HISTORY WILL BE MADE at Old Trafford on Saturday when Orlando Pirates and Pachuca walk through the tunnel and onto the pitch at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ before competing for the title of Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) Champions of the World 2011.
Sir Alex Ferguson wished the finalists well and spoke of the very special nature of the tournament. “There have been some fantastic players playing at MUPC over the years. It’s a great chance for youngsters to express themselves and share their skills. But the great thing to it I think is the mix of cultures - there are teams from South America, from China, from all countries throughout the world. I really think it benefits young people to mix with other cultures and get to understand each other; for me that’s one of the real benefits of this tournament.”
The day started with the Quarter Final matches and Pachuca continued their march towards the final with a solid 1:0 victory over Valencia. Chelsea managed to score an early goal against Right to Dream who dominated for much of the match but an outstanding performance by Chelsea’s goalkeeper kept the Ghanaian team at bay and the match finished 1:0.
Meanwhile Orlando Pirates and Fenerbahce were evenly matched throughout and a 1:1 draw forced the first penalty shoot-out of the tournament. Both teams missed and then Carrington exploded into song when the final shot from Fenerbahce failed to reach the back of the net, sending Pirates through to the semi-final. On the next pitch, EC Bahia and Boca Juniors were also preparing for penalty kicks following their terse 0:0 encounter. An assured performance from EC Bahia gave them a 4:2 victory.
The Semi-Final afternoon was bathed in sunshine as Pachuca faced off against strong competitors Chelsea; the London side came into the match having yet to concede a goal. Their clean sheet was finally ruined by first one, then two goals from the Mexican team, and the Blues were unable to respond. The 2:0 victory ensured Pachuca's return visit to Old Trafford.
Orlando Pirates beat EC Bahia 4:3 on penalties following another 1:1 draw earning their place in history as the first African team to reach the finals at Old Trafford.
Other stories were also unfolding throughout the day; PSV Eindhoven continued to impress taking the advantage over both FC Metz and Universidad de Chile to finish in 9th position and China’s Hubei FA finally found some form - and the back of the net - with two goals giving them victory over Onehunga Sports. Coach Huang admitted “Our team are a year younger than most of the kids here so we knew the level of football would be challenging. So we came here with the attitude to learn as much as possible and grow our experience and we are grateful for that”.
Fenerbahce signalled a return to form securing 5th place with a 2:1 result over the Right to Dream Academy and Cosmos Academy pushed Catania Calcio into 14thplace to secure 13th position; just one place behind host club Manchester United.
On Saturday at noon Pachuca and Orlando Pirates will compete in the final stages of the most prestigious event of its kind in the world. One thing is for certain: a new name will be written into MUPC history tomorrow when the two best under-15 teams in the world walk out onto the pitch in the pursuit of their dreams. The same pitch where they saw Manchester United legend Paul Scholes say goodbye to 75,000 fans the evening before.
The dream continues…
