Day 02 of the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament

Johannesburg, Tuesday, 25th March 2014 –South African side Mamelodi Sundowns and Congolese academy CESD La Djiri became the first teams to book their places in the semi-finals of the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament on Tuesday when they each claimed a second successive win at the Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto.

Sundowns from Pretoria, nicknamed ‘The Brazilians’ for the colours they wear and style of play, defeated the USYSA Select side from America 3-0 to take an unassailable lead in Group A.

Lovers Malatsi scored again to follow up his brace on the opening day and take his tally for the tournament to three as he moved ahead in the goal-scorers race. The other players to find the back of the net were Thabang Chuene and Mpumelelo Hlatshwayo.

Sundowns’ semi-final place was assured as English Premiership side Sunderland AFC played to a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Indian outfit Royal Wahingdoh.

CESD La Djiri defeated 2010 winners Shangdong Luneng from China 2-1 to seal top spot in Group A. Michel Gafiny scored both their goals, while Pu Chen netted for the Asian side.

Their top spot was confirmed when Toronto FC and Jomo Cosmos played to a 1-1 draw in the final game of the day. Luca Uccello had put the Canadians ahead, but Khomotso Marebane equalized for the South Africans.

Defending champions Club Tijuana moved to the top of their Group C without kicking a ball after Nigerian opponents Saki West had not arrived at the tournament in time for the game due to travel delays. The Mexicans were awarded the fixture with a 3-0 score-line.

It means there will be a straight shoot-out with Qatar’s Aspire Academy for top spot on Wednesday when those two sides meet, with Club Tijuana needing just a draw to advance.

Aspire were held to a 0-0 draw by South African school Sunward Park on Tuesday and trail pool leaders Club Tijuana by two points.

Clube Atletico Mineiro from Brazil maintained top spot in Group B with a 1-0 win over Netherlands side ADO Den Haag. Keven scored his second goal of the competition to give them the win.

It sets up another shoot-out with Zambian side K-Stars on Wednesday, who trail Clube Atletico Mineiro by two points despite their 2-0 win over local South African side SuperSport Tottenham Hotspur Academy. Enock Mwepu and Patson Daka were on target for the Zambians.

The Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament, now in its sixth installment, sees 16 teams from across the globe compete for the coveted prize and the opportunity to be crowned champions.

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Sunward Park 0 – Aspire 0

K-Stars 2(Enock Mwepu, Patson Daka) –SuperSport TH Academy 0

Sunderland AFC 0 – Royal Wahingdoh 0

Mamelodi Sundowns 3(Thabang Chuene, Mpumelelo Hlatshwayo, Lovers Malatsi) – USYSA 0

Club Tijuana 3 – Saki West 0 – walkover

Atletico Mineiro 1(Keven) –ADO Den Haag 0

CESD La Djiri 2(Michel Gafiny 2)– Shangdong Luneng 1(Pu Chen)

Toronto FC 1(Luca Uccello) – Jomo Cosmos 1(Khomotso Marebane)

STANDINGS

GROUP A P W D L GF GA PTS
CESD La Djiri(Congo) 2 2 0 0 3 1 6 (Q)
Toronto FC (Canada) 2 0 2 0 2 2 2
Shandong Luneng (China) 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
Jomo Cosmos (SA) 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
GROUP B P W D L GF GA PTS
Atletico Mineiro (Brazil) 2 2 0 0 6 2 6
K-Stars (Zambia) 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
ADO Den Haag (Holland) 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Supersport TH Academy (SA) 2 0 0 2 2 7 0
GROUP C P W D L GF GA PTS
Club Tijuana (Mexico) 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
Aspire Academy (Qatar) 2 1 1 0 3 0 4
Sunward Park (SA) 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Saki West (Nigeria) 2 0 0 2 0 6 0
GROUP D P W D L GF GA PTS
Mamelodi Sundowns (SA) 2 2 0 0 5 1 6 (Q)
Royal Wahingdoh (India) 2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Sunderland (England) 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
USYSA (USA) 2 0 1 1 1 4 1

WEDNESDAY’S FIXTURES

13h30 –Shandong Lunengvs Jomo Cosmos

13h45 –Royal Wahingdoah vs Mamelodi Sundowns

15h00 –Sunderland AFC vs USYSA

16h30 –Club Tijuana vs Aspire Academy

15h15 –Sunward Park vs Saki West

16h45 –Atletico Mineiro vs K-Stars

18h15 –CESD La Djiri vs Toronto FC

18h00 –SuperSport TH Academy vs ADO Den Haag

TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches played:14
Goals scored:31
Biggest victory:Atletico Mineiro 5 SuperSport TH Academy 2
Most goals in a game:7 – Atletico Mineiro 5 SuperSport TH Academy 2

GOALSCORERS
3 – Lovers Malatsi (Mamelodi Sundowns)
2 – Patson Daka (K-Stars), Michel Gafiny (CESD La Djiri), Keven (Atletico Mineiro)
1 – Adson (Atletico Mineiro), Sushil Ahongshangbam (Royal Wahingdoh), Levy Berry (Sunward Park), Cesar (Atletico Mineiro), Pu Chen (Shandong Luneng), Thabang Chuene (Mamelodi Sundowns), Connor DeFilippis (USYSA), Flavino (Atletico Mineiro), Mpumelelo Hlatshwayo (Mamelodi Sundowns), Joao Victor (Atletico Mineiro), Li Liu (Shandong Luneng), Khomotso Marebane (Jomo Cosmos), Thabelo Mulaudzi (SuperSport United), Mthokozisi Mngadi (SuperSport TH Academy), Enock Mwepu (K-Stars), Lionel Ondongo Opera (CESD La Djiri), Daniel Pybus (Sunderland), Juan Rodriguez (Club Tijuana), Kevin Timachy (Kevin Timachy), Luca Uccello (Toronto FC), Dennis van der Heijden (ADO den Haag), Brandon Vazquez (Club Tijuana)

To download photos of the event, please go to –www.usfirstmedia.photoshelter.com

  • We had a wonderful football and cultural experience in Gauteng. The tournament and activities were very well organized and we found everyone involved extremely helpful and accommodating. We have all returned home with fantastic memories of our time in South Africa, both on and off the pitch, and have made many new friends as a result of the trip. I hope that we are invited to participate in future tournaments.

    Everton Academy Head Coach

  • The experience both on and off the field for our players during the Future Champions tournament in Gauteng was life-enriching for all those who participated. We were privileged enough to win this edition but what will be bringing us back in future is the cross-cultural education our players receive from spending time with athletes from all over the world. They are human beings before they are football players and enriching them with other cultures is as rewarding as the experience they receive on the field.

    Club Tijuana Director of Football

  • After twenty years of experiencing tournaments around the globe, Future Champions is hands down the best organized, well run International Tournament we have ever participated in. Bringing teams from dozens of different countries provided our boys exposure to cultural diversity they only read about in textbooks. It’s amazing how sport can be the cultural link that provides the opportunity to interact with each other and discover that our global community is a bit smaller than they realized. We had a football and cultural experience that will be cherished for the rest of our lives.

    Director of USYSA Select

  • For us to compete in Future Champions is much more than playing a series of matches. It is an opportunity to compete and contrast our level against the best teams from around the world and the possibility of living in another culture and environment for an unforgettable week, learning about the history of the fight for human rights.

    Director of Aspire Academy

  • The addition of a girls’ competition this year is a natural expansion for what has become a hugely popular event. Over and above the football, the players are also exposed to life-skills courses and HIV/AIDS awareness that could end up saving their lives in the future. We have had an amazing partnership with the Gauteng Province over the last decade and we thank each and every stakeholder for making the Future Champions Gauteng campaign such a huge success

    Tournament director