By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that our Boys-Under-13 Olympic Development Program-South team made up of players from all over New York City and Long Island will be traveling to Sicily to play in the prestigious 25th Annual Trofeo Costa Gaia tournament. Many of Italy’s top teams will be playing in this tournament including Ascoli, Catania, Fiorentina, Genoa, Inter, Juventus, Lazio, Padova, Palermo, Pescara, Prato, Reggina, Trapani, Torino and Varese. Palma di Majorca will be representing the World Cup champion nation of Spain while Fortuna Dusseldorf will be coming from Germany to compete and Club Zarzis will be representing Tunisia. The Eastern New York ODP team is the only squad representing the United States.
The Trofeo Costa Gaia will be played beginning today, December 27, to January 6 in northern Sicily around the town of Alcamo, a short corner kick from Palermo.
“With the younger age groups such as Boys-Under-13, we can compete overseas. The kids are probably thinking that they will play in big stadiums but we will probably be playing on normal fields. I expect this to be a difficult tournament,” commented Coach Manfred Kapper, the former Austrian National Team player who once competed for the Cosmos.
The ODP team practiced outdoors in New York until December 18 and hope to arrange friendly games in Italy before the tournament.