In addition to the resounding success of the six Academy Sports Club teams who travelled to Minnesota recently for the 33rd annual Schwan’s USA Cup, five Academy players quietly shone as guests on other teams.
Finigan Huffington Bryan and Adebayo Oremule played with Vardar Soccer Club from Michigan, managing to make it to the U19 Gold Cup semifinal, while Ashely Ebanks, Jasmine Powery and Shimari Fisher lent their talents to Peterborough SC from Ontario, Canada and made it to the U17 Gold Cup semifinals.
Teams were sourced for the players to guest play with as there weren’t enough Academy players to make a team for their age brackets. All players made significant contributions to their teams, with Mr Bryan, Mr Oremule, and Ms Fisher all scoring goals during the tournament.
“Our players who were guests on other teams had a unique experience at the tournament as they were able to interact with and get to know teams from another country, as well as play with them,” said Virgil Seymour, Academy Head Coach.
Colleges present at the tournament expressed interest in the older Academy players.
“It is always a good feeling to hear that a college team is interested in a player from Academy,” said Mr Seymour. “We are extremely grateful to the teams for allowing our players to join them for the week and for giving them the opportunity to get in front of the eyes of some college scouts.”
Academy also welcomed players from other teams to play with their six teams during the tournament.
“While at the USA Cup, we like to create relationships with other teams as much as we can, allowing us to have these kinds of situations where other teams can help us out and we can help them as well,” said Mr Seymour. “This guest player programme also promotes a cross cultural experience through football.”
