Introduction:
The Johan Cruyff Football Tournament took place this past weekend from the 5th to the 8th of December in Tarragona. SIA Academy competed with a group of their international Under 16’s (G1) in the cadet division against the base teams of first league clubs and other high-performance academies. In the group stage SIA Academy saw 3 tough matches within the first two days of the tournament, all of which were made even more difficult due to the strong winds present in the area. After finishing the group stage and getting as far as the silver semifinal stage, sadly, the final matches needed to be cancelled due to the uncertain weather conditions in the region.
Overview:
SIA Academy’s first challenge in the Johan Cruyff Tournament was to face off against the base club of Rayo Vallecano. SIA Academy’s Under 16 (G1) squad came out strong, playing a highly possessive game but were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances. This resulted in the first match going towards Rayo Vallecano. The second match against Mercet “B” was an even better showing for SIA Academy’s U16 (G1) team. Although the match did not end in SIA Academy’s favor, each player showed a significant improvement from the previous match.
After getting used to the nerves of playing in such a high-profile tournament, SIA Academy’s Under 16’s (G1) started the second day of the tournament on a much better note. The first match of the day was the final group stage match against A.S. Forza Nostra. In this match the SIA Academy squad took complete control of the game, limiting their opponents to only a handful of chances on goal, none of which made it through SIA Academy’s keeper’s hands. The third game ended in SIA Academy’s favor with a 2-0 victory.
The knockout stages began on the same day with SIA Academy facing off against Marcet Aquarius. Having watched some of their group stage matches and played against their affiliate team, SIA Academy’s Under 16 (G1) squad took to the field feeling much more prepared than they had been the day before. The match was difficult, but SIA Academy managed to get a second shutout in 2 games, while putting 3 goals past the opponent’s defense.
It was around this time that the weather conditions made it impossible for the competition to proceed leading to the cancelation of the semifinals and finals for both the silver and gold category. The closing ceremony saw SIA Academy’s Under 16 (G1) squad being awarded medals for having reached the semifinals of the tournament.
