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Under-14 teams paving road to France
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Metro Ford Ajax of Coquitlam, B.C., took its first step towards competing in an under-14 tournament in Paris during the World Cup this summer by winning the inaugural Nike International Premier Cup regional qualifying event Saturday.The under-14 boys squad defeated the North Delta, B.C., Selects 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw in regulation.
The Nike International Premier Cup is the world's largest under-14 boys soccer tournament, with 2,400 teams from 50 countries competing for the opportunity to represent their countries at the final in France during World Cup '98.
As finalists in the eight-team tournament, both Ajax and North Delta will represent the West in the Premier Cup final in Toronto, May 30-31.
Other qualifying tournaments will take place in Toronto and Montreal over the next two weeks to determine the additional four teams to compete in the Canadian final.
The winner of the Canadian final plays in the North American final in Beaverton, Ore., with the finalists from that tournament playing for the world championship in Paris from July 8-10.
In the under-13 girls Nike Canada Challenge Cup qualifying tournament, the Burnaby Inferno defeated the Langley Scorpiennes 5-2. Both teams have qualified for the Canadian final.
Nike will donate a total of $60,000 in soccer equipment to local community groups on behalf of all the teams in the Canadian final of both the girls and boys championships.
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