In the final match of the Cristal Cup DC United faced UD Ledia.  During the first half both teams had many chances on goal, but left the half at 0-0. 

 

In the 80th minute Ryann Russell broke through the defense and assisted to put DC United up 1-0.  In injury time in the 81st minute Russell again broke through the defense and landed a 30 yard shot into the back of the net to put United up 2-0.

 

The New Orleans Shell Shockers completed the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Marinha Grande.

On Tuesday the teams will prepare for the conclusion of the Rio Maior Cup with DC United playing Academica at 6:00 PM and New Orleans playing Porto Alto at 8:00 PM.

Both DC United the New Orleans Shell Shockers arrived today to Vieira Praia to the Cristal Hotel.

 

The CRISTAL VIEIRA PRAIA HOTEL, side by side with this wonderful beach, is surrounded by the amazing Leirias's pine wood, planted on the 12th century and whose woods was used to build vessels and caravelas of the Portuguese Discoveries.  The website can be found at http://www.hoteiscristal.pt/ing/hotelvieira.htm .

 

Upon arrival the teams took themselves directly to the beach to cool down after today’s first round matches in the Rio Maior Summer Cup.  Both DC United and the New Orleans Shell Shockers were victorious in their matches.

 

Tomorrow, teams will be training at 8:30 AM in Vieira in preparation for Thursday’s first round matches at the Cristal Cup. 

On Monday DC United played a friendly match with the Rio Maior Sporting Nucleas Team in a 5-0 victory.  The friendly match was arranged in preperation before the Rio Maior Summer Cup on Wednesday.

 

The New Orleans Shell Shockers will be playing the Rio Maior Sporting Nucleas Team at 6:30. 

 

The Summer Cup will begin the first set of games with DC United competing against Associacao Academica de Santarem, and the New Orleans Shell Shockers Juniors match with Associacao Recreativo de Porto Alto in the evening. 

 

(June 25, 2003 - Tampa, Fla.) United Soccer Leagues, USL, announced today the 2003 Portugal Tour for the DC United and New Orleans Shell Shockers U16 Boy’s teams.  DC United, the youth team of Major League Soccer’s DC United, and the Shell Shockers, youth reserve team of the Premier Development League’s New Orleans Shell Shockers will train and compete in the world’s leading country on youth soccer development.

 

As a prelude to the Portugal 2004 youth festival to be held next summer in conjunction with Euro 2004, both the DC United and New Orleans Shell Shockers will travel to Lisbon on July 29th for ten days of training and competition. The tour has been organized by United Soccer Leagues as one of several new Player Development Opportunity Programs of the Super Y-League to expose elite level players to competition outside of the United States. 

 

The organizer of the tour is led by USL President and Portugal native, Francisco Marcos, who is currently on assignment in Europe working on international development of USL and the Portugal 2004 Youth Festival that will debut in the summer of 2004.  Matt Weibe, Director of the Super Y-League, will accompany the teams as the manager of the tour and as the USL representative. 

 

The youth teams will arrive to Lisbon and transported to Portugal’s National Training Center in Rio Maior on Monday, July 28.  Rio Maior is not new to professional soccer teams from the United States. The center has also hosted the pre-seasons for Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, Kansas City Wizards, New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, the MetroStars and Chicago Fire over the last three years. The Premier Development League (U23 Amateur) All Stars were also hosted at the center in 2001.

 

Upon arrival to Rio Maior in the morning of the 28th, teams will begin training in the evening preparing for first game within the Rui Maior Summer Cup on Wednesday, July 30.  In preparation for the Summer Cup the teams will compete in a friendly match on Tuesday against the Rio Maior Sporting Youth Nucleus Teams, the youth development teams of Sporting Lisbon.  

 

The Cup will begin the first set of games with DC United competing against Associacao Academica de Santarem, and the New Orleans Shell Shockers Juniors match with Associacao Recreativo de Porto Alto in the evening.  The following week, on August 5, the teams will conclude the Cup with the first and third place matches.

 

Upon completion of the first leg of matches on Wednesday the 30th, the teams will depart for the city of Leiria located in the areas of Vieira de Leiria, one of Portugal’s finest beach areas, to compete in the Cristal Cup. Leiria is also a site for Euro 2004.

 

The Cristal Cup will contain two levels of competition.  The first level will contain a four team cup involving senior professional teams in a knock out format on Friday, August 1st, and Sunday, August 3rd.  Among those teams includes UEFA Champions League Deportivo La Coruna from Spain.  Also participating in the tournament include Vitoria Guimaraes, 4th place finish in the Portuguese first division in 2003, and the two major clubs from the island of Madeira, Maritimo and Nacional.

DC United and the Shell Shockers will face AC Marinhe Grande and Uniao de Leiria, in the Cristal Cup in the youth division on Friday August 1, through Sunday, August 3.   The matches will be played as preliminaries before the crowds of the professional division of the Cup.  The teams will be residing a the Hotel Cristal, along with Deportivo La Coruna.

 

On Monday the 4th of August, the teams will resume training back at the Rio Maior Training Center in preparation for Tuesday’s first and third place matches of the Rio Maior Summer Cup. 

 

Culminating their tour will be traveling to Lisbon to watch the  match between Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United in Sporting Lisbon’s inaugural opening match of their new state-of-the art stadium, Alvalade XXI.  Manchester United will be traveling directly from Philadelphia where they will have completed competing against Barcelona on their U.S. tour.

 

The Portugal tour will offer the opportunity of these two teams to compete in one of the world’s best youth development countries.  Recently, the Portuguese youth national teams have captured the U17 European Championship and the U20 Toulon Cup in France.  The U21’s also lead their group in the European Championship that also contains England and Turkey.

 

More recently, one of Portugal’s most recognized coaches, Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as the new chief at Real Madrid in Spain and will take over coaching the team effective yesterday.  Queiroz, long time friend of Francisco Marcos, also developed U.S. Soccer’s Project 2010 in 1998 from USL headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Queiroz recently left Manchester United as Head Assistant Coach under Sir Alex Fergusson.  He is regarded as the architect for the success of the development of the youth programs of the Portuguese National Teams. 

 

Former Connecticut Wolves coach of the USL’s A-League, and Quieroz’s partner in Project 2010, is now the  goalkeeper coach at one of Portugal’s leading super clubs, Benfica.  Gaspar will be connected to Benfica youth team goalkeeper Justin Papadakis of the Super Y-League’s Atlanta Fire and U.S. U18 National Team Pool. 

 

During the tour, the teams will be documented on their results and commentary from the coaching staff will update the U.S. Soccer community on their developments.  Stories will be featured on www.superyleague.com .