Manchester United Premier Cup Updates...

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

CENTRAL OPEN TOUR WITH WIN

A Fabrizio Tavano hat-trick helped Central United's under-15 side win the first match of their warm-up schedule before the Manchester United Premier Cup begins next week.

Tavano's hat-trick combined with a double to Keith Heny and goals from Thomas Spragg and James Routledge pushed their side to a 7-1 win over local Oldham side Chadderton.

Central's Manchester United Premier Cup preparation continues on Wednesday (NZ time) with a match against Blackburn Rovers youth side.

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

How did Tane Gent get along?

ive got a song that wont take long, Adelaide are rubbish.. the second verse is same as the first.. ADELAIDE ARE RUBBISH

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Also refer to the Tour Diary by Katherine Ludbrook, Central United's Club Physio who is part of the squad in Manchester.

(rf Central United FC Homepage) www.centralunited.co.nz

Uli Stieleke2008-07-30 10:56:30

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Result from second warm-up match:

Blackburn Rovers 4 - Central United 0

The Blackburn team was made up of players aged 16 years old - one year older than their Central United counterparts. They were a very strong side whose physical maturity and presence provided a tough workout for the Central boys. The match, played over 3 x 25 minute periods, gave Coaches Paul Posa and Steve Sarich another opportunity to give their squad a valuable hit out in the leadup to the Manchester Finals. The squad is in good spirits, is injury-free and now travels to play Nottingham Forest (another team of 16 year olds) in their final warm-up game (to be played Thursday morning NZ time).

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Were you in Wellington yesterday Uli ?

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

FINAL WARM-UP MATCH (PLAYED THIS MORNING)

Central United 2 - Nottingham Forest 0

Central United rounded off their preparation for the Manchester Finals with their best result of the tour to date. Goals to captain Thomas Spragg and striker Fabrizio Tavano sealed the victory which Coach Paul Posa descibed as "a very good team performance."

The squad now returns to Manchester to prepare for the Finals tournament. The eagerly awaited competition draw will take place on the eve of the the tournament which commences this Sunday 3 August and concludes on Thursday 7 August (NZ time).

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

That's a great result against a club with a solid youth setup.

Generally touring teams play Academy trial sides or reserve sides but I believe they were playing a full academy side (the power of Nike) so this is some result.

Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Central United has ended the first day at the Manchester United Premier Cup with a draw and a loss from their opening two matches.

Earlier the team had been drawn in a "Group of Death" alongside Italian superclub Juventus, English champions Middlesbrough, top Mexican side FC Atlas and SuperSport United, currently ranked the top club in South Africa.

First up was Middlesbrough and though Central began nervously they quickly gained in confidence as the game unfolded. The match-up between the champion under 15 team from Australasia and England's best club side proved to be an extremely tight affair with both teams ultimately cancelling each other out. The final score, nil-all, was an excellent start to the tournament and the overall performance impressed many onlookers, not least the head coach of Middlesbrough, who admitted to being "very surprised and impressed" with the Kiwis' efforts at the conclusion of the match.

Central's second match was against FC Atlas, one of Mexico's largest clubs. The Mexicans, who drew with Juventus in their opening match, are one of the favourites to claim the title at this years tournament. Their quick passing and highly skilled technique was quickly evident. However for long periods of the match this was more than matched by the superb physical conditioning and tactical organisation of the Central team. The final scoreline, 2-0 to Atlas, did not truely reflect the closeness of this encounter. The Kiwi side who created a number of chances to score themselves provided a far tougher opponent than most expected for a Mexican side who have publicly stated they have the team to take out this years Premier Cup.

Final group matches to be played on Day 2 (overnight NZ time) will see Central United firstly take on SuperSport before their final match in pool play against the giants from Turin, Juventus - the most successful club in the history of Italian football.

Full results and standings at the end of Day 1 at the MUPC:

Day 1 03 August 2008

Time Pitch Match Team 01 Score Team 02 09:30 1 GA01 Manchester United
3 - 0 Villa 2000
09:30 2 GB01 Green Town FC
1 - 1 Shizuoka Gakuen
09:30 3 GC01 Middlesbrough
0 - 0 Central United
09:30 4 GD01 Ansan Boogok
3 - 1 San Diego Surf
10:30 1 GA02 Audax Italiano
2 - 2 Real Madrid
10:30 2 GB02 Fluminese FC
1 - 0 Eintracht Frankfurt
10:30 3 GC02 FC Atlas
1 - 1 Juventus
10:30 4 GD02 Willem II
1 - 2 FC Basel 1893
11:30 1 GA03 Paris Saint Germain
1 - 1 Manchester United
11:30 2 GB03 FC Honka
2 - 0 Green Town FC
11:30 3 GC03 SuperSport Tottenham
0 - 0 Middlesbrough
11:30 4 GD03 Right to Dream
2 - 1 Ansan Boogok
15:30 1 GA04 Villa 2000
0 - 2 Audax Italiano
15:30 2 GB04 Shizuoka Gakuen
0 - 7 Fluminese FC
15:30 3 GC04 Central United
0 - 2 FC Atlas
15:30 4 GD04 San Diego Surf
1 - 2 Willem II
16:30 1 GA05 Real Madrid
- Paris Saint Germain
16:30 2 GB05 Eintracht Frankfurt
- FC Honka
16:30 3 GC05 Juventus
- SuperSport Tottenham
16:30 4 GD05 FC Basel 1893
- Right to Dream

Group A

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals Manchester United 2 1 0 1 4 3 4 Audax Italiano 2 1 0 1 4 2 4 Real Madrid 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 Paris Saint Germain 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 Villa 2000 2 0 2 0 0 -5 0

Group B

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals Fluminese FC 2 2 0 0 6 8 8 FC Honka 1 1 0 0 3 2 2 Green Town FC 2 0 1 1 1 -2 1 Shizuoka Gakuen 2 0 1 1 1 -7 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 1 0 1 0 0 -1 0

Group C

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals FC Atlas 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 Middlesbrough 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 Juventus 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 SuperSport Tottenham 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Central United 2 0 1 1 1 -2 0

Group D

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals Ansan Boogok 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 FC Basel 1893 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 Right to Dream 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 Willem II 2 1 1 0 3 0 3 San Diego Surf 2 0 2 0 0 -3 2

http://www.manchesterunitedpremiercup.com/

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Cheers Uli.

Yet more credible results. Exciting stuff.

Incredible stamina. No shame. Yellow Fever.

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Not a great day today, we drew 0-0 all against super sport but lost 3-0 against Juventus.

Leaves us last in the group although that could change if Super Sport get beaten by a couple.

Hopefully we'll score a couple of goals in the plate rounds.

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Central United finished Day 2 at the Manchester United Premier Cup with another draw and a loss to complete their group play at the tournament.

First up they took on the South African champions SuperSport United. On the eve of the match the team was spurred on by two messages of encouragement from senior Central United players and former South African internationals Keryn Jordan and Grant Young. Jordan is a former SuperSport player and both relayed their confidence in their young clubmates' ability to win this matchup.

The match itself was dominated from start to finish by Central as SuperSport could not manage to get a shot on goal for the entire game. Alas, Central's inability to finish the numerous chances they created ultimately cost them and the final score ended up 0-0.

Only an hour after finishing their opening match, a peculiarity of the draw saw Central face Italian giants Juventus next, a team who was playing their first game of the day. This match was always going to be a huge challenge for the Kiwi boys and so it proved. The Italians were big, powerful and exuded class all over the pitch. It is no surprise they are one of tournament's hot favourites and a tiring Central side fought bravely before sucumming 0-3.

Central finished in 5th place (of 5) in their final group standings. They were beaten to 4th spot on goal difference (one goal) by SuperSport and will now play-off for 17th - 20th position in the tournament.

In a very tough group their two-draw and two-loss record was highly credible and further proof that Kiwi footballers are becoming more and more competitive on the world stage. Tournaments such as the Manchester United Premier Cup are absolutely vital in providing the necessary experience to further develop our talented youngsters.

As head coach Paul Posa commented "They will have learned more in the last week football-wise than we could ever teach them in a year back home".

Central's first play-off match tonight is against American champions San Diego Surf.

Full results from Day 2, Final Group Standings and the Day 3 Draw is listed below:

Results - Day 2 - 04 August 2008

Time Pitch Match Team 01 Score Team 02 09:30 1 GA06 Paris Saint Germain
3 - 0 Villa 2000
09:30 2 GB06 FC Honka
5 - 0 Shizuoka Gakuen
09:30 3 GC06 SuperSport Tottenham
0 - 0 Central United
09:30 4 GD06 Right to Dream
2 - 0 San Diego Surf
10:30 1 GA07 Manchester United
2 - 1 Audax Italiano
10:30 2 GB07 Green Town FC
0 - 3 Fluminese FC
10:30 3 GC07 Middlesbrough
1 - 1 FC Atlas
10:30 4 GD07 Ansan Boogok
1 - 1 Willem II
11:30 1 GA08 Villa 2000
0 - 3 Real Madrid
11:30 2 GB08 Shizuoka Gakuen
0 - 7 Eintracht Frankfurt
11:30 3 GC08 Central United
0 - 3 Juventus
11:30 4 GD08 San Diego Surf
0 - 3 FC Basel 1893
15:30 1 GA09 Audax Italiano
0 - 3 Paris Saint Germain
15:30 2 GB09 Fluminese FC
4 - 1 FC Honka
15:30 3 GC09 FC Atlas
1 - 0 SuperSport Tottenham
15:30 4 GD09 Willem II
0 - 2 Right to Dream
16:30 1 GA10 Real Madrid
0 - 0 Manchester United
16:30 2 GB10 Eintracht Frankfurt
1 - 1 Green Town FC
16:30 3 GC10 Juventus
1 - 2 Middlesbrough
16:30 4 GD10 FC Basel 1893
3 - 0 Ansan Boogok

Final Group Standings -

Group A

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals Paris Saint Germain 4 2 0 2 8 6 8 Manchester United 4 2 0 2 8 4 6 Real Madrid 4 1 0 3 6 3 6 Audax Italiano 4 1 2 1 4 -2 5 Villa 2000 4 0 4 0 0 -11 0

Group B

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals Fluminese FC 4 4 0 0 12 14 15 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 2 1 1 7 9 11 FC Honka 4 2 2 0 6 1 8 Green Town FC 4 0 2 2 2 -5 2 Shizuoka Gakuen 4 0 3 1 1 -19 1

Group C

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals FC Atlas 4 2 0 2 8 3 5 Juventus 4 2 1 1 7 5 8 Middlesbrough 4 1 0 3 6 1 3 SuperSport Tottenham 4 0 2 2 2 -4 0 Central United 4 0 2 2 2 -5 0

Group D

Team Name P W L D Points GD Goals FC Basel 1893 4 3 0 1 10 7 9 Right to Dream 4 3 0 1 10 5 7 Ansan Boogok 4 1 2 1 4 -2 5 Willem II 4 1 2 1 4 -2 4 San Diego Surf 4 0 4 0 0 -8 2

Draw - Day 3 - 05 August 2008

Time Pitch Match Team 01 Score Team 02 09:30 1 QF1 Paris Saint Germain
- Eintracht Frankfurt
09:30 2 QF2 FC Atlas
- Right to Dream
09:30 3 QF3 Fluminese FC
- Manchester United
09:30 4 QF4 FC Basel 1893
- Juventus
10:30 3 P4 SuperSport Tottenham
- Willem II
10:30 2 P5 Villa 2000
- Shizuoka Gakuen
10:30 1 P6 Central United
- San Diego Surf
10:30 4 P3 Audax Italiano
- Green Town FC
11:30 2 P1 Real Madrid
- FC Honka
11:30 1 P2 Middlesbrough
- Ansan Boogok
11:30 3 R1 Loser QF1
- Loser QF2
11:30 4 R2 Loser QF3
- Loser QF4
15:30 1 19-20 Loser P5
- Loser P6
15:30 2 17-18 Winner P5
- Winner P6
15:30 3 15-16 Loser P3
- Loser P4
15:30 4 13-14 Winner P3
- Winner P4
16:30 1 11-12 Loser P1
- Loser P2
16:30 2 9-10 Winner P1
- Winner P2
16:30 3 7-8 Loser R1
- Loser R2
16:30 4 5-6 Winner R1
- Winner R2
17:30 1 SF1 Winner QF1
- Winner QF2
17:30 2 SF2 Winner QF3
- Winner QF4

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Central United completed their participation in the 2008 Manchester United Premier Cup with two wins from two on Day 3 at the tournament.

First up was San Diego Surf, the American champions. Central took the lead early through captain Thomas Spragg only to concede a goal shortly after. The second half saw Spragg add a second as Central took control of the match. Unable to convert their advantage with a third goal which would have killed off the game, disaster struck right opn the final whistle with the Americans snatching a late equaliser. This sent the match into a penalty shoot-out. Central who had spent a great deal of time pre-tournament preparing for this possibility made no mistake when it counted. All five of their penalty takers converted and it was left to goalkeeper Alex Carr to provide the heroics with the all-important save that saw Central United claim their first scalp of the tournament.

Their final game was the play-off for 17th and 18th position and Central made no race of this match-up against Villa 2000 of Indonesia. Goals to Matthew Rowlands, Joseph Dan-Tyrell and captain Spragg saw Central run out comprehensive winners by 3-0.

Thus, the team finished with a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses to claim 17th spot (of 20) at this prestigious Under 15 international tournament. This is the same position the club finished in last year however significant progress has been made by the fact two draws were attained this year in what was a fiercely contested group phase.

FC Atlas, who topped Central's group take on Brazilian team Fluminense overnight in the Final to be played at Manchester United's famous Old Trafford Stadium. (This will be played as a curtainraiser to the senior pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Juventus).

Central United's full tour record was as follows:

Warmup Matches:

vs Chadderton FC won 7-1

vs Blackburn Rovers (U16 Academy) lost 0-4

vs Nottingham Forest (U16 Academy) won 2-0

MUPC Tournament:

vs Middlesbrough FC (Eng) drew 0-0

vs FC Atlas (Mexico) lost 0-2

vs SuperSport United (SA) drew 0-0

vs Juventus (Italy) lost 0-3

vs San Diego Surf (USA) drew 2-2 (won 5-4 pens)

vs Villa 2000 (Indonesia) won 3-0

Tour Record:

P9 W4 D2 L3 GF14 GA 12

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Final: Fluminense (Brazil) 2 - FC Atlas (Mexico) 1

Venue: Old Trafford

Fantastic tournament. It is imperitive a Kiwi team qualifys for the World Finals again in 2009.

Last year Cam Lindsay was picked up by Blackburn Rovers and this year Tom Spragg has gained a trial at Villa.

Augers well for the future of our international game if our talented younsters can get picked up by these big clubs at this critical stage of their footballing development.

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Honest view here Uli, what are the chances they will remain available for New Zealand and not be pushed towards availability for a different nationality ?

It's a worrying trend for us.

How's my driving? - Whine here

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I just realised that we had to beat the Australian champions to qualify here, that's a very good effort.

HN, makes it even more important that we qualify for WC2012, they'll all come flooding out of the woodwork then

Normo's coming home

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

2012 ?

How's my driving? - Whine here

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

MUPC 2008 Final Standings

1st Fluminense FC (Brazil)
2nd FC Atlas (Mexico) *
3rd Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
4th FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)
5th Right to Dream (Ghana)
6th Manchester United (England)
7th Juventus (Italy) *
8th Paris Saint Germain (France)
9th Middlesbrough (England) *
10th Real Madrid (Spain)
11th FC Honka (Finland)
12th Ansan Boogok (Korea)
13th Willem II (Holland)
14th Audax Italiano (Chile)
15th SuperSport Tottenham (South Africa) *
16th Green Town FC (China)
17th Central United (New Zealand) *
18th Villa 2000 (Indonesia)
19th San Diego Surf (USA)
20th Shizuoka Gakuen (Japan)

* Teams that were in Central United's group stage, prior to final placing play-offs.

Uli Stieleke2008-08-15 15:48:50

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over 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Great news for Thomas. He looked sharp down here when Ricki had him involved in a few days of the Phoenix's pre-season. Came on against a Welly XI in the centre of midfield and looked very good.