Talented teens off to Manchester

Wednesday, 27 July 2011 07:56

Some of Auckland's brightest young football talent -- including two local boys Conor Tracey and Frazer Diver -- heads for England on Tuesday as Onehunga Sports depart for the 2011 Manchester United Premier Cup competition.

The four-day tournament, starting on August 4 (NZ time), brings together the best under-15 teams from around the world with the Onehunga Sports side earning their spot after winning through firstly the New Zealand, followed by the Australasian, sections of qualifying.

The prize for the Onehunga Sports team, coached by Hiroshi Miyazawa and Leigh Kenyon, is the opportunity to face the likes of European giants Manchester United, Chelsea, Valencia and PSV Eindhoven with Argentinean powerhouses Boca Juniors also in the mix for the tournament draw made on August 3.

Many of the Onehunga Sports squad play in the Auckland U-17 Metro competition and a number of the players involved have been part of the Auckland Football TDP programme in recent years, with the side's youngest player – Liam Jordan – the captain of the Auckland Football U-12 Weir Rose Bowl champion Spurs side in 2010.

Miyazawa says the real value of reaching the tournament is in the players understanding the worldwide standard of play at their age.

"The big benefit is the players will find out where they stand in the world of football," Miyazawa said on Monday.

"The experience will help them find out how far away they are from the top level as a team and as individuals.

"It's a rare opportunity for New Zealand players up against players who will be professionals one day. It will be a valuable experience."

Miyazawa, who has been to the tournament before as part of the Central United team in 2007, says although there are targets for the group from a results perspective, they won't be changing their approach in order to claim points.

"These boys are learning how to play football. We don't want to change our philosophy of development and we certainly won't be looking to change our tactics just to win games."

One area Miyazawa believes will serve his side well in their hunt for a strong showing is the international mileage they've already clocked up in their young lives.

"This group have already been on two international tours and have international experience so are quite a mature group in that respect and I think that is one of their strengths."

Before the tournament begins, the team will have a training camp in Bolton and have confirmed a warm-up match against Blackburn Rovers with other friendlies also in the pipeline.

Follow the progress of the team throughout the tournament at www.aucklandfootball.org.nz

Click here for the official Manchester Utd Premier Cup tournament website.

Onehunga Sports Manchester Utd Premier Cup Team

Club representative: Tony Porter

Head coach: Hiroshi Miyazawa

Assistant coach: Leigh Kenyon

Goalkeeper coach/Team manager: Takashi Matsumura

Goalkeepers: Timothy Allen, Conor Tracey

Defenders: Adam Mitchell, Frazer Diver, Moses Dyer, Patrick Gray, Nathan Reive, Jardin Draper

Midfielders: Arthur Yanagisawa, Michael Den Heijer, Liam Jordan, Nick Sugden, Shalvin Sharma, John Gribble

Forwards: Stuart Holthusen, Jordan Hunter

Road to Manchester

New Zealand Regional Qualifiers

vs Central Utd FC 2 – 1 (Stuart Holthusen 2)
vs Three Kings Utd 1 – 1 (Nick Sugden)
vs Fencibles Utd AFC 1 – 0 (Liam Jordan)
vs Bucklands Beach AFC 4 – 0 (Michael Den Heijer, Liam Jordan, Stuart Holthusen, Nathan Reive)
vs Ellerslie AFC 2 – 0 (Michael Den Heijer, Nick Sugden)

New Zealand National Final

vs Forrest Hill Milford Utd AFC 1 – 0 (Liam Jordan)

Australasian Finals - Qualifying round

vs Victorian Champions – Monash City FC 3 – 0 (Shalvin Sharma, Stuart Holthusen 2)
vs New South Wales Champions – Bonnyrigg FC 1 – 1 (Liam Jordan)
vs Western Australia Champions - Forrestfield United 2 – 0 (Arthur Yanagisawa, Nick Sugden)

Australasian Semi-final