XOLOITZCUINTLES YOUTH TEAM TO DEFEND FUTURE CHAMPIONS TITLE IN SOUTH AFRICA

TIJUANA –Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente will defend its Future Champions 2013 title in the 2014 edition of the international tournament featuring youth teams from throughout the world in the Under-17 category.

The 2014 Future Champions tournament begins March 29 in Gauteng, South Africa in which 16 teams from 13 different nations will compete. The Xoloitzcuintles, coached by Ignacio Ruvalcaba, won the 2013 edition of the prestigious tournament will play in Group C as it tries to defend its championship.

The Xoloitzcuintles will play Saki West of Nigeria, Aspire Academy of Qatar and Sunward Park of South Africa in the Group stage.  

The group breakdown for the tournament looks like this:

Group A

Brazzaville (Congo)

Toronto FC (Canada)

Shandong Luneng (China)

Jomo Cosmos (South Africa)

Group B

K-Stars (Zambia)

Ado Den Haag (Holland)

Atlético Mineiro (Brazil)

Supersports (South Africa)

Group C

Saki West (Nigeria)

Aspire Academy (Qatar)

Club Tijuana (Mexico)

Sunward Park (South Africa)

Group D

Royal Wahingdoh (India)

Sunderland (England)

US National Team (USA)

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

This will be the third time the Xoloitzcuintles participate in this tournament. Club Tijuana played in the 2011 version in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in which the Xoloitzcuintles also won under Ruvalcaba.

The international tournament counts with historical teams that have become some of the top soccer schools in the world. Manchester United (England), Nacional (Uruguay), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Juventus (Italy), Flamengo, Cruzeiro, Corinthians (Brazil), Nacional (Uruguay), Colo Colo (Chile), Orlando Pirates (South Africa) Barcelona (Spain) Paris Saint-Germain (France), Vasco Da Gama (Brazil) as well as Pachuca and Club America are some of the teams that have participated in this competition.

This is another international experience for the Xoloitzcuintles young players who have also played in Argentina against teams such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing de Avellaneda, Defensa y Justicia, Velez Sarsfield, Lanus, San Lorenzo and the Argentine Under-15 national team. This will be the second time Club Tijuana travels to South Africa.