Soccer: Stakes high for young hopefuls

The Soccer 2 regional under-15 side face FC Melbourne in the Oceania final of the Manchester United Premier Cup at North Harbour Stadium tomorrow.

The winner of this one-off clash on the outer oval pitch will head to Hong Kong for next month's finals of the world-wide competition.

This is no friendly kickabout for young players.

Many of the game's best players have made their first appearance on the world stage in the Nike-sponsored competition.

Among those who have gone on to play professionally since the competition's inception in 1993 are Spaniards Xavi and Iker Casillas (who played in goal at the 2002 World Cup), Jose Antonio Reyes, now with Arsenal, Dutch international Andy van der Meyde, young Mexican star Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Chile international Mauricio Pinilla and Japan's Takayuki Morimoto who, as a 15-year-old, is the youngest player to appear in the J-League.

Last year 20 teams played in the finals tournament at Manchester United's Trafford Training Centre. The final was played at Old Trafford.

The event is a showcase of the world's best young players who even at this age come under the watchful eye of the professional scouts.

This year's finals tournament will be played over three days at Hong Kong FC and Happy Valley.

The Soccer 2 team won through to tomorrow's transtasman battle by winning the national inter-zone play-offs. Their opponents won a similar play-off six weeks ago. Melbourne arrive in Auckland this morning.

"This is a great chance for these young players to experience playing football at the international level," said Soccer 2 coach Kevin O'Leary, who is assisted by Paul Marshall. "The opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the world at the finals is a huge incentive."

Nike manager director Tony Balfour said it was exciting to see these young players in action.

"We are committed to supporting the game at grassroots level," said Balfour. "We know we will see some brilliant football played here."

Among the players in the Auckland-based side is New Zealand under-15 representative Jacob Matthews who continues a strong family tradition.

His older twin brothers Sam and Joel have both played for New Zealand at under-20 level.

Sam is now in the United States on a scholarship and Joel is in Tahiti with Auckland City at the Oceania Club Championships.

Tom Smith is another who has already caught the eye. A product of Keith Pritchett's Soccer 1 coaching programme, Smith has already had trials at Ipswich in the UK.

The Match

* Soccer 2 v FC Melbourne.

* North Harbour Stadium (outer oval).

* Tomorrow 11am.

Soccer 2 team


Otis Maddison, Tim Myers, Jacob Matthews, Ethan Stewart, Tom Heywood, Ben Hunt (Soccer 2), Tom Smith, Tom Edward, Makhtar McHammadi (United Soccer 1), Fraser Colson, Shaun O'Neill, Caleb Gaylard, Admir Balicevac, Costa Barbarouses (Capital Soccer), Michael O'Keefe, Hamish Chang (Mainland).