2012 Dallas Cup Finals, players prepare to face-off

(Frisco, TX) The smell of fresh cut grass and the sounds of thousands of cheering fans filled the air a few weeks ago at the FC Dallas Complex in Frisco. Cameras flashed and players yelled in languages from all across the globe. For soccer fans, it was heaven.

This was the Dallas Cup, an annual event that brings more than 160,000 spectators and youth teams like Manchester United, Everton, Coritiba, Real Madrid, and F.C. Barcelona to north Texas every April. The Dallas Cup is the oldest and most elite youth international soccer tournament in the United States. It celebrated thirty years of competition this year.

Gordon Jago is the executive director of the Dallas Cup. He has been a part of the tournament from its first year and has also seen a huge growth in the tournaments prestige. “When you look at the quality of players and how the tournament has grown its phenomenal,” said Jago, ” You look here in the finals, we have Manchester United from England and the boys from Brazil Coritiba its amazing.”

Yima Asom played in the under-16 division in the Dallas Cup this year for Solar soccer club. Solar is a local soccer club based in Dallas. The opportunity to play in this tournament meant a lot to Asom. “This is the tournament that means the most to the players,” said Asom ” The opportunity to play against the best players and teams in the world is huge for us.”

On average, more than 17,000 people attend the Dallas Cup’s opening ceremony. More than 4,000 participants and spectators travel by air to the Dallas area, more than 8,200 hotel rooms are reserved around the area each year, and more than 900 international players participant in the tournament. That makes it a great attraction for north Texas.

Steven Poirisni has been a Dallas resident and police officer for 28 years. Poirisni is a huge soccer fan and has seen the growth of the Dallas Cup and its positive impact on the city.

“Whenever you have this many tourists come in town its great for the local businesses, restaurants, hotels, everything,” said Poirisni. “The economy strives during this time and I’ve seen it grow every year.”

The tournament consists of boy’s aged from 12 to 19. The teams participate in seven different age groups, and all compete for the ultimate prize: Dallas Cup champion.

Former world famous players like Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Clint Dempsey, Robinho, Freddy Adu, and others have all taken part in the tournament.

With well-known teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United coming to participate, the tournament has come a long way in the past thirty years, say officials. The first tournament was held in 1980 with only thirty teams competing. At the time, local soccer club Texas Longhorns were the hosts of the tournament

Bobby Moffat is a soccer coach in Dallas and created the first youth soccer camps in north Texas over twenty-five years ago. He also coached in the first Dallas Cup thirty years ago. “The first year my team played in the final of the under-19 division and back then there were only thirty teams in the tournament and now there are over 180,” said Moffat. ” Over the past thirty-three years the tournament has grown exponentially.”

The growth of the tournament has largely been based on the prestigious teams that have been attending year after year, as well as the media attention the tournament has received.

Albert Chia is the director of media for the Dallas Cup. Chia believes that technology and easy access to news on the Internet and television is a huge reason for the growth in the Dallas Cup.

“The media interest has grown a massive amount every year and the most important thing is the international interest,” said Chia ” Social media has also taken a huge part in it making it easy for international teams, fans, and officials to access clips from the tournament.”

When teams like Manchester United and F.C. Barcelona post their youth clubs participation in the Dallas Cup, the entire soccer world notices it.

Unlike many large youth international tournaments, the Dallas Cup consistently brings teams from all over the world, from every continent except Antarctica as opposed to Continental international tournaments, that only have teams from Europe or South America.

Pat Parker has seen the progress in the development of U.S. soccer in the passed thirty years. Parker was inducted into the North Texas Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010, and is the former North Texas Soccer executive director. He says to expect the tournament to get even bigger and better in the coming years.

“Unlike foreign countries, who have had so many years of development in their youth programs, we are still an infant in developing all aspects of the game; however, we are getting so much better,” said Parker. “Accordingly, we are seeing our young players participating all over the world, which indicates to me personally, that young players with a dream and this Cup are key to the progression of U.S. soccer. Also I can’t say too much, but 2013 Dallas Cup looks like it’s going to get even better.”

SCENES FROM THE 2012 DALLAS CUP FINALS! (Click to View)