Our Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy, currently unbeaten through three games in League1 BC, will be playing in the prestigious invite-only Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup from May 17-18 in Zürich, Switzerland.
HOW TO WATCH?
All games streamed, free of charge for anyone wanting to watch at https://www.red.sport/de-int/page/fifa-youth-cup
First game vs. Grasshopper Club Zürich (May 17, 5:35 a.m. PT): https://www.red.sport/en-int/playerpage/1610424
Second game vs. Juventus (May 17, 8:55 a.m. PT): https://www.red.sport/en-int/playerpage/1610431
GROUPS
Group AArsenal WFC, FC Basel 1893, FC Rosengård, FC Zürich Frauen
Group B
Juventus Women, BSC YB-Frauen, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Grasshopper Club Zürich
RULES
- U-19 tournament
- All matches are two 20-minute halves
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 17
vs. Grasshopper Club Zürich at 5:35 a.m. PT
vs. Juventus at 8:55 a.m. PT
Thursday, May 18
vs. BSC YB-Frauen at 1:10 a.m. PT
Semifinals at 4:00 a.m./5:00 a.m. PT
Final/Third Place at 8:00 a.m. PT
FORMAT
- The top two teams from each group progress to the last four. The two semi-final winners will then contest the final, with the losing teams doing battle in the play-off for third place.
- The sides that finish third in the groups will take on one another, while the teams which finish bottom of each group will do the same.
HISTORY
This will be just the fourth edition of the women's tournament (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023), and the second time that the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy are participating.
In that 2019 tournament, head coach Mike Norris (now head coach of Portland Thorns in NWSL), led the 'Caps to second place in Group A with a 1-0 win over FC Blue Stars, followed by a 5-1 defeat to a powerhouse VfL Wolfsburg side from Germany. The 'Caps then fell 1-0 to BSC YB-Frauen in the semifinals before defeating renowned Italian club Inter Milan in the third place match.
In the process, the team also took home the Fair Play Award.
The tournament was originally founded by FC Blue Stars in 1939, and taken over by FIFA in 1991. Players such as David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Kaka, Gary and Phil Neville, and Pep Guardiola have all played in this tournament in the past.
