The U15 Sounders FC Academy squad is in Sheffield, England, this week challenging for the Youdan Trophy. Taking place in the birthplace of modern-day soccer, the young Sounders join a field of elite European youth teams such as Celtic and Stoke City. The tournament is a celebration of the first-ever soccer tournament, the Football Challenge Cup, which occurred in Sheffield in 1867.
The tournament is billed as a showcase for the ‘stars of the future’, and entry to the competition is by invitation only. With the event comprised of clubs such as Everton FC, who have produced world-class youth players like Ross Barkley and John Stones, Sounders Academy players can use the tournament as a litmus test for their own progress in the world of development.