FRISCO, Texas (April 23, 2019) – As the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup celebrated its 40th anniversary, 10 North Texas Soccer teams advanced into the knockout stages of one of the largest and prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the country. Ten teams spanned across eight age groups, ranging from 12U- 19U boys teams. Among these ten teams, seven progressed into the semifinals and beyond.
12-Under
FC Dallas 07 Premier opened the tournament with a 1-0 win against Houston Dynamo Academy Mexico, followed up by a 2-2 draw against TSC Hurricanes (OK) and a 2-0 win against Dallas Texans U12 DA to secure their progression into the next round. In the quarterfinals, the 2018 State Cup champions faced Rise SC (TX-S) and won 2-1, earning them a semifinal tie against FC Dallas U12 DA South, which would end in a 3-0 defeat. Dallas Rebels 07 began their games with a commanding 4-0 victory over FC Dinastia from Mexico and continued with a 1-0 win and 2-0 loss to La Esperanza (CA-S) and Solar U12 DA respectively. In quarterfinals, Dallas Rebels fell to eventual champion Toronto FC Academy in a 3-2 thriller.
13-Under
The defending State Cup champions FC Dallas 06 Premier began play in Group B of the 13U age group with a 1-0 victory over Pumas USA kickers (CA-S). The North Texas side would follow up the win with a 0-0 draw against Menedy Futbol Club from Guatemala before earning a 3-0 win over Puma FC Southampton (KS. In the quarterfinals, FC Dallas was edged out 1-0 by eventual finalists Angeles Soccer Elite from Mexico.
14-Under
The 14U age group was the most successful for North Texas teams, with FC Dallas 05 Premier and North Blue teams reaching the semifinals, while Dallas Kicks 05 Selecao ultimately lifted the trophy. Dallas Kicks 05 Selecao used wins over Pasa Del Norte SC United 2005 (TX-S), Celtic Academy (CA-S) and Classic 05 Barraza (AZ) to advance to the quarterfinals. In the knockout rounds, the 2018 State Cup champions won 4-0 over Angeles Soccer Elite 05 from Mexico, followed by a 1-0 victory against FC Dallas 05 North Blue to move them on to the finals. Kicks took care of business with a 9-0 win over Rise SC Elite (TX-S) in the finals to secure the title.
FC Dallas 05 Premier advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0-1 record and used a 2-1 win over Rayos McAllen 05 (TX-S) to move to the semifinals, to Rise SC 05 Elite (TX-S) 1-0. FC Dallas 05 North Blue also got out their group with seven points to meet Lonestar U14 DA (TX-S) in the quarters. FC Dallas beat Lonestar 2-0 to meet Dallas Kicks in the semifinals, where they lost 1-0.
16-Under
2018-19 US Youth Soccer National League Frontier Conference champions FC Dallas 03 Premier began the tournament with a swift 3-0 victory against Diablos FC from Mexico before drawing Toronto FC 03 Academy 1-1. To secure a spot in the next round, FC Dallas were victorious over 2018 US Youth Soccer National Champions LVSA 03 Silver (NV) 4-2. In the quarterfinals, the 2018 State Cup finalists defeated Paso del Norte (TX-S) 3-0, leading them to the semifinals, where their run ended with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Solar U16.
17-Under
FC Dallas 02 Premier began strongly in group play with a 5-0 victory over Albion SC 02 DA (CA-S). The third place finishers in the 2018-19 National League Black Division accompanied their commanding win with 6-1 and 2-0 victories over Club Menedy from Guatemala and Black Rock FC (MA) to advance out of the group. Moving onto the quarterfinals, FC Dallas Premier faced Liverpool Football College from England and won 4-2 to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the 18 Southern Regional Championships finalists encountered Queretaro FC from Mexico, falling 3-0 to the professional academy.
18-Under
A pair of FC Dallas teams advanced out of group play as both FC Dallas 01 Premier and FC Dallas 01 Central went 3-0 in their respective groups. Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXIX quarterfinalists FC Dallas Central advanced to the semifinals after a 3-1 victory over Santa Clara Sporting 01 Green (CA-N), while 2018-19 National League Frontier Conference champions FC Dallas 01 Premier defeated Truro College from the United Kingdom 2-1. The two North Texas sides squared off in the semifinals, which resulted in FC Dallas Premier moving on to the finals after a 5-0 win. There they faced Maplebrook 01 Elite (MN) in an exciting match where FC Dallas had the tying goal in the final minutes called back by a foul in the box to help Maplebrook Elite lift the trophy with a 3-2 victory.