2021 FCNE – United Stars Atlanta

FC New England is a soccer club that provides individual players with the opportunity of a lifetime, to represent New England and the USA at the world largest soccer tournament, the Gothia Cup in Sweden. The directors have been traveling and providing this experience to players through the USA since 2000 and have made some great friends during our journeys.  Every summer we take talented soccer players over to Denmark and Sweden to compete alongside some of the worlds most powerful soccer nations. We enter teams on both the boys’ and girls’ side starting at U11 all the way up through U18. If you have ever dreamed of playing soccer in Europe or seeing for yourself how you match up against the rest of the World then this is this trip for you.

For the lucky players selected from across the county, we watch these players come together for 11 days to compete against teams from every corner of the globe, the trip starts with a preseason in Denmark consisting on practices and friendly games in the beautiful city of Copenhagen before we make the drive up to Gothenburg in Sweden for the main event the Gothia Cup!

Often referred to as the Youth World Cup, the Gothia Cup, will captivated you with the passion, level of play and the experience you get every day testing your skills against players from around 80 different countries. From the opening ceremony in the National stadium with over 60,000 people to the thrill of the group stages all the way through to the final games there is no other tournament in the world that can compare to what the Gothia Cup offers.

Q) How are players selected?
A) Our organizing team has extensive soccer experience and contacts throughout the Region. We are very familiar with the different leagues, clubs, across the region and regularly watch players from different areas/clubs compete against each other. Armed with this experience we have reached out to top players from top teams and top leagues throughout the region. You can also get selected through a recommendation from other players.

Q) What level of player are you looking for?
A) We look for the highest level of players in order to compete in the competition.

Q) Can family members travel?
A) Yes, and are welcomed to join us on the trip. Parents and guardians are not required to travel with the players as we ensure the players are supervised at all times. However, we have many families who decide to make this trip of a lifetime and make it a family vacation or some who travel with one family member with the player. Family members are fully included in all activities and are never excluded.

Q) Where does the team depart from?
A) We depart from Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport; this is where players will meet the coach and the trip starts. We do have some players that may decide to travel directly to Denmark and join the team there (please ask for more details regarding this).

Q) How many players are selected for each team?
A) Rosters sizes are kept small for example for U11 OR U12, (7 v 7) we would only take 9/10 players including goalkeeper and U13+ (11v11) would take 15 players including goalkeeper to ensure good game time for all the players.
 
Q) Where does the team and family members stay?
A) Many teams that travel stay in school dorms, however, experience has led us to always stay in hotels. We pride ourselves in the quality of hotels we stay at. Like many tournaments in the US the Gothia Cup often allocates hotels for teams however due to our relationship built over the years we have full control of where we stay. Players, Coaches and family members all stay in the same location!

Q) Does the team practice before they leave the US?
A) This depends on the team availability, however the plan is to register for a local tournament in the US before departing. Regardless the preseason in Denmark would be the time to bring the team together in both practices and friendly games. The team would have the chance to communicate with each other prior to leaving via zoom calls etc...

Q) Who are the Tour Organizers?
A) Tayo Adeyemi in Conjunction with FC New England (Our Umbrella Club) and Quest Sports Travel (Our Travel Company) are the main organizing group for the tour and tournament activities.

Q) Are there any fundraising opportunities for players to raise some of the money needed to travel?
A) Yes

Q) How can I help?
A) Sponsors, Fundraising, Donations and your support

For more info, or if you have any questions, please contact:

[email protected]

Learn more about The Gothia Cup, the "World Youth Cup"

My trip to the Gothia Cup was my first experience playing internationally. Lookingback, it was around that time that I realized that I wanted to continue to play at the highest level against women from all over the world. Traveling and going to the Gothia Cup was a big part of that realization. I remember the trip being extremely fun and exciting as well as a great opportunity to learn about myself as a player. My favorite part was obviously winning the tournament and being able to ride around town on the upperdeck of a tour bus celebrating the victory!.

Jami Kranich
Boston College Women's Soccer Assistant Coach
Former Boston Breakers Player
Former US Womens National Team U23 Player
U20 World Cup Winner with USWNT
Former Villanova Player

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In my experiences during club, we never went to showcases that were abroad. We had many local tournaments and showcases that were great experiences, but nothing compared to the Gothia Cup. I can easily say that this tournament was the best experience I had ever had on and off the field. One of the best days was the opening ceremony for the tournament. If you have seen the Olympics or world cup opening ceremony it is exactly like that.

Alyssa Hyland
Former D1 Athlete
Played Club for Stars of Mass

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Fantastic trip for athletes as well as their families! The international experience was incredible, with competitive soccer, world class accommodations, and unmatched cultural experiences all adding up to memories for a lifetime!

Gallois Family, New Canaan, CT

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Hi, I’m Reese Sutter and I went to the Gothia Cup in Sweden when I was 14 years old. I am going to be a freshman this coming fall at the University of Pennsylvania and will be playing Women’s Soccer there. I would recommend this trip to anyone as it was an such amazing experience. Being able to explore a foreign country was unlike anything I have done before, not to mention the competitive atmosphere created by the other players from around the world. It felt like I was playing at the World Cup. If you have the opportunity to attend this event you certainly should !!

Reese Sutter, CT
Player, UPenn Women's Soccer