padilla, Edwin Cerrillo, Imanol Almaguer, Adrian Munoz, Sebastian Rivera
- Forwards: Marcos Puga, Jalen James, Jesus Ferreira, Kevin Kim, Adrian Morales
Schedule:
- 8/13, Field 2 at 10 a.m. vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
- 8/14, Field 1 at 10 a.m. vs. America
- 8/15, Field 1 at 10 a.m. vs. Atlas
- 8/17, Field 2 at 10 a.m. vs. Chicago Fire
- 8/18, Field 2 at 10 a.m. vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- 8/19, Field 2 at 12 p.m., vs. Chivas
- 8/21, Field 2 at 12 p.m. vs. Pachuca
- 8/22, Final at Azteca Stadium at 11 a.m. if FCD wins its group
