On Memorial Day Weekend, from May 22 to 25, the Inter Miami CF Academy hosted the Dreams Cup presented by Lowe’s, with the tournament reaching unprecedented heights. The largest and most ambitious youth competition organized by the Club delivered intense competition and thrills of the highest level as the tournament continues leaving its mark on the future of youth fútbol in the United States.
Behind the Numbers
The second edition of the Dreams Cup, which saw eight teams from our Academy reach the final and seven claim the title in their respective divisions, featured an unprecedented number of participating teams – nearly doubling the scale of its inaugural edition as a total 1,1132 sides featured in the competition’s 123 championship divisions from the U-8 through U-19 age groups. Teams from 12 different countries participated, while teams from 11 different states also competed, with an overall 17,073 rising stars in action.
The tournament’s schedule was made up of 1,887 fixtures played across 42 venues and 116 fields, with an average of 472 matches each day of competition. Notably, 59 of the 123 finals were hosted at the Club’s state-of-the-art Florida Blue Training Center. Additionally, 31,776 spectators were in attendance throughout the weekend, while on the pitch a total 12,357 goals were scored.
Comments from the Protagonists
Below, we look back at the memorable second edition of the Dreams Cup through comments from some of our Academy’s U-14 stars and coach.
Sebastian Bennett, who scored for our U-14s in their 3-0 victory over Pumas UNAM in front of nearly 13,000 fans at Inter Miami CF Stadium in the tournament’s Opening Ceremony reminisced about the special moment: “It’s an amazing feeling to get this opportunity to showcase what I can do on the field. I hope everyone enjoyed watching us play… Someone played me a ball, I turned and I just shot it. Thank God it went in. After I scored I ran to the corner and did whatever celebration came to mind.”
Roger Llaurado, who also got onto the scoresheet in the match, echoed Bennet’s sentiment: “I’m feeling very grateful to be in this position in front of thousands of people. To score a goal in this amazing stadium, especially with my friends and teammates, was something I really loved enjoying with them.”
Thiago Quintero, meanwhile, shared his excitement after being one of the scorers in the team’s 2-0 win over One FC in the final of the U-14 Super Group category and winning another title for our Academy: “I saw the goalkeeper was off his line, so I chipped the ball and found the back of the net. We have to keep working, and overall its a great joy to win this cup.”
Academy U-14 coach Lucas Scaglia highlighted the team’s quality: “We already know them, we’ve been working with them for over a year. We know the quality this team and this group of players has.”
Mauricio Venegas
