Source – Soccer Wire – “The 1999 team reached the quarterfinals of the Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) in Barcelona, which featured a field of 52 from all over the world. After losing their opening match against Girona (Spain), Region I won four straight against Club Atletico Almafuerte (Argentina), Volendam FC (Netherlands), UE Llagostera (Spain) and Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) before the quarterfinal defeat. The Region I side went 4-2 overall with Matt Sloan (E-NY) and Seraphen Iradukunda (VT) leading the team with two goals each in the tournament.
“The MIC is a huge tournament that features national teams from Brazil, Mexico, Spain like Barcelona and Real Madrid, and the team showed great skill and cohesion in getting to the quarterfinals,” said Keith Tabatznik, US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Region I Head Coach. “Overall it was a fantastic experience playing against these quality teams and the international game first-hand.”
In the quarterfinals, Region I received a rough draw as the squad had to face off against the eventual champion Aspire Academy. Aspire is part of the academy system being funded to develop and find players for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bora Milutinovic, former U.S. National Coach, was in Barcelona as a consultant to Aspire.”
Source: www.soccerwire.com/news/clubs/youth-boys/odp-boys-region-i-teams-complete-successful-international-trip
