Philadelphia Union today announced that the Philadelphia Union Academy U-16s will be participating in IberCup Cascais, an elite soccer tournament in Lisbon, Portugal, from March 28-31, 2024.
The U-16 squad, which is comprised mainly of players born in the 2008 age group, will see five players participating in their fifth IberCup Tournament. Gunnar Graham, Jordan Griffin, Brett Seemuller, Max Owusu-Antwi, and Connor Murphy were part of the first Union Academy team to play in the prestigious event in 2018 when they played in Portugal. The group has since turned in strong performances on the international scene with results including Portugal in 2018 (quarterfinals), Spain in 2019 (third place), and two tournaments in Brazil in 2020 (Sao Paolo, second place, Porto Alegre, third place). Previous players from the Union that participated in an IberCup tournament include Neil Pierre, Nelson Pierre, Brandan Craig, Jack McGlynn, and Quinn Sullivan.
Recognized as one of the most significant world youth soccer tournaments globally, IberCup has seen representation from over 100 countries since 2009. Notable past champions include the likes of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester City, and others. In the upcoming 2024 IberCup, the Philadelphia Union Academy will join a distinguished lineup of 200 teams, featuring renowned soccer academies such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and many more.
Annually, approximately 50,000 players participate in IberCup tournaments in different locations, with opportunities to compete against teams from all over the world. All the playing fields are grass or artificial turf and are located in the following facilities: Jamor, Oeiras, Carcacavelos, Salesianos do Estoril, Estoril-Praia Stadium, Fontainhas Cascais, and Dramatico.
