Youngsters defeated in tournament opener

Latest from the Future Champions Cup tournament.

Sunderland’s U16s played well in a narrow defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the opening game of their Future Champions Cup campaign in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday evening.

An end-to-end game produced a number of chances for both teams, with Sunderland taking the lead thanks to Dan Pybus’ penalty early in the second half.

However, the South African side responded with a pair of goals to take the three points at the Nike Training Centre in Soweto.

A young Sunderland side created plenty of chances against a Sundowns outfit who were a threat on the counter-attack.

The game was goalless at the break with Sunderland keeper Greg Purvis producing an excellent save to keep out a first-half penalty.

Meanwhile, Jean-Yves Poame, Elliot Embleton and Pybus all threatened at the other end.

Sunderland were rewarded two minutes into the second half when a Sundowns player was penalised for deliberate handball. Pybus stepped up to fire low into the bottom left-hand corner.

The hosts responded with a quick equaliser, with the game opening up as Pybus rattled the inside the post while only a couple of excellent blocks from the Sunderland defence prevented Sundowns from going ahead.

However, a second goal did arrive following a break down the right-hand side to secure the points for the South Africans.

Head of coaching Elliott Dickman said: “We were really pleased with the lads’ performance in a game we certainly didn’t deserve to lose.”

Sunderland are back in action today as they take on Indian side Royal Wahingdoh (KO 1pm GMT).

  • 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